Rock Timeline: now in December 1971

YouTube video by Stereo Classics Badfinger - Day After Day (2021 Remaster)

Badfinger - Day After Day

Also written by Pete Ham, “Day After Day” features slide guitar work from George Harrison and piano from Leon Russell.

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YouTube video by Badfinger - Topic Baby Blue (US Single Mix / Remastered 2010 / Bonus Track)

Badfinger - Baby Blue

“Baby Blue” is textbook power pop, featuring catchy riffs and longing melodies.

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Chap. 469 - December 1971

Badfinger - Straight Up

Badfinger’s album Straight Up is considered a high point in the band’s career and a classic of the power pop genre. The album features the standout songs Baby Blue and Day After Day, which became major hits for the group in the early 1970s.

YouTube video by King Crimson King Crimson - Sailor's Tale

King Crimson - Sailor's Tale

This instrumental follows “Formentera Lady” and stands out for its intensity and progressive structure. It features some of Robert Fripp’s most inventive guitar work, including a banjo-like solo and dramatic Mellotron passages.

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YouTube video by King Crimson King Crimson - Islands

King Crimson - Islands

The piece includes a stunning cornet solo by Mark Charig, blending classical and jazz influences into a melancholy, almost dreamlike panorama.

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Chap. 468 - December 1971

King Crimson - Islands

This is the 4th album by King Crimson. It is known for its unique blend of jazz, symphonic, and progressive rock textures, and the only studio record by this lineup: Robert Fripp, Mel Collins, Boz Burrell, and Ian Wallace.

The track features Stewart’s raspy vocals, Wood’s slashing slide guitar riffs, and Ian McLagan’s electric piano—the combination became Faces’ signature sound.

YouTube video by Faces - Topic Stay with Me

Chap. 467 - November 1971

Faces - Stay With Me

“Stay With Me” is a single by British band Faces, co-written by lead singer Rod Stewart and guitarist Ronnie Wood. It was released in 1971 as part of the group’s third studio album.

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"Spoon” was notable for being Can’s first use of a drum machine in combination with live drums, performed by Jaki Liebezeit. This approach was highly unusual for popular music in the early 1970s and contributed to the song’s distinctive, rhythmic pulse.

YouTube video by Mute Can - Spoon (Official Audio)

Chap. 466 - November 1971

Can - Spoon

“Spoon” is a song by the German krautrock band Can, recorded in 1971 and released as a single that year. The track was later added as the closing song to their seminal album Ege Bamyasi (1972).

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It was written collectively by the band—Alice Cooper, Glen Buxton, Michael Bruce, Dennis Dunaway, and Neal Smith—and produced by Bob Ezrin.

YouTube video by Alice Cooper - Topic Halo of Flies

Chap. 465 - November 1971

Alice Cooper - Halo of Flies

The track is notable for its length (8:21) and its complex, multi-section structure, featuring elements like drum and bass solos, time signature changes, and theatrical vocals.

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YouTube video by Yes - Topic Roundabout (2024 Remaster)

Yes - Roundabout

Perhaps Yes’s best-known song, composed by Anderson and Steve Howe. Built on an instantly recognizable acoustic guitar riff, the track moves through changing meters and moods, featuring dynamic organ and bass performances.

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YouTube video by Yes - Topic Heart of the Sunrise (2024 Remaster)

Yes - Heart of the Sunrise

The album’s most epic track (over 10 minutes), lauded for its energetic, complex opening in 6/8 time, intricate bass work, shifting dynamics, and soaring vocals.

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YouTube video by Yes - Topic South Side of the Sky (2024 Remaster)

Yes - South Side of the Sky

A heavier, dramatic track co-written by Jon Anderson and Chris Squire. The song mixes thunderous, riff-driven sections with atmospheric piano interludes by Wakeman.

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YouTube video by Yes - Topic Long Distance Runaround (2008 Remaster)

Yes - Long Distance Runaround

Written by Jon Anderson, this concise, melodic piece stands out for its inventive bass line (by Chris Squire), polyrhythmic structure, and precise interplay between band members.

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Chap. 464 - November 1971

Yes - Fragile

Fragile is the fourth studio album by the English progressive rock band Yes. It introduced keyboardist Rick Wakeman, whose arrival expanded the band’s sound and solidified their “classic” lineup.

The song is celebrated for its extended jams, jazz-rock fusion sound, and distinctive two-chord vamp, all contributing to its reputation as a classic of 1970s rock radio.

YouTube video by BERGO '45 (Bergo45) TRAFFIC - THE LOW SPARK OF HIGH-HEELED BOYS - The Low Spark Of High-Heeled Boys (1971) :: SOTW #22

Chap. 463 - November 1971

Traffic - The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys

“The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys” by Traffic is an 11-minute progressive rock track from their 1971 album of the same name, written by Jim Capaldi and Steve Winwood.

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Dave Davies, who played guitar, called it one of the band’s most “important” and “perceptive” songs, crediting its enduring relevance and the thoughtful atmosphere created by its subdued instrumentation—particularly the slide guitar.

The song features a raw, guitar-driven sound, stripped of orchestration and vaudeville influences to create an urgent, lived-in mood.

YouTube video by The Kinks The Kinks - 20th Century Man (Official Audio)

Chap. 462 - November 1971

The Kinks - 20th Century Man

“20th Century Man” is a song by the English rock band The Kinks, released as a single in November 1971 and as the opening track of their album Muswell Hillbillies.

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Happy End is a landmark band in Japanese rock history credited for pioneering rock lyrics in Japanese. “風をあつめて” stands out for its gentle, melancholic melody and poetic lyricism, and has become one of the group’s best-known songs, recently gaining renewed attention through its use in films and media

YouTube video by Céline Rojas Happy End - Kaze wo Atsumete

Chap. 461 - November 1971

Happy End - 風をあつめて

“風をあつめて” (Kaze wo Atsumete, “Gather the Wind”) is a highly acclaimed 1971 song by the influential Japanese rock band Happy End, featured on their album 風街ろまん (Kazemachi Roman).

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YouTube video by Genesis Genesis - The Return of the Giant Hogweed (Official Audio)

Genesis - The Return of the Giant Hogweed

It features complex, aggressive riffing, unusual time signatures, and dramatic organ work, reflecting the band’s newfound confidence and ambition with Collins and Hackett in the lineup.

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YouTube video by Genesis Genesis - The Musical Box (Official Audio)

Genesis - The Musical Box

It is a macabre Victorian fairy tale about a girl who accidentally kills a boy, and, after reopening his musical box, brings him back as an old man with conflicting child and adult desires.

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YouTube video by Genesis Genesis - The Fountain of Salmacis (Official Audio)

Genesis - The Fountain of Salmacis

This song is noted for its rich Mellotron textures, dynamic arrangements, and mythological lyrics, weaving together classical influences with progressive rock energy.

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Chap. 460 - November 1971

Genesis - Nursery Cryme

It marks the essential beginning of the band’s classic period, as it features the debuts of Phil Collins (drums, vocals) and Steve Hackett (guitar), joining Peter Gabriel (vocals, flute), Tony Banks (keyboards), and Mike Rutherford (bass, guitar).

YouTube video by Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin - Stairway To Heaven (Official Audio)

Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven

Its ambiguous lyrics and structure have fueled decades of analysis; the song is consistently ranked among the greatest rock compositions of all time.

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YouTube video by Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks (Official Audio)

Led Zeppelin - When the Levee Breaks

A powerful reworking of a 1929 blues by Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie, transformed by Zeppelin into a sonic onslaught.

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