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
Robert Palmer ‘Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley’—A Tale of 3 Cities
With help from players like Little Feat’s Lowell George and New Orleans’ Meters, the British singer’s solo career got off to a good start.
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Pink Floyd Shine on ‘Wish You Were Here’
Despite tense recording sessions, the band’s 1975 followup to ‘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 Graham Parker Solo Debut ‘Another Grey Area’: Leaving the Anger Behind
GP was consciously breaking away from his perceived ‘angry’ persona, looking to send out his message in a style he saw fit.
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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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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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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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‘Who’s Next’: Plan B Yields a Career Blockbuster
Born from the ashes of an abandoned project Pete Townshend called ‘Life House,’ the band’s 1971 masterwork triumphed through songcraft and performance.
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Linda Ronstadt ‘Hasten Down The Wind’: Right Songs, Right Singer
The 1976 release became Ronstadt’s third platinum album in a row, and earned her the second of her eventual 13 Grammy awards.
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Big Brother’s ‘Cheap Thrills’: Behind R. Crumb’s LP Cover
It would be the only rock album for which the cartoonist would do the art. It continues to serve as a psychedelic timestamp of one crazy summer.
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