Posts From Mark Leviton
‘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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Quincy Jones’ ‘Back on the Block’: A Movie for the Ears
Recognized as one of the most unusual and kaleidoscopic albums ever produced, the 7x Grammy-winner featured an all-star cast.
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Steely Dan ‘Can’t Buy a Thrill’: All Systems Go
Their debut is tuneful and literate, and the musicianship can be exuberantly loose or scarily precise, perched midway between jazz, rock, and rhythm and blues.
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Genesis ‘The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway’: Peter Gabriel’s Theatrical Exit
For their 1974 prog opus, Gabriel and the band came up with a complicated and somewhat opaque ‘urban odyssey’ tale set in New York City.
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Carly Simon ‘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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Neil Young & Crazy Horse’s ‘Live Rust’: Not Fading Away
From tender acoustic music to blistering hard rock, Young and the Horse did it all on this late ’70s live album.
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Humble Pie ‘Performance Rockin’ the Fillmore’: Doctor’s Orders
It took several attempts for the British quartet to catch on, but these NYC gigs did the trick. Our Album Rewind of a great live rock LP.
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Johnny Cash ‘Unchained’ With Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
For one of his final recordings, he teamed with the great rock band. “I was with a bunch of people and we had fun,” he said.
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1977’s Incendiary ‘Moonflower’ From Santana
After several years without a hit single or album, this top 10 hybrid studio/live LP featured a cover of the Zombies’ “She’s Not There.”
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Al Stewart and ‘Year of the Cat’: Musical Cinema
He liked the title track, but didn’t consider it suitable as a single, until producer Alan Parsons and the record company convinced him of its destiny.
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