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
Elvis Costello ‘Armed Forces’: What’s So Funny?
The band’s third album was a leap forward in songcraft and sonic ambition, a song cycle weaving the personal and political.
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Yes’ ‘Fragile’: A British Prog-Rock Classic
Timeless tracks like “Roundabout” and “Long Distance Runaround,” premiered here and defined the prog genre.
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The Band ‘Rock of Ages’: 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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Joan Baez ‘Any Day Now’: A Loving Tribute to Bob Dylan
In 1968, the singer decamped to Nashville and cut a double album’s worth of songs written by her good friend and collaborator. The results were mostly glorious.
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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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The 1981 Blasters Album: Roots Music Finds Its Place in the Punk Revolution
They came out of Downey, California, mashing together blues, country, rockabilly, jazz and good ol’ rock & roll into something all their own.
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When the Christopher Cross Classic ‘Yacht-Rock’ Debut Went Sailing to the Top
After kicking around the Austin, Texas, scene for several years, the singer found his way to success with a 1st album that sold millions.
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The Traveling Wilburys’ ‘Vol. 3’: More Fun
Two years after their great 1988 debut, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and George Harrison assembled to record a new edition, dedicated to Roy Orbison.
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The Kinks’ ‘One for the Road’: That’s Entertainment!
Ray Davies had found a new, commercial groove that appealed to American audiences that barely remembered the Kinks of the ’60s.
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The Beach Boys’ Sweet ‘Wild Honey’ Beat: A Masterpiece of the Fading Year
The 1967 album emphasizes the collective and its vision, rather than that of an auteur with attendants helping to carry out his grand design.
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