Posts From Mark Leviton

Joe Jackson ‘Look Sharp!’: An Artful Debut

The impressive 11 songs that made the final cut of this new wave-era debut comprise a coherent piece of art with nary a dull moment.

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Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson ‘Waylon & Willie’: Two of a Kind

It was actually a strange hybrid, but it proved irresistible to record buyers, including many rock fans who’d never bought a country album before

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When the Christopher Cross Classic ‘Yacht-Rock’ Debut Went Sailing to the Top

After kicking around the Austin, Texas, scene for several years, the singer found his way to success with a 1st album that sold millions.

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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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‘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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Daryl Hall & John Oates ‘Abandoned Luncheonette’: Second 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 album was a huge hit.

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‘Sheer Heart Attack’: Queen Breaks Through

Wildly theatrical, straddling the worlds of hard rock, pop, prog and Broadway, the album was an eclectic triumph. Now, Queen sounded like a true band.

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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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Faces ‘A Nod Is As Good As a Wink…’ Album: Party Time

“It was an air of merriment. Under all the camaraderie and joviality, we took the music extremely seriously,” said Rod Stewart.

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