Posts From Mark Leviton
The Doobie Brothers’ ‘The Captain and Me’: Polishing a Diamond
By the time they started recording their third album, the San Jose band had transformed itself into an eclectic and progressive group.
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Carly Simon’s ‘No Secrets’: Sexy and Smart
When she reached the top of the charts with the smash “You’re So Vain,” she became not only a pop phenomenon, but a gender role model.
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Deep Purple’s ‘Made In Japan’: Onstage Chemistry
The reserved Japanese audience is clearly stunned as the concert ends, and is silent for a moment until exploding into raucous applause.
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Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson’s ‘Waylon & Willie’: Two of a Kind
It was actually a strange hybrid, but it proved irresistible to record buyers, including many rock fans who’d never bought a country album before
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Bill Withers’ ‘Live at Carnegie Hall’: Soul Preachin’
He’d never even planned for a career in music. Before long, he found himself on stage at one of the most prestigious performance venues in the world.
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Electric Light Orchestra’s ‘Out of the Blue’: The Masterpiece from Munich
‘Out of the Blue’ is full of treasures, a sweeping double-LP that Jeff Lynne dubbed “probably the hardest work I have ever done, but the most satisfying.”
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Ian Hunter’s ‘You’re Never Alone With a Schizophrenic’: Dynamic Duo
Teaming with his favored guitar sidekick Mick Ronson, plus members of the E Street Band, the former Mott the Hoople leader created his best solo effort.
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Santana’s ‘Abraxas’: Post-Woodstock Latin Magic
When it came to recording their second album, the band wanted to expend more effort, and make a better-sounding record, than their somewhat rushed debut.
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Pete Townshend/Ronnie Lane’s ‘Rough Mix’: An Overlooked Gem
The collaboration between the Who mastermind and Faces great was sadly overlooked at the time of its release, but is now considered a minor masterpiece.
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Traffic’s ‘Welcome to the Canteen’: Together Again
The front album cover didn’t even call them Traffic; it just listed the names of the musicians. But there was no mistaking who they were.
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