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

The Lifesaving Eric Clapton ‘Rainbow Concert’

It’s widely believed that Pete Townshend’s successful efforts to bring the guitarist out of his self-imposed musical exile marked a turning point.

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Crosby/Nash ‘Wind On the Water’: And Then There Were Two

In 1975, with CSN&Y in limbo once again, the two banded together to make a followup to their debut as a duo. They landed their 2nd Top 10 LP.

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Pink Floyd Shine on ‘Wish You Were Here’

Despite tense recording sessions, the band’s 1975 followup to The Dark Side of the Moon became a landmark of art-rock on its own right.

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Traffic: ‘Welcome to the Canteen’—Together Again

The front album cover didn’t even call them Traffic; it just listed the names of the musicians. But there was no mistaking who they were.

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The Byrds’ ‘Sweetheart of the Rodeo’: Cornerstone of Country-Rock

Their most consequential stylistic stroke since their pioneering folk-rock debut three years earlier, it ushered in country-rock and Americana.

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The Multi-Platinum Boston Debut Album: More Than a Feeling

With 17 million sales, it still ranks not only as one of the best-selling debut albums in music history, but also one of the fastest-selling as well.

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‘Graceland’—The World Music Reset From Paul Simon

The album that would become Simon’s grandest statement came into view when he was gifted with a tape of South African music.

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Neil Diamond ‘Hot August Night’: Renowned Hits & Self-Indulgent Gems

So revered was the vibe—and all those hits—that you can’t really tell the 1972 release is a live album.

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Nilsson ‘Pussy Cats’: With a Little Help From a Bad Boy Beatle

By 1974, his once-promising career had hit a wall and it would clearly take something significant to get him back on track. Enter John Lennon

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The Allman Brothers Band’s ‘Brothers and Sisters’: A New Family

With both Duane Allman and Berry Oakley now deceased, the ABB had to decide how to move forward. The answer: their biggest album yet.

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