Posts From Sam Sutherland
Squeeze ‘East Side Story’: A Wily New Wave Classic
The album’s success underscores how the lively, kinetic pop-rock outfit was elevated by Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook’s artistry as storytellers.
Read MoreManassas: Stephen Stills’ Finest (Solo) Hour
Stills’ third full-length as leader showcased a collaborative ensemble flexible enough to cover a broad stylistic palette.
Read More‘Katy Lied’ @ 50—Steely Dan Retreats to the Studio
Stepping off the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium stage on July 5, 1974, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen closed the books on Steely Dan as a live band. An earlier tour had left both exhausted and Fagen’s voice shredded, prompting an
Read MoreWhen Classic Rockers Rocked the Classics
Classical themes have found their way into rock since the earliest days of the music. We look at some of the best, from ELO to ELP and beyond.
Read MoreThe Byrds’ ‘Younger Than Yesterday’—An Ambitious Studio Flight
Expanding beyond their trademark jingle-jangle folk-rock, the band created their most diverse, experimental recording to date.
Read MoreElvis Costello & The Attractions ‘Trust’: A Dark Masterwork
The album, Costello’s fifth overall, captures the quartet at a potent but troubled peak, its title a loaded, ironic signifier.
Read MoreElvis Costello ‘Armed Forces’: What’s So Funny?
The band’s third album was a leap forward in songcraft and sonic ambition, a song cycle weaving the personal and political.
Read MoreBob Marley and the Wailers’ ‘Live!’ Album: Reggae Rocks Babylon
The 1975 London concert provided validation that they had breached the rock market with their potent strain of reggae.
Read More‘Buffalo Springfield Again’: An Embattled Creation
A volatile mix of talent and dysfunction percolates beneath the surface of the California band’s second and best album, cobbled together amidst rivalries
Read MoreJackson Browne ‘The Pretender’: Dreams and Nightmares
The 1976 album, arriving at a difficult time in his life, projects a more sinister and less forgiving world than Browne’s earlier works.
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