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
Pretenders Reborn: ‘Learning to Crawl’ @ 40
With hits like “Back on the Chain Gang” and “My City Was Gone,” the band successfully rebounded from tragedy.
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The Allman Brothers Band’s ‘Eat a Peach’: Farewell to a Brother
Started before the death of Duane Allman, and completed after he was gone, the album served as a poignant, multifaceted farewell to the guitar great.
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When Zappa Was ‘Only In It for the Money’
The third album from the genius and his motley band lampooned society and the hippies escaping it. We look back at a ’60s masterpiece
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Jethro Tull ‘Thick As a Brick’: Don’t Sit This One Out
Equal parts ambitious and meticulous, the band’s 1972 best-seller is a smartly produced collage whose appeals remain undimmed
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The Doobie Brothers—‘The Captain and Me’: Polishing a Diamond
By the time they started recording their third album, the San Jose band had transformed itself into an eclectic and progressive group.
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Steely Dan Delivers Bite-Sized Gems on ‘Pretzel Logic’
On their 1974 LP, Fagen and Becker honed their humorous lyrics and perfected their luscious arrangements that straddled multiple genres.
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Parton, Ronstadt and 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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Todd Rundgren ‘A Wizard, A True Star’: Brilliant & Baffling
Was Todd’s against-the-grain psychedelic album a masterpiece or a slab of unintelligible self-indulgence? We look back at a ’70s classic
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Van Morrison and ‘Moondance’: A Brand New Day
Always singing as if his life depends on a good take, the 1970 album is a lesson in musical brilliance, flexibility and hard work.
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Rickie Lee Jones’ Debut: Hipster Chic, Beyond Laurel Canyon
She reached beyond folk, rock and blues influences then dominant among Los Angeles’ singer-songwriters, looking to earlier generations of songsmiths.
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