Consider the top albums of 1972 — or maybe don’t. Because after the groundbreaking, iconic crop of records released in 1971, it’s not a fair fight.

How does Carole King, who released two new records in 1972, hope to match “Tapestry” the year before? Can Joni Mitchell best “Blue”? (No.) Or can Cat Stevens catch “Teaser and the Firecat”? (Nuh-uh.)

Which is not to say 1972 did not have a ton of great music land on our turntables or slide into our 8-track tape players. It did!

Just look at the No. 1 singles that year. Don McLean’s “American Pie.” Bill Withers’ “Lean On Me.” Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold.” Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together.”

Even the so-call “bad” No. 1s are great: Chuck Berry’s “My Ding-a-Ling,” poor Chuck’s only No. 1 ever. Looking Glass’s “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl).” Billy Paul’s “Me and Mrs. Jones.”

So, forget about 1971, it’s gone. Instead, sit back and take a spin through every album that reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 1972, listed here in chronological order, as well as some worth remembering that were released while each of those was at the top of the charts.

Carole King’s “Music” was one of 12 albums to reach No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 1972. (Image courtesy of the record label)

“Music,” Carole King / Total weeks at No. 1: 3 How do you follow up one of the great albums of the ’70s? For Carole King, whose 1971 release “Tapestry” is still beloved today, it was with “Music,” an album that saw the singer-songwriter do more of what she’d done on the previous album, only without quite the groundbreaking success of that record. “Sweet Seasons” was the hit single, reaching No. 9, and you’re forgiven if you don’t remember it

New and noteworthy: Not a lot of other significant releases dropped during the first three weeks of 1972, as King’s album hung out at No. 1. Blue Öyster Cult made its debut with an eponymous album, and Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead made his solo debut with “Garcia.”

Don McLean’s “American Pie” was one of the 12 albums to reach No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 1972. (Image courtesy of the record label)

“American Pie,” Don McLean / Total weeks at No. 1: 7 You definitely know the single, which remains McLean’s signature tune, an epic of nostalgia and loss. And that’s surely what drove the album to the top from the end of January to early March, though “Vincent,” which some of us think of as “Starry, Starry Night,” also reached No. 12 on the charts, and there are hidden gems elsewhere on the album.

New and noteworthy: While “American Pie” was No. 1 the album releases started to pick up. At the end of January, Paul Simon released his self-titled second solo album, which featured “Mother and Child Reunion” and “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard.” Michael Jackson made his solo debut at 13 with “Got To Be There,” and Jackson Browne made his self-titled debut, too. February’s highlight has to be “Eat A Peach” by the Allman Brothers Band.

Neil Young’s “Harvest” was one of 12 albums to reach No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 1972. (Image courtesy of the record label)

“Harvest,” Neil Young / Total weeks at No. 1: 2 “Harvest,” which featured hits such as “Old Man” and “Heart Of Gold,” and album tracks such as “Out On The Weekend” and “The Needle and the Damage Done,” is surely the favorite Neil Young album of many. It only spent two weeks at No. 1 but it sold and sold and sold, so much so that it was the top-selling album for all of 1972 by year’s end.

New and noteworthy: Deep Purple released “Machine Head” while Neil was on top and every middle-school talent-show rock band would have “Smoke On The Water” to play for the rest of the decade.

America’s self-titled debut album was one of 12 albums to reach No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 1972. (Image courtesy of the record label)

“America,” America / Total weeks at No. 1: 5  The debut album from America is a folk-rock classic of the early ’70s, though it nearly missed its chance at chart success. The record was originally released without “Horse With No Name.” When that song was released in early 1972, and shot to the top of the charts, the album was reissued with it, surely a big factor in its success here.

New and noteworthy: Rick Nelson released “Garden Party” during America’s run, its title single capturing some of the same feeling as “American Pie.” The Raspberries released their debut, a power pop classic. And the rest of Neil Young’s recent bandmates got their projects out with “Graham Nash David Crosby” repping half the group, and “Manassas” showing up from Stephen Stills.

Roberta Flack’s “First Take” was one of 12 albums to reach No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 1972. (Image courtesy of the record label)

“First Take,” Roberta Flack / Total weeks at No. 1: 5 This has to be the biggest surprise of all the No. 1 albums of 1972, not least of which because the album, Flack’s debut, was released in 1969. Here’s the story: Clint Eastwood decided to use the track “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” in his November 1971 movie “Play Misty For Me.” A few months later, it was released as a single, and by the end of April it had pulled the whole album to the top.

New and noteworthy: Flack actually released a new album, “Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway,” while “First Take” was at No. 1, and this one included the hit “Where Is The Love.” Randy Newman released “Sail Away,” with songs such as “Political Science” and “You Can Leave Your Hat On.” And the Eagles debuted with a record that included the hits “Take It Easy,” “Witchy Woman,” and “Peaceful Easy Feeling.”

Jethro Tull’s “Thick As A Brick” was one of 12 albums to reach No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 1972. (Image courtesy of the record label)

“Thick As A Brick,” Jethro Tull / Total weeks at No. 1: 2 The British band’s leader Ian Anderson wanted to make a parody of prog-rock concept albums, and so he wrote what was purportedly an epic poem by an 8-year-old boy named Gerald Bostock. Did people get the joke? Probably didn’t really matter, given that its quality regularly places the album in the Top 10 of all-time best prog records.

