Album Rewinds
Given the test of time and the wisdom of hindsight, how do significant albums from the past sound and play today? Our critics take a second look from a fresh perspective
Yaz ‘Upstairs at Eric’s’ & Alison Moyet ‘Alf’: Dynamic Duo
Vince Clarke and Moyet were an “arranged marriage.” When Yaz split, each went on to a successful solo career.
Read More
Bob Seger ‘Against the Wind’: Rockin’ the Mainstream
It’s difficult to discern any one Seger album that stands out overall. Yet even now, this 1980 release still ranks as one of Bob’s best.
Read More
Todd Rundgren ‘Something/Anything?’: An Extravagant Opus
As its title suggests, the ambitious, far-reaching 1972 double album provided early proof that the possibilities were endless.
Read More
Fleetwood Mac: Mirage—A Return To the Top
The 1982 album, and follow-up to 1979’s more experimental Tusk, served as a return to the more polished and accessible sound of the band’s earlier work.
Read More
The 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 More
‘The Great Lost Kinks Album’: Revisiting an Overlooked 1973 Delight
Although compiled to satisfy a contractual obligation, the collection of stray tracks is “a corner of the room worth spending some time in.”
Read More
Elvis 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 More
Bob Dylan’s Masterful ‘Blood on the Tracks’ @50
After finishing the recording sessions for his new album, the artist decided he didn’t like some of it and went back into the studio. A classic emerged.
Read More
Styx ‘Paradise Theatre’: Where Prog Met Pure Pop
The album was the band’s greatest success but with the members no longer on the same page, it was also the beginning of the end.
Read More
Leo Sayer ‘Just a Boy’ @50: A Big Leap Forward
The singer-songwriter’s second LP found him at the cusp of a career that would lead to greater glories, while ensuring his stature on the singles charts.
Read More