REVIEWS:
What’s the read on the latest reissue releases and live performances by classic rock artists? What biopics, movies or documentaries are worth seeing in theaters and at home? What books about rock music and the people who make and work with it are worth reading. Our team also takes a fresh look at notable works in our Album Rewind series
‘A Christmas Gift for You From Phil Spector’: When Holiday Classics Met the Wall of Sound
Sixty years ago, an album redefined the Christmas song. Few heard it at the time, but today it is considered a true holiday classic.
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‘Running on Empty’: Jackson Browne’s Romance of the Road
The 1977 LP was Browne’s most surprising, least typical album, a game-changer that updated his identity from folk-rock troubadour to rock headliner
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Denny Laine: The Bittersweet Benefit Concert—Review
The Troubadour concert featured many stars and members of his band to raise funds for his medical expenses. He died one week later
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‘Let It Bleed’: The Rolling Stones’ Turbulent Masterpiece
The album captures the band at its creative apogee through a dark masterpiece that mirrors the violent ’60s milieu in which it was created.
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Band on the Run: The LP That ‘Saved’ McCartney
The recording sessions were plagued with problems, but Paul McCartney and Wings made the best of it. The result: one of his most beloved LPs.
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A 50th-Anniversary Edition of Frank Zappa ‘Over-nite Sensation’: Review
Zappa’s first gold record now packs in 47 bonus tracks, including live material, and a Blu-ray featuring several new mixes.
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Daryl Hall & John Oates ‘Abandoned Luncheonette’: Second Chances
The soul-influenced duo was still finding their way when they recorded their second album. Superstardom would soon find them.
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George Harrison ‘Cloud Nine’: Back at the Top
With friends Jeff Lynne and Eric Clapton aboard, and songs like “When We Was Fab” and “Got My Mind Set on You,” the album was a huge hit.
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The Van Morrison Masterpiece: ‘Astral Weeks’
A “feverish poetic intensity persists” throughout the cycle of songs that comprise his 1968 work, even as those songs shift in pace and tone
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The Feelies Cover the Velvet Underground: Review
The Velvets’ original recordings are definitive, but this CD manages to be the next best thing: a new live album from the original band.
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