Posts From Mark Leviton
Deep Purple’s ‘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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The Rolling Stones’ ‘Some Girls’: The Grooves of Now
With punk rock nipping at their aging heels, the Stones revved things up with classic tracks like “Shattered,” “Miss You” and “Beast of Burden.”
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Eric Clapton’s Solo Debut LP: A Long Way From Home
With help from a some of rock’s greatest songwriters and musicians, the former Cream/Blind Faith guitarist launched his solo career with a gem of an LP.
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The Doors’ ‘L.A. Woman’: Last Call
The Doors’ sixth and final studio LP re-energized the band through a return to their roots in American blues, and served as a tribute to their hometown.
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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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Bad Company’s 1974 Debut: When Rock Fans Couldn’t Get Enough
Arising from the ashes of Free, Bad Company pursued a more stripped-down hard-rock vision. By the end of 1974, they had a #1 LP and were headlining arenas.
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Jefferson Airplane’s ‘Surrealistic Pillow’: The LP That Fed Your Head
The Summer of Love landmark sounds like a sonic experiment, drenched in echo and reverb, with poetic lyrics that often flirt with the totally irrational.
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Boz Scaggs’ ‘Silk Degrees’: Game-Changer
Looking back at the recording of the album, Scaggs said that while listening to the playbacks in 1975 he had the sense that something special had happened.
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Delaney and Bonnie’s ‘Accept No Substitute’: White Soul Born in Turmoil
A beautiful album, close to perfection in the playing and singing, it was helmed by a married couple whose own relationship was falling apart at the seams.
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Rod Stewart’s ‘Every Picture Tells a Story’: Ha!
The man who one 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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