Posts From Mark Leviton

Neil Young’s ‘Comes a Time’: Direct From The Heart

He became mostly restrained and melancholy for this 1978 release, drawing on folk and country idioms. It includes recordings made over several years.

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Rockpile’s ‘Seconds of Pleasure’: One And Done

By any measure they were a great rock ‘n’ roll band, but their sole album under the group’s name didn’t always show why.

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The Who’s ‘Odds & Sods’: Beat the Boots

Fed up with the volume of unauthorized Who LPs on the market, the band put together this mixed bag of leftover tracks.

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Santana ‘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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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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Vanilla Fudge’s 1967 Debut: Maximum Psychedelia

It was rock music pushed to its limits, with a radical use of soft-loud-soft dynamics and the emotional drama of rhythm and blues and soul

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Maria Muldaur: Debut Solo Album—Smart, Sassy and Seductive

The album, which included the top 10 hit “Midnight at the Oasis,” is a potent blend of country, blues, folk and pop, and it still sounds fresh

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Emmylou Harris’ ‘Luxury Liner’: Outside The Lines

Influenced by Gram Parsons and using some of the best musicians and songwriters in the business, the singer created a country-rock smash.

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AC/DC’s ‘Highway to Hell’: You Want Blood?

The 1979 release by the Australian mega-band is not an album you come to for variety; it’s a monument to single-minded rock.

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Elvis Costello and the Attractions’ Exceptional ‘Imperial Bedroom’

The 1982 album is generally considered one of his best, with 15 exceptional songs and some of the best work by the Attractions

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