Posts From Mark Leviton
Deep Purple ‘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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Daryl Hall & John Oates: ‘Abandoned Luncheonette’—2nd Chances
The soul-influenced duo was still finding their way when they recorded their second album. Superstardom would soon find them.
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George Harrison ‘Cloud Nine’: Back at the Top
With friends Jeff Lynne and Eric Clapton aboard, and songs like “When We Was Fab” and “Got My Mind Set on You,” the 1987 album was a huge hit.
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Randy Newman ‘Sail Away’: The Big One
The 1972 album proved a breakthrough for his career both in terms of quality and box-office appeal as singers of many genres competed to record its tunes.
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Don Henley ‘Building The Perfect Beast’: Don’t Look Back
The 1984 album, recorded with ace musicians, yielded four hit singles, making the Eagles’ drummer/singer even more ubiquitous on the AM and FM radio dials.
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Gregg Allman Solo Debut ‘Laid Back’: Trauma and Survival
The LP was intended to go in a different direction than the ABB: softer, more contemplative, acoustic-based, a statement of gratitude in the face of loss.
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Merle Haggard & Willie Nelson’s ‘Pancho & Lefty’: Masters at Work
Austin met Bakersfield on this meeting of consummate country stars in the early ’80s, produced with Chips Moman, designed to look backward and forward at the same time.
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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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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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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 with the 1976 album.
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