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
Journey ‘Escape’: When the Fans Really Started Believin’
This is a curious chapter in rock history, as one of a few select albums that defines listener taste, consumer spending and chart success.
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‘Blow by Blow’: A Jeff Beck Master Class in Guitar
The 1975 all-instrumental album, produced by George Martin, was a guitarist’s master class
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The Rolling Stones’ ‘Some Girls’: The Grooves of Now
With punk rock nipping at their aging heels, the Stones revved things up with classic tracks like “Shattered,” “Miss You” and “Beast of Burden.”
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‘Another Side of Bob Dylan’: Younger Than That Now
The album contained songs that were later cut by everyone from the Byrds to Johnny Cash to Cher.
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Nick Lowe: ‘Labour of Lust’—The Basher Blossoms
The highly regarded British singer/songwriter/producer and his pals from Rockpile cut this classic album at the height of the new wave era.
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The Black Sabbath Debut LP: Where Metal Began
Every defining characteristic of the British band’s self-titled debut would become a hallmark of the oft-maligned heavy metal genre.
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The Laura Nyro and Labelle Collaboration: ‘Gonna Take a Miracle’
The album is Nyro’s tribute to the vocal groups and songwriters who continued to thrill and inspire her.
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George Harrison’s ‘Living in the Material World’: Is It Underrated?
He said at the time, “I wouldn’t really care if no one ever heard of me again. I just want to play and make records.”
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‘Evangeline’—Emmylou Harris’ Gourmet Leftovers
The song list tapped familiar writers like Rodney Crowell and the late Gram Parsons, her mentor and musical soulmate, along with rock and folk tunesmiths including John Fogerty, James Taylor, Robbie Robertson, and Little Feat’s Bill Payne.
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Los Lobos’ ‘Kiko’: A Hallucinatory Masterpiece
The early ’90s release was rightly acclaimed as the band’s studio pinnacle for its thematic breadth and sonic innovation.
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