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 Doors’ ‘LA Woman’: Last Call
Their sixth and final studio LP re-energized the band through a return to their roots in American blues, and served as a tribute to their hometown.
Read More
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s ‘Deja Vu’: A Volatile Chemistry
By any standard, it was an enormous success. But when CSN added a new member for their second album, it was an alliance that would both define and bedevil them
Read More
The Paul McCartney Solo Debut: His Declaration of Independence
The 1970 album, his first outside of the Beatles, is a picture of Paul in transition, a historical document of quiet beauty.
Read More
Bob Seger ‘Live Bullet’: Old Time Rock ‘n’ Roll
Although he was a star locally, the Detroit rocker had been struggling for years to break out nationally—until he formed the Silver Bullet Band.
Read More
Ray Charles’ Soulful Country Music: ‘It’s Got to Move Me’
The 1962 album astonished pop consumers with the quality of the chosen songs, the intensity of Charles’ vocals and the amazing arrangements.
Read More
Jim Croce ‘You Don’t Mess Around With Jim’: An Everyman Arrives
With more time, he might have taken his place as an equal of James Taylor, Gordon Lightfoot, Paul Simon, etc.
Read More
Loggins and Messina ‘On Stage’: The Peak of a Formidable Partnership
The album marked a successful coda in terms of a catalog that’s forever inscribed in the annals of radio-ready music and mainstream Americana.
Read More
The Lifesaving Eric Clapton ‘Rainbow Concert’
It’s widely believed that Pete Townshend’s successful efforts to bring the guitarist out of his self-imposed musical exile marked a turning point.
Read More
Ian Hunter ‘You’re Never Alone w/a Schizophrenic’: Dynamic Duo
Teaming with his favored guitar sidekick Mick Ronson, plus members of the E Street Band, the former Mott the Hoople leader created his best solo effort.
Read More
Squeeze and Their Hook-Filled ‘Argybargy’
The album became the British band’s first charting album in the U.S. upon release in 1980 thanks to songs like “Another Nail in My Heart.”
Read More