Although I haven't figured out all the clues, the final grid looks something like this, credit to Jacob Shetler, Remi Henry and M Oehm for solving some of the clues. 
>! [![enter image description here][1]][1]

**1.** Far north Silicon Valley's research & development leaders surround Jessica (8)
>! Svalbard - Alba inside S.V.R & D

**2.** Pop star loses British-American distribution rights to music organization (4)
>! Riaa = Rihanna - hnn

**3.** Kingdom's famous sherpa leaves greatest top, gets second award (6)
>! Norway (found by Jacob Shetler)

**4.** Clapton song loses heart, gets inside club to be McCartney song (6)
>! Lalula = La(y)la + c**lu**b

**5.** Yale professor Jenny with rights to Diablo north of Mali's capital (8)
>! Lindblom - Lind + blo + M

**6.** In retrospect, Korean Secretary-General is a Swedish actress (5)
>! Noomi - The end of Ban Ki-moon spelled backwards

**7.** Before Christ, Jonah's insiders introduced first Hebrew God (6)
>! Adonai = AD + ona + i

**8.** Excess of vitamins lacking irate vim leads to state of trance (8)
>! Hypnosis - Hypervitaminosis without *irate vim*

**9.** Metric cruise around psychic medium is funny business (6)
>! Sitcom = SI + T(c)om, where c is the middle of psychic (solved by M Oehm)

**10.** Flamboyant fly's wings around wish-granting body part (6)
>! Flashy = f + lash + y

**11.** Jovial monster rips out heart, surrounding first person (5)
>! Happy = Harpy - r + **p**erson (thanks to M Oehm)

**12.** Animated series presumed ending with vocal piece (5)
>! Daria (found by Jacob Shetler)

**13.** Clothing material shelled for Holy Roman emperor (4)
>! Otto = (C)otto(n)

**14.** Taiwanese company contracted Nigerian people (3)
>! Asu = Asus - s

**15.** Ancient piano instrumental finishes grand finale (3)
>! Old = pian**o** instrumenta**l** + gran**d**

**16.** Elizabeth places a wager close to fourth of July (5)
>! Betsy = Bets + y

**17.** Tried architect glances, moves foot to the west (5)
>! Speer = peers with s on the left.

**18.** Ethiopian opera featuring keyboard instrument (5)
>! Piano - Ethio**pian o**pera

**19.** Postal director to turn head with extreme envy (3)
>! Uwe = t**u**rn + **w**ith + **e**nvy

**20.** Bold goer initially heads up inside rural centre (5)
>! Uhura - **h**eads **u**p inside 'ura'

**21.** Army unit with small four-wheeler and wizard (8)
>! Squadron = s + quad + ron

**22.** Standards organization backs network model (3)
>! OSI - ISO backwards

**23.** Boating tool from metallic mineral, reportedly (3)
>! Oar - sounds like ore

**24.** 113 previously used underwater turtle heads (3)
>! Uut - **u**sed **u**nderwater **t**urtle

**25.** Tea and baked goods for unsightly creatures (6)
>! Trolls = T + rolls

**27.** Sumerian city falls, ending Sufi celebration (3)
>! Urs = Ur + fall**s**

**28.** Don't start to hide behind blue-green toxin (7)
>! Cyanide = Cyan + (h)ide

**29.** Evil overlord central to dinosaur onslaught (6)
>! Sauron (found by Remi Henry)

**30.** Heroic poem briefly does make up chapter (7)
>! Episode = Epi(c) + anagram of *does*

**31.** Street goes below tree, never seen before (5)
>! First = Fir + st

**32.** Elizabeth initially next in line, loses turn (5)
>! Queen

**33.** Latin initialism is heartless Shinto deity (4)
>! Inri = In(a)ri (thanks M Oehm)

**34.** African fly shirtless to dictator's second name (4)
>! Sese = Tsetse without the Ts 

**35.** Tool lineup featuring top Florida scorer (4)
>! Olli = To**ol li**neup

**36.** Spice rings encircle half-hearted Ronald (7)
>! Oregano = O + regan + o

**37.** Programming pioneer's top three proverbs (3)
>! Ada = **Ada**ges (thanks M Oehm)

**38.** Deep blue crowdfunding site with no ego (6)
>! Indigo = Indiegogo - ego

**39.** Foster to perish after Norwegian author (5)
>! Jodie = Jo + die

**40.** Murderbot Ultra One ultimately scrapped (6)
>! Ultron = Ultr(a) + On(e)

**41.** Back balsam? Ah, a beautiful country (7)
>! Bahamas - bal**sam? Ah, a b**eautiful

**42.** Dwarf agent surrounds Dracula actor (6)
>! Sleepy = s(lee)py

**43.** No start for the trip of me and you (3)
>! Our = (T)our

**44.** On the premises, part spins it up (2 4)
>! In situ - sp**ins it u**p

**45.** Legislative organs for storyteller (5)
>! Dumas - Duma is the lower chamber of the Russian parliament.

**46.** Partial compounds in ghastly lager (6)
>! Singha - compound**s in gha**stly

**47.** Māori prophet's revolutionary aura (3)
>! Rua

**49.** Avenge odd appliance manufacturer (3)
>! AEG - **A**v**e**n**g**e

**50.** Vengeful seaman held in Allahabad (4)
>! Ahab - All**ahab**ad

**51.** Cold sea fog from an empty hangar (4)
>! Haar - ha(ng)ar

**52.** Decapitated cat charged particle (3)
>! Ion (found by Jacob Shetler)

**53.** Biblical figure remains wingless (3)
>! Eli - (R)eli(c) (figured out by M Oehm)

**54.** Monagan brings up nineties host (6)
>! Nagano = M**onagan** backwards

**55.** Visibly injure a feline villain (4)
>! Scar (found by Remi Henry)

**56.** Knighted actor secretly lesbian (3)
>! Ian - lesb**ian** (credit to M Oehm)

**57.** Champion checker in the house (3)
>! Hou = **hou**se

**58.** Bohemian northbound target (3)
>! Aim - Bohe**mia**n reversed.

**60.** Motor club's credit rating (3)
>! AAA

**61.** Brush a pet in living room (5)
>! Groom - livin**g room**

**62.** Elevated bonus card game (3)
>! Uno - b**onu**s

**63.** Gorilla secretly escapes (3)
>! Ape - esc**ape**s

**64.** Empty spaces for Roombas (7)
>! Vacuums - although vacua is usually the plural

**65.** Eastern part of Eurasia (4)
>! Asia (found by Remi Henry)

**66.** Michael: a girl's name? (6)
>! Jordan

**67.** Letter beta sans beta (3)
>! Eta (found by Remi Henry)

**68.** Beauty upsets kingdom (3)
>! UAE = B**eau**ty mixed up (credit to M Oehm)

**69.** Melted into Braxton (4)
>! Toni - anagram of *into*

**70.** Car with no sound (5)
>! Audio = Audi + o

**71.** To sweeten honey (5)
>! Sugar


  [1]: https://i.sstatic.net/IWUE1.png