ANNUS MIRABILIS

This latin phrase means "wonderful year" or "year of wonders" and was originally used by the English poet John Dryden to reflect on the year 1666. My attention was drawn to the Annus Mirabilis of 1971 in a recent article in Word magazine, a year in which the following albums were released.....Led Zeppelin IV , Hunky Dory (Bowie), Imagine (John Lennon) Whats Going On (Marvin Gaye) Sticky Fingers (Rolling Stones) Blue( Joni Mitchell) LA Woman (The Doors) Surfs Up (Beach Boys) Every Picture Tells a Story (Rod Stewart) American Pie (Don McLean)..... a vintage collection of gems, and arguably some high-points in careers, all of which are fondly remembered by many of us 40 YEARS LATER. A truly remarkable feat, and a clearly amazing year. I should point out that, although all these records are in my CD collection now, I didn't buy them in 1971......I was only 12 years old then.! My point is that longevity demonstrates sustainable quality and of course few people in 1971 would have predicted a 40 year (minimum) durability for this music. So when we ponder all the gloomy predictions about 2011, we may soberly consider that this year could become our annus mirabilis if we make the most of our opportunities. Who knows, maybe our outputs now (in arts and in business) will have a profound influence on future reminiscences. I bet the flared-jeans and long-haired music critics of 1971 didn't predict that the year would yield 10 of the best albums ever recorded.