1971

1971 gave birth to two of, if not the, most important protest songs ever. "What's Going On" and "Imagine" have both been extremely co-opted by people who don't seem to have the ability to listen to lyrics. Fortunately, all of this has done nothing to lessen the impact of the two songs, both of which have as much urgency in them as they did thirty-five years ago.

Elsewhere, Loretta Lynn continues her sharp commentary, Bill Withers sings one of his best songs, and Leonard Cohen makes his only appearance. The Stones' "Wild Horses" is their best ballad, and Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" is their shining moment. Isaac Hayes won an Oscar for Shaft's theme song, and The Who won some new fans with "Baba O'Riley," which really should have been called "Teenage Wasteland."

A note about Led Zeppelin. I have spent a ong time trying to like Led Zeppelin. Bottom line is that I do not like Robert Plant's voice, and no matter how much I appreciate John Bonham and Jimmy Page, Plant gets on my nerves so much that I can't stand to listen to Zeppelin for more than a(n instrumental) minute. So there's not much Zeppelin on these mixes. In fact, this is it folks, which means no "Stairway" (probably the biggest omission in all of the mixes). Sorry to all Zeppelin fans, but I hope you understand.

Enjoy the mix.

Download the mix here.

1. Baba O'Riley - The Who - 5:08
2. Ain't No Sunshine - Bill Withers - 2:06
3. What's Going On - Marvin Gaye - 3:52
4. Imagine - John Lennon - 3:04
5. Have You Ever Seen The Rain? - Creedence Clearwater Revival - 2:39
6. Me And Bobby McGee - Janis Joplin - 4:33
7. Family Affair - Sly & The Family Stone - 3:04
8. Clean Up Woman - Betty Wright - 2:48
9. One's On The Way - Loretta Lynn - 2:39
10. Just My Imagination - The Temptations - 3:51
11. Way Back home - Jr. Walker and the All Stars - 3:14
12. Changes - David Bowie - 3:33
13. Paranoid - Black Sabbath - 2:52
14. Bang A Gong (Get It On) - T.Rex - 4:24
15. Theme from Shaft - Isaac Hayes - 4:36
16. Wild Horses - The Rolling Stones - 5:44
17. Famous Blue Raincoat - Leonard Cohen - 5:09
18. Coat Of Many Colors - Dolly Parton - 3:05
19. Take Me Home Country Roads - John Denver - 3:12
20. I Feel The Earth Move - Carole King - 3:00
21. When The Levee Breaks - Led Zeppelin - 7:07