1971 in British music

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List of years in British music

This is a summary of 1971 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.

Events[]

  • 3 February - Davy Jones announces he is leaving the Monkees
  • 1 March – Bassist John Deacon joins Queen
  • 4 MarchThe Rolling Stones open their UK tour in Newcastle upon Tyne, intended as a "farewell" to the UK prior to the band's relocation to France as "tax exiles".
  • 5 MarchUlster Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland, sees the first live performance of Led Zeppelin's iconic song "Stairway to Heaven".
  • 6 AprilThe Rolling Stones hold a party in Cannes to officially announce their new contract with Atlantic and the launch of Rolling Stones Records.
  • 12 MayMick Jagger marries Bianca de Macías in Saint-Tropez, France, in a Roman Catholic ceremony. Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and their wives are among the wedding guests.
  • 16 May - BBC television makes the first broadcast of Benjamin Britten's opera for television, Owen Wingrave.
  • 20-24 June – The first Glastonbury Festival to take place at the summer solstice is held in South West England. Performers include David Bowie, Traffic, Fairport Convention, Quintessence and Hawkwind.
  • 19–24 July - Benjamin Britten conducts recording of Edward Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius at Snape Maltings.
  • 1 August - The Concert for Bangladesh at Madison Square Garden, New York, starring Ravi Shankar, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan, and Leon Russell; also featuring Billy Preston, Eric Clapton, Jesse Ed Davis, and Badfinger.
  • 14 August - The Who release their fifth studio album Who's Next, reaching No. 1 in the UK and No. 1 in the US.
  • 8 NovemberLed Zeppelin release their officially untitled fourth studio album, which would become the band's biggest-selling album.

Number Ones[]

Singles[]

Date[1] Single Artist
9 January "Grandad" Clive Dunn
16 January
23 January
30 January "My Sweet Lord" George Harrison
6 February
13 February
20 February
27 February
6 March "Baby Jump" Mungo Jerry
13 March
20 March "Hot Love" T. Rex
27 March
3 April
10 April
17 April
24 April
1 May "Double Barrel" Dave & Ansel Collins
8 May
15 May "Knock Three Times" Dawn
22 May
29 May
5 June
12 June
19 June "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" Middle of the Road
26 June
3 July
10 July
17 July
24 July "Get It On" T. Rex
31 July
7 August
14 August
21 August "I'm Still Waiting" Diana Ross
28 August
4 September
11 September
18 September "Hey Girl Don't Bother Me" The Tams
25 September
2 October
9 October "Maggie May" / Reason to Believe" Rod Stewart
16 October
23 October
30 October
6 November
13 November "Coz I Luv You" Slade
20 November
27 November
4 December
11 December "Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West)" Benny Hill
18 December
25 December
1 January

Albums[]

Date[2] Single Artist
9 January Greatest Hits Andy Williams
16 January Bridge Over Troubled Water Simon & Garfunkel
23 January
30 January
6 February All Things Must Pass George Harrison
13 February
20 February
27 February
6 March
13 March
20 March
27 March
3 April Home Lovin' Man Andy Williams
10 April
17 April Motown Chartbusters Vol.5 Various Artists
24 April
1 May
8 May Sticky Fingers The Rolling Stones
15 May
22 May
29 May
5 June Ram Paul & Linda McCartney
12 June
19 June Sticky Fingers The Rolling Stones
26 June Tarkus Emerson, Lake & Palmer
3 July Bridge Over Troubled Water Simon & Garfunkel
10 July
17 July
24 July
31 July
7 August Hot Hits 6 Various Artists
14 August Every Good Boy Deserves Favour The Moody Blues
21 August Top of the Pops, Volume 18 Various Artists
28 August
4 September
11 September Bridge Over Troubled Water Simon & Garfunkel
18 September Who's Next The Who
25 September Fireball Deep Purple
2 October Every Picture Tells a Story Rod Stewart
9 October
16 October
23 October
30 October Imagine John Lennon
6 November
13 November Every Picture Tells a Story Rod Stewart
20 November
27 November Top of the Pops, Volume 20 Various Artists
4 December Four Symbols Led Zeppelin
11 December
18 December Electric Warrior T. Rex
25 December
1 January

Year-end charts[]

Best-selling singles[]

(Covering 16th Jan to 18th Dec 1971)

