Posts From Mark Leviton
‘Broken English’: The Return of Marianne Faithfull
The 1979 album shows the influence of punk, reggae and jazz, and the lyrics often flowed from her still-in-process romantic and artistic collaborations.
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Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble’s ‘Texas Flood’: Out of the Gate
Recorded as a demo over a long holiday weekend, the album launched the career of the legendary bluesman and gave the genre itself a huge boost.
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Rod Stewart: ‘Every Picture Tells a Story’—Don’t It?
The man who once said, “I’m a rock star because I couldn’t be a soccer star,” broke through with his solo third album, which included the smash “Maggie May.”
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Wings’ ‘Venus and Mars’ @50: What the Man Said
Following the breakup of the Beatles, McCartney just wanted to be another band member. He finally got his chance (sort of) with this 1975 LP.
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13 Classic Triple Albums: When Rockers Expanded the Limits
In the classic rock era, some of the greatest artists expanded the limits of what was being released on vinyl. We look back at some of the best 3-LP sets.
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Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass’ Swinging ‘Whipped Cream…’
The faux mariachi-style LP spent three years on the charts and appealed to seemingly every category of record buyer.
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Willie Nelson ‘Stardust’: Reimagining the American Songbook
His record label was reluctant to issue it, but the album defied expectations and revived interest in the classic songwriting of the mid-20th century.
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Deep Purple ‘Machine Head’: Rockin’ in Montreux
The 1972 album, cut by their classic lineup, made them big stars, and they soon toured the world. And there was much more to it than “Smoke on the Water.”
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ZZ Top ‘Eliminator’: Hot-Rods, TV Dinners and Sharp-Dressed Men
The music is stellar, and the LP became a massive hit, selling 10 million copies and staying on the Billboard album chart for three years.
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10cc ‘The Original Soundtrack’: A Widescreen Masterpiece @50
The talented quartet was committed to using satire, parody, jokes and sonic guffaws in their eclectic mix.
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