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
Bill Withers, ‘Live at Carnegie Hall’: Soul Preachin’
He’d never even planned for a career in music. Before long, he found himself on stage at one of the most prestigious performance venues in the world.
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Roger Daltrey and His 1973 Solo Debut: Doing A Favor
He wasn’t even planning on recording a solo album. But one thing led to another and soon The Who’s lead singer found himself with 10 songs of his own.
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Dr. John’s ‘Gumbo’: A New Orleans Master’s Thesis
For the sessions, instead of his own new material, he breathed authentic life into lively new versions of hometown classics.
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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.
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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The 1970 album, his first outside of the Beatles