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
Stevie Wonder and ‘Innervisions’: Reaching Higher Ground
On his 16th album in a decade Wonder needed a strong album. He nailed it. Like its predecessor, this one earned a wide audience and generated 3 hit singles
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When Carlene Carter Created ‘Musical Shapes’ (With Rockpile)
Desperate to find a simpatico partner for her third LP, she turned to her husband, Rockpile bassist Nick Lowe.
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The ‘Truth’ According to Jeff Beck: A Genre-Busting Masterpiece
The former Yardbirds guitarist’s 1968 solo debut signaled a half-dozen highways for the future of rock. Every track is astonishing.
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AC/DC’s ‘Highway to Hell’: You Want Blood?
The 1979 release by the Australian mega-band is not an album you come to for variety; it’s a monument to single-minded rock.
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When the Moody Blues Found Their ‘Lost Chord’
If you’ve been listening to this music on a scratchy vinyl LP for nearly 60 years, you’re bound to find the surround-sound version to be a real trip.
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When John Mayall’s ‘Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton’ Broke Down Boundaries
The 1966 album featuring a 21-year-old Clapton helped establish a blues-rock template that would linger long after in the popular music firmament.
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The Doors’ ‘Soft Parade’: Still Rockin’
The album’s pop leanings notwithstanding, the Doors were still very much a rock and roll band at the time of its release.
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Dave Edmunds’ ‘Repeat When Necessary’: Where the New Wave Met the Old
The Welsh rocker’s fifth solo album, made with the great Rockpile, captures him at the pinnacle of his influence as an architect of late ’70s new wave.
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The Souther Hillman Furay Band’s Debut LP: Less Than the Sum of its Parts
The SHF Band accomplished its commercial mission and displayed the stylistic DNA of the Byrds, Poco and, yes, the Eagles.
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Buddy Guy: ‘Damn Right, I’ve Got the Blues’—A Joyous Noise
The album earned him the first of many Grammy Awards and sold way better than any of his previous recordings.
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