New and noteworthy: It’s obvious that the best music doesn’t always sell the most but consider this travesty: David Bowie released “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars,” also a sort of concept album, and while it’s uniformly acclaimed as one of Bowie’s bests, it only reached No. 75 on the charts.

The Rolling Stones’ “Exile on Main St.” was one of 12 albums to reach No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 1972. (Image courtesy of the record label)

“Exile On Main St.,” the Rolling Stones / Total weeks at No. 1: 4 “Exile,” along with Young’s “Harvest,” is probably the other absolute classic album — double album — to reach No. 1 in 1972. Made in France in legendary late-night sessions in the band’s rented chateau, the blues-rock record includes hits such as “Rocks Off,” “Tumbling Dice,” and “Sweet Virginia.” Another record that for many is their favorite Rolling Stones’ album.

New and noteworthy: A pair of influential new groups debuted, Roxy Music with a self-titled release, and Big Star with “Number 1 Record.” The Carpenters released “A Song For You,” with its title track by Leon Russell, and Russell released his own “Carney,” which included the single “Tightrope.” And Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out” arrived, ultimately making it all the way to No. 2.

Elton John’s “Honky Chateau” was one of 12 albums to reach No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 1972. (Image courtesy of the record label)

“Honky Château,” Elton John / Total weeks at No. 1: 5  Elton John‘s fifth album became his first to reach No. 1, fueled by songs such as “Rocket Man” and “Honky Cat,” as well as strong album tracks such as “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters.” It’s also noteworthy as the first album on which the label let John use his band, Dee Murray, Nigel Olsson, and Davey Johnstone, and not session players, on all the tracks.

New and noteworthy: T. Rex’s “The Slider” featured the songs “Telegram Sam” and “Metal Guru.” Van Morrison‘s “Saint Dominic’s Preview” served up the joyful “Jackie Wilson Said (I’m in Heaven When You Smile).” And “Ben,” Michael Jackson’s second album of the year, provided the loveliest ballad ever written about a killer rat.

Chicago’s “Chicago V” was one of 12 albums to reach No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 1972. (Image courtesy of the record label)

“Chicago V,” Chicago / Total weeks at No. 1: 9 Chicago claimed the most weeks at No. 1 in 1972 with this double album, a feat somewhat remarkable for the fact that outside of “Saturday In The Park” the album doesn’t include any of the band’s other big hits. “Dialogue (Part I & II)” was also a single and did well, but you don’t remember it, do you?

New and noteworthy: John Denver’s “Rocky Mountain High” arrived, the title track one of his big hits. The instrumental band Hot Butter had a hit with the odd Moog earworm “Popcorn.” And Billy Preston’s “Music Is My Life” served his No. 1 hit “Will It Go Round In Circles” and a cover of “Blackbird” by his pals the Beatles.

Curtis Mayfield’s soundtrack to the movie “Superfly” was one of 12 albums to reach No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 1972. (Image courtesy of the record label)

“Superfly,” Curtis Mayfield / Total weeks at No. 1: 4 The soundtrack to a Blaxploitation movie of the same name, Mayfield’s album addressed such social ills as poverty, crime and drugs in the same kind of way Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” had a year earlier. The title track and “Freddie’s Dead” both had strong success as singles.

New and noteworthy: Al Green released “I’m Still In Love With You” and babies got made to songs such as the title track and “Love And Happiness.” Stevie Wonder delivered “Talking Book,” signaling the start of his classic period with songs such as “Superstitious” and “You Are the Sunshine of My Life.” Stealers Wheel made its debut, and somewhere Lil’ Quentin Tarantino went out and bought a 45 of the single “Stuck in the Middle with You.”

Cat Steven’s “Catch Bull At Four” was one of 12 albums to reach No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 1972. (Image courtesy of the record label)

“Catch Bull At Four,” Cat Stevens / Total weeks at No. 1: 3 Stevens’ 1971 release, “Teaser and the Firecat,” included the huge hit “Morning Has Broken,” which gave him the same problem Carole King faced with “Music” following “Tapestry.” Even so, Stevens, like King, reached No. 1. The single “Sitting,” which you may have forgotten, is also quite a good track.

New and noteworthy: Steely Dan made an impressive debut with “Can’t Buy A Thrill,” and such songs as “Do It Again,” “Dirty Work,” and “Reelin’ In The Years.” Joni Mitchell, continuing the theme of follow-ups to iconic 1971 releases such as her “Blue,” delivered “For The Roses,” which featured “You Turn Me On, I’m A Radio.”

The Moody Blues’ “Seventh Sojourn” was one of 12 albums to reach No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 1972. (Image courtesy of the record label)

“Seventh Sojourn,” the Moody Blues / Total weeks at No. 1: 4 While not the best-known of the Moody Blues albums it does contain one of their big hits, “I’m Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band).” In a weird twist, the songs of this record were bested by a re-release of the band’s 1967 single “Nights In White Satin,” which reached No. 2 this time around.

New and noteworthy: Neil Diamond delivered “Hot August Night,” his classic live double album, recording during one of 10 shows Diamond played at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles in, well, you guess what month. And the Rolling Stones added more money to their tax exile coffers with the compilation “More Hot Rocks (Big Hits & Fazed Cookies).”

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