Posts From Sam Sutherland
Steely Dan ‘The Royal Scam’: Rock on a Grand Scale
The 1976 LP proved divisive, augmenting the leaner ensemble core of prior albums with more aggressive ensemble arrangements.
Read More‘Desperado’—Eagles’ Sagebrush Country-Rock Opera
With its sophomore effort, the band tethered its polished country-rock to a concept album driven by a Wild West narrative.
Read More‘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.
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreElton John’s ‘Tumbleweed Connection’: Raising the Stakes
The musical language that would define his work is all present on this early gem that solidified Elton’s writing partnership with Bernie Taupin.
Read MoreFinding a ‘Pearl’–Janis Joplin’s Last Hurrah
It remains her most fully realized record, fronting the best band she would ever lead on her strongest set of material.
Read MoreThe Band ‘Rock of Ages’: Their Live Pinnacle?
It belongs on any short list of the best live albums ever, while serving as a coda to the group’s groundbreaking influence.
Read More‘Running on Empty’: Jackson Browne’s Romance of the Road
The 1977 LP was his most surprising, least typical album, a game-changer that updated his identity from folk-rock troubadour to rock headliner.
Read More‘Slowhand’: Eric Clapton’s 1977 Platinum Balancing Act
The album offers a lucid balance of technical mastery and artistic modesty. It became his best-selling studio LP to date upon its release.
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