"Lennon and McCartney" would become "Lennon" and"McCartney" and never again emphasize each other's strengths and cancel out each other's weakness. George Harrison contributed two of his best songs, "Something" and "Here Comes the Sun," and even Ringo contributed with the charming "Octopus's Garden."

Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
Marvin Gaye was the greatest male singer for Motown, an incredibly smooth yet soulful vocalist who seemed to feel every lyric to the depths of his being. After dozens of hits with the Motown machine in the '60s, Gaye wanted to find his own sound as the '70s arrived, as did another Motown great Stevie Wonder. The result was What's Going On, co-written and produced by Gaye creating a spacious, rhythmic (with the conga and not drums as the central percussion instrument), insistent soul/gospel sound that had never been heard before and has never been heard since.

A concept album about the state of his heart, his community, his country, and, finally, the state of the natural world, What's Going On is one of the greatest albums of the '70s, with the classic title track in addition to "Mercy, Mercy Me" and "Inner City Blues."

Al Green - Greatest Hits
Born the youngest of 10 children to deeply religious Arkansas sharecroppers, Al Green was the last of the great southern soul singers, closest perhaps to Sam Cooke, creating a spare, sexy, spiritual sound out of simple yet elegant production (by Willie Mitchell) and a classic Memphis soul band in the Stax/Volt tradition almost 10 years after the sound had peaked.

They say "Al Green is love," and his Greatest Hits makes gloriously clear the relationship for Green between romantic love and love of God, that others, including Prince, have pursued with much less success. Recorded between '71 and '75, Green had an amazing run of hits written alone or with Mitchell including "Let's Stay Together," "Tired of Being Alone," "I'm Still In Love With You," "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)," "Call Me," and a stunning version of the Bee Gees" "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart."

Green returned to his first love, gospel, in the late '70s. He returned to the pop world with in '88 with "Put a Little Love In Your Heart," a duet with Annie Lennox, and teamed with Lyle Lovett on a remake of Willie Nelson's "Funny How Time Slips Away" for the Rhythm, Country, and Blues collection in '94.