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
Bill Withers’ ‘Live at Carnegie Hall’: Soul Preachin’
He’d never even planned for a career in music. Before long, he found himself on stage at one of the most prestigious performance venues in the world.
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Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris’ ‘Trio’: Soaring Sisterhood
Their partnership is among the purest, boasting a celestial vocal blend, rooted in mutual admiration and the sheer joy of making music.
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Electric Light Orchestra’s ‘Out of the Blue’: The Masterpiece from Munich
‘Out of the Blue’ is full of treasures, a sweeping double-LP that Jeff Lynne dubbed “probably the hardest work I have ever done, but the most satisfying.”
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On the Menu: Supertramp’s ‘Breakfast in America’
The band had enjoyed steady growth with their first 5 albums. That all changed in 1979 with this blockbuster release which became one of the year’s top sellers
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Vanilla Fudge’s 1967 Debut: Maximum Psychedelia
It was rock music pushed to its limits, with a radical use of soft-loud-soft dynamics and the emotional drama of rhythm and blues and soul.
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‘Hums of the Lovin’ Spoonful’ & The Evolution of Their Good-Time Music
For their third studio album, the band knew that it wanted no two songs to sound alike. The result: no two songs sounded alike.
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Traffic’s ‘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 Band’s ‘Rock of Ages’: Was This LP Their Live Pinnacle?
It belongs on any short list of the best live albums ever, while serving as a coda to the group’s groundbreaking influence.
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ZZ Top’s ‘Eliminator’: Hot-Rods, TV Dinners and Sharp-Dressed Men
The music is stellar, and the LP became a massive hit, selling 10 million copies and staying on the Billboard album chart for three years.
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Jethro Tull’s ‘Aqualung’ @50: The Ultimate Concept Album
‘Aqualung’ proved successful, with the rock press heralding the album for its variety, seriousness and the unmatched musicianship.
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