Posts From Mark Leviton
Johnny Cash’s ‘Unchained’ With Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers: A Dream Come True
For one of his final recordings, Cash teamed with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. “I was with a bunch of people and we had fun,” he said.
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Talking Heads’ ‘More Songs About Buildings and Food’: Artful Music
“We don’t fit into anyone else’s category, so we’re going to have to create our own,” said David Byrne about the band’s second album.
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10cc’s ‘The Original Soundtrack’: A Widescreen Masterpiece
The talented quartet was committed to using satire, parody, jokes and sonic guffaws in their eclectic mix.
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Joan Baez ‘Any Day Now’: A Loving Tribute to Bob Dylan
In 1968, the singer decamped to Nashville and cut a double album’s worth of songs written by her good friend and collaborator. The results were mostly glorious
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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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Joe Cocker’s ‘Mad Dogs & Englishmen’: More Than a Little Help
“We can imagine how exhausted Cocker, Russell and Co. must have been when they got off the road, but from the audience’s point of view, it was worth it.”
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Marvin Gaye’s ‘What’s Going On’: Struggle & Liberation
The album, a landmark release for Motown, remains a monument to Marvin Gaye’s big heart and soul, and a prophecy for our time.
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Al Stewart’s ‘Year of the Cat’: Musical Cinema
Stewart 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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