Posts From Thomas Kintner

Kiss’ ‘Destroyer’: Where the Music Finally Equaled the Image

Everyone knew the makeup, the blood and that tongue, but their records weren’t selling. Then came ‘Destroyer’ and a single that almost didn’t make the cut.

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Jethro Tull’s ‘Thick As a Brick’: Concept LP or Parody of One?

Equal parts ambitious and meticulous, the band’s 1972 best-seller is a smartly produced collage whose appeals remain undimmed

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James Taylor’s ‘Sweet Baby James’: Fire and Rain

It ushered in the singer-songwriter era and has endured as a beacon to listeners and like-minded musicians for half a century.

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Van Halen’s Debut Album: A Turning Point for Rock

It didn’t sound at first listen like something to change the course of rock music, but they opened doors for any number of rock acts.

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Warren Zevon’s ‘Excitable Boy’ LP: Werewolves and Lawyers, Oh My

With songs like “Werewolves of London,” “Lawyers, Guns and Money” and the title track, it was not only his greatest work but a singer-songwriter classic

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Joni Mitchell’s ‘Court and Spark’: A Significant Pivot

Her 1974 best-seller was adorned by a sophisticated sonic sensibility that would define her career from that moment forward.

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Queen’s A Night at the Opera: A Fancy Blockbuster

Their fourth album was “a showy spectacle that revels in its bombastic production” and gave us “Bohemian Rhapsody.” It’s also an indisputable classic.

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John Mellencamp’s ‘Scarecrow’ Deluxe Edition: The Turning Point

The album marked a turning point, and served as an overture for how he would bring his music into the world from that point forward.

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Linda Ronstadt’s ‘Heart Like a Wheel’ Breakthrough

After her first four albums, followers of country-rock knew there was something special about her. On her fifth, they found out what it was

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Harry Nilsson’s Ambitious ‘Schmilsson’ LP Revisited

Noteworthy for its scope and ambition, the album was justifiably rewarded with worldwide success that took Nilsson to the next level of stardom.

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