Posts From Mark Leviton
Herb Alpert’s Tijuana Brass’ ‘Whipped Cream & Other Delights’: Sweet & Swinging
The faux mariachi-style LP spent three years on the charts and appealed to seemingly every category of record buyer.
Read More
Ray Charles’ Soulful Country Music’: ‘It’s Got to Move Me’
Charles: “The words to country songs are very earthy like the blues, very down.”
Read More
Jim Croce ‘You Don’t Mess Around With Jim’: An Everyman Arrives
With more time, he might have taken his place as an equal of James Taylor, Gordon Lightfoot, Paul Simon, etc.
Read More
Ian Hunter ‘You’re Never Alone w/a Schizophrenic’: Dynamic Duo
Teaming with his favored guitar sidekick Mick Ronson, plus members of the E Street Band, the former Mott the Hoople leader created his best solo effort.
Read More
Squeeze and Their Hook-Filled ‘Argybargy’
The album became the British band’s first charting album in the U.S. upon release in 1980 thanks to songs like “Another Nail in My Heart.”
Read More
‘Johnny Rivers at the Whisky à Go Go’ @60: Rockin’ on Stage
If you’ve ever wondered what it was like to dance to live rock and roll at a Los Angeles discotheque in 1964, here is your answer.
Read More
ZZ Top ‘Eliminator’: Hot-Rods, TV Dinners and Sharp-Dressed Men
The music is stellar, and the LP became a massive hit, selling 10 million copies and staying on the Billboard album chart for three years.
Read More
Graham Parker ‘Squeezing Out Sparks’: Simple As a Heartbeat
The 1979 album doesn’t have a weak song or performance, and continues to be cited as the British singer-songwriter’s greatest achievement.
Read More
Joni Mitchell ‘Ladies of the Canyon’: Painting the Canvas
The album sets out clearly the direction Mitchell would take for the rest of her career, leaving behind the constraints of folk music.
Read More
Genesis’ ‘Seconds Out’: From Paris With Love
Released in 1977, ‘Seconds Out’ showcased the band’s great live performances and was a major worldwide hit.
Read More