A lot of people say 1967 for the explosion of psychedelic rock and the Summer of Love. For me it's 1971 - that year transformed a lot of music from the psychedelic dirt and grit of the 60s into what it is now (well, vaguely). Lots of great albums came out that year: Hunky Dory, Zeppelin IV, Sticky Fingers, Meddle, Tago Mago, Who's Next, Blue, What's Going On, Fragile, RAM, Imagine. Most of those albums are timeless and I can enjoy them at the same level as everything that's been made since (that I like). I struggle with anything made before that, save the odd Beatles tune.

What's year is your general starting-point for music and why?