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 Beatles’ White Album: Facts and Trivia

At the same time they were maturing, they were leaving behind the Beatles. Here are some fascinating details on all 30 tracks on their ’68 masterpiece.

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Duran Duran’s ‘Rio’: A Defining Moment

The 1982 album endures as the group’s defining record, a foundational success whose signature sound has aged as gracefully as the irresistible smile that stares out from its sleeve.

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Stephen Stills’ A-List Solo Debut Revisited

A balance of DIY proficiency and top-tier talent gave the 1970 release an early head start in the race for most popular solo album by a member of CSN&Y.

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Van Morrison Grooves With the Street Choir

Morrison’s third official solo album in 1970 is largely about the spirit of soul/R&B, the feel and his singing. It features his biggest U.S. hit (no, not that one).

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Smokey Robinson & the Miracles’ ‘Going to a Go-Go’: Life of the Party

Their 1965 release was their only studio album to make the Billboard top 10 during the ’60s.

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Patti Smith’s ‘Horses’: Poetry In Motion

She said, “Of course I wanted to work in the rock ’n’ roll tradition. I didn’t know any other tradition existed.”

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Rockpile’s ‘Seconds of Pleasure’: One And Done

By any measure they were a great rock ‘n’ roll band, but their sole album under the group’s name didn’t always show why.

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‘Ringo’: His 1973 Solo Breakthrough, With a Little Help From You Know Who

Although he’d had a couple of solo hits post-Beatles, the albums just weren’t happening. Then he reached into his phone book and made a few calls.

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Stevie Wonder’s ‘Talking Book’: Passion, Pain & Love

Said the Motown great of the groundbreaking 1972 album, “I wanted to express various things that I felt…the passions, emotion and love.”

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‘The Who By Numbers’: Back to Basics

After an eight-year odyssey of releasing concept albums, the original quartet put together a set of unrelated songs that found favor with their fans.

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