Posts From Sam Sutherland

Pretenders Reborn: ‘Learning to Crawl’ @ 40

With hits like “Back on the Chain Gang” and “My City Was Gone,” the band successfully rebounded from tragedy.

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Parton, Ronstadt and Harris’ ‘Trio’: Soaring Sisterhood

Their partnership is among the purest, boasting a celestial vocal blend, rooted in mutual admiration and the sheer joy of making music

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Rickie Lee Jones’ Debut: Hipster Chic, Beyond Laurel Canyon

She reached beyond folk, rock and blues influences then dominant among Los Angeles’ singer-songwriters, looking to earlier generations of songsmiths.

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Mark Knopfler—’Local Hero’ Soundtrack: A Musical Homecoming

Knopfler delivered a score that was integral to the film’s enduring appeal, launching a successful second career as a film composer.

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Jackson Browne: The 1st Album, An L.A. Troubadour’s Debut

Several of his songs, written when he was still in his teens, had already been recorded by others by the time Browne entered the studio to cut his debut

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Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’: An Epic, Massive Swan Song

By the time ‘Bridge’ swept the 1971 Grammy Awards, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel had effectively parted ways professionally.

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‘Dixie Chicken’: Little Feat, Secret Southern Sauce

The group drew on Lowell George’s versatile command of blues, country, folk and R&B for its third—and many feel finest—studio album.

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Pretenders Debut Album: Chrissie Hynde Takes No Prisoners

Released at the edge of the ’70s punk and new wave assaults, ‘Pretenders’ traded on Chrissie Hynde’s substantial punk bona fides–but there was more to it.

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The Dusty Springfield Pop-Soul Pinnacle: ‘Dusty in Memphis’

Nearing 30, the British vocal great was intimidated by the soul power at Atlantic Records, her new home. She overcame it and turned out a masterpiece.

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The Poco Country-Rock Legacy: “Deliverin’,” With a Gallop

With its stellar vocal harmonies and instrumental dexterity, the album established Poco for decades to come and drew a blueprint for country-rock’s future

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