BILLBOARD (USA) MAGAZINE’S (MAGAZINE’S CHART) TOP 100 ALBUMS OF 1971*
No. Album-Artist-Label-Peak Month 1 JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR SOUNDTRACK-VARIOUS ARTISTS-DECCA-MAY 2 TAPESTRY-CAROLE KING-ODE-July 3 CLOSE TO YOU-CARPENTERS-A&M-January 4 PEARL-JANIS JOPLIN-Columbia-March 5 ABRAXAS-SANTANA-Columbia-January 6 THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY ALBUM-PARTRIDGE FAMILY-Bell-January 7 SWEET BABY JAMES-JAMES TAYLOR-Warner Brothers-January 8 TEA FOR THE TILLERMAN-Cat Stevens-A&M-May 9 GREATEST HITS-Sly & Family Stone 10 CHICAGO III-Chicago-March 11 Chapter Two-Roberta Flack-Atlantic-January 12 Naturally-Three Dog Night-Dunhill-January 13 Paranoid-Black Sabbath-Warner Brothers-March 14 Golden Bisquits-Three Dog Night-Dunhill-May 15 Chicago Transit Authority-Chicago-Columbia-January 16 Grand Funk Railroad Live-Grand Funk Railroad-January 17 To Be Continued-Isaac Hayes-Stax-Enterprise-January 18 All Things Must Pass-George Harrison-Apple-January 19 Chicago II-Chicago-Columbia-January 20 After The Gold Rush-Neil Young-Reprise-January 21 Sticky Fingers-Rolling Stones-Rolling Stones-June 22 Up To Date-Partridge Family-Bell-May 23 4 Way Street-Crosby,Stills,Nash & Young-Atlantic-June 24 Tumbleweed Connection-Elton John-Uni-March 25 Emerson,Lake & Palmer-Emerson,Lake & Palmer-Cotillion-April 26 Love Story-Soundtrack-Paramount-March 27 Mud,Slide,Slim And The Blue Horizon-James Taylor-Warner Brothers-August 28 Pendulum-Creedence Clearwater Revival-Fantasy-February 29 Cry Of Love-Jimi Hendrix-Reprise-April 30 Elton John-Elton John-Uni-January 31 Best Of The Guess Who-Guess Who-RCA-June 32 Osmonds-Osmonds-MGM-March 33 Aqualung-Jethro Tull-Reprise-August 34 Every Picture Tells A Story-Rod Stewart-Warner Brothers-October 35 Cosmo's Factory-Creedence Clearwater Revival-Fantasy-January 36 Temptations' Greatest Hits:Volume 2-Temptations-Gordy-January 37 Survival-Grand Funk Railroad-Capitol-June 38 Ram-Paul McCartney & Wings-Apple-September 39 Carpenters-Carpenters-A&M-August 40 Poems,Prayers & Promises-John Denver-RCA-August 41 For The Good Times-Ray Price-Columbia-January 42 LA Woman-Doors-Elektra-June 43 Maybe Tomorrow-Jackson Five-Motown-June 44 Tap Root Manuscript-Neil Diamond-Uni-January 45 Love It To Death-Alice Cooper-Warner Brothers-February 46 Love Story-Andy Williams-Columbia-April 47 Woodstock Soundtrack-Various Artists-Cotillion-January 48 The Worst Of The Jefferson Airplane-RCA-February 49 Third Album-Jackson Five-Motown-January 50 Deja Vu-Crosby,Stills,Nash & Young-Atlantic-January 51 Aretha Live At The Fillmore West-Aretha Franklin-Atlantic-July 52 What's Going On-Marvin Gaye-Tamla-August 53 Rose Garden-Lynn Anderson-Columbia-March 54 The Sky's The Limit-Temptations-Gordy-June 55 Bridge Over Troubled Water-Simon & Garfunkel-Columbia-January 56 If You Could Read My Mind-Gordon Lightfoot-Reprise-March 57 Curtis-Curtis Mayfield-Curtom-January 58 Gold/Their Great Hits-Steppenwolf-Dunhill-March 59 Thirds-James Gang-ABC-May 60 Black Sabbath-Black Sabbath-Warner Brothers-January 61 Them Changes-Buddy Miles-Mercury-January 62 A Question Of Balance-Moody Blues-Threshold-January 63 Melting Pot-Booker T. & The MGs-Stax-February 64 5th-Lee Michaels-A&M-October 65 B.B. King Live At Cook County Jail-B.B. King-ABC-January 66 Whales And Nightingales-Judy Collins-Elektra-February 67 Tommy-The Who-Decca-January 68 Curtis Live-Curtis Mayfield-Curtom-June 69 Stony End-Barbara Streisand-Columbia-March 70 Stephen Stills-Stephen Stills-Atlantic-January 71 Layla-Derek and the Dominos-Atco-January 72 Leon Russell And The Shelter People-Shelter-July 73 Gold-Neil Diamond-Uni-January 74 Workin' Together-Ike & Tina Turner-Liberty-April 75 Tarkus-Emerson,Lake & Palmer-Cotillion-August 76 Bloodrock 2-Bloodrock-Capitol-January 77 It's Impossible-Perry Como-RCA-January 78 Santana-Santana-Columbia-December 79 The Donny Osmond Album-Donny Osmond-MGM-September 80 Manna-Bread-Elektra-June 81 This Is A Recording-Lily Tomlin-Polydor-May 82 Hanging In There-Hudson & Landry-Dore-June 83 11-17-70-Elton John-Uni-July 84 John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band-Apple-January 85 Close To You/One Less Bell To Answer-Burt Bacharach-A&M-July 86 Homemade-Osmonds-MGM-June 87 Blue-Joni Mitchell-Reprise-August 88 The Point-Nilsson-RCA-May 89 Sweetheart-Engelbert Humperdinck-Parrot-June 90 Alarm Clock-Richie Havens-Stormy Forest-January 91 Nantuckett Sleighride-Mountain-Windfall-March 92 4-Blood,Sweat & Tears-Columbia-August 93 One World-Rare Earth-Rare Earth-August 94 Led Zeppelin III-Led Zeppelin-Atlantic-January 95 Mad Dogs & Englishmen-Joe Cocker-A&M-January 96 Allman Brothers At The Fillmore East- Allman Brothers-Capricorn-August 97 Love,Lines,Angles & Rhymes-Fifth Dimension-Bell-May 98 Live-Johnny Winter And-Columbia-June 99 Chase-Chase-Epic-May 100 Closer To Home-Grand Funk Railroad-Capitol-January * As published in the December 25,1971 issue of Billboard Magazine