  1. "My Sweet Lord" - George Harrison 890,000
  2. "Maggie May/Reason to Believe" - Rod Stewart 615,000 in total
  3. "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" - Middle of the Road 614,000 in total
  4. "Knock Three Times" - Dawn 531,500
  5. "Hot Love" - T. Rex 530,000
  6. "The Pushbike Song" - The Mixtures 500,000
  7. "Never Ending Song of Love" - The New Seekers 421,000
  8. "I'm Still Waiting" - Diana Ross 420,000
  9. "Hey Girl Don't Bother Me" - The Tams 415,000
  10. "Get It On" - T-Rex 413,000
  11. "Coz I Luv You" - Slade 410,000
  12. "Amazing Grace" - Judy Collins 405,000
  13. "Grandad" - Clive Dunn 400,000
  14. "Double Barrel" - Dave and Ansil Collins 395,000
  15. "Rose Garden" - Lynn Anderson 394,000
  16. "Baby Jump" - Mungo Jerry 388,000
  17. "Did You Ever" - Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood 370,000
  18. "For All We Know" - Shirley Bassey 362,000
  19. "Brown Sugar" - The Rolling Stones 360,000
  20. "Stoned Love" - The Supremes 355,000
  21. "Co-Co" - Sweet 354,000
  22. "It's Impossible" - Perry Como 351,000
  23. "Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West)" - Benny Hill 350,000
  24. "Resurrection Shuffle" - Ashton, Gardner & Dyke 345,000
  25. "Another Day" - Paul McCartney 344,000
  26. "The Witch Queen of New Orleans" - Redbone 340,000
  27. "Tweedle Dee Tweedle Dum" - Middle of the Road 336,000
  28. "I Did What I Did for Maria" - Tony Christie 335,000
  29. "Bridget the Midget" - Ray Stevens 335,000
  30. "The Banner Man" - Blue Mink 331,000
  31. "Till" - Tom Jones 330,000
  32. "You've Got a Friend" - James Taylor 326,000
  33. "Mozart 40" - Waldo De Los Rios 325,000
  34. "Jeepster" - T-Rex 325,000
  35. "Indiana Wants Me" - R. Dean Taylor 324,000
  36. "I'm Gonna Run Away from You" - Tami Lynn 322,000
  37. "Don't Let It Die" - Hurricane Smith 320,000
  38. "He's Gonna Step On You Again" - John Kongos 315,000
  39. "Back Street Luv" - Curved Air 310,000
  40. "Tom Tom Turnaround" - New World 305,000
  41. "What are You Doing Sunday" - Dawn 300,000
  42. "It Don't Come Easy" - Ringo Starr 295,000
  43. "Me and You and a Dog Named Boo" - Lobo 295,000
  44. "In My Own Time" - Family 285,000
  45. "Johnny Reggae" - The Piglets 284,000
  46. "No Matter What" - Badfinger 282,000
  47. "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves" - Cher 281,0000
  48. "I Believe (In Love)" - Hot Chocolate 280,000
  49. "The Devil’s Answer" - Atomic Rooster 265,000
  50. "Banks of the Ohio" - Olivia Newton-John 260,000

Best-selling albums[]

The list of the top fifty best-selling albums of 1971 were published in Record Mirror at the end of the year, and later reproduced in the first edition of the BPI Year Book in 1976. However, in 2007 the Official Charts Company published album chart histories for each year from 1956 to 1977, researched by historian Sharon Mawer, and included an updated list of the top ten best-selling albums for each year based on the new research. The updated top ten for 1971 is shown in the table below.[3]

No. Title Artist Peak
position
1 Bridge over Troubled Water Simon & Garfunkel 1
2 Every Picture Tells a Story Rod Stewart 1
3 Sticky Fingers The Rolling Stones 1
4 Motown Chartbusters Vol. 5 Various Artists 1
5 Electric Warrior T. Rex 1
6 Ram Paul and Linda McCartney 1
7 Tapestry Carole King 4
8 Every Good Boy Deserves Favour The Moody Blues 1
9 Greatest Hits Andy Williams 1
10 Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon James Taylor 4

Classical music: new works[]

  • Benjamin Britten - Cello Suite No. 3

Film and Incidental music[]

Births[]

Deaths[]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Official Charts Company - Number One singles(Link redirected to OCC website)
  2. ^ Official Charts Company - Number One albums(Link redirected to OCC website)
  3. ^ Mawer, Sharon. "Album Chart History: 1971". Official UK Charts Company. Archived from the original on 17 December 2007.
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