Posts From Mark Leviton

Roy Orbison ‘Mystery Girl’: Exit Music

“The Big O” aka “The Caruso of Rock” still thrills whenever the microphone captures his one-of-a-kind voice.

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Yes’ ‘Fragile’: A British Prog-Rock Classic

Timeless tracks like “Roundabout” and “Long Distance Runaround,” premiered here and defined the prog genre.

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Joan Baez ‘Any Day Now’: A Loving Tribute to Bob Dylan

In 1968, the singer decamped to Nashville and cut a double album’s worth of songs written by her good friend and collaborator. The results were mostly glorious.

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When the Christopher Cross Classic ‘Yacht-Rock’ Debut Went Sailing to the Top

After kicking around the Austin, Texas, scene for several years, the singer found his way to success with a 1st album that sold millions.

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The Traveling Wilburys’ ‘Vol. 3’: More Fun

Two years after their great 1988 debut, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and George Harrison assembled to record a new edition, dedicated to Roy Orbison.

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The Kinks’ ‘One for the Road’: That’s Entertainment!

Ray Davies had found a new, commercial groove that appealed to American audiences that barely remembered the Kinks of the ’60s.

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Faces ‘A Nod Is As Good As a Wink…’ Album: Party Time

“It was an air of merriment. Under all the camaraderie and joviality, we took the music extremely seriously,” said Rod Stewart.

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‘Sheer Heart Attack’: Queen Breaks Through

Wildly theatrical, straddling the worlds of hard rock, pop, prog and Broadway, the album was an eclectic triumph. Now, Queen sounded like a true band.

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Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s ‘Will the Circle Be Unbroken’: Closing the Gaps

As the 1972 triple album broke all the rules it revitalized the country-rock scene and made some very old music cool again

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‘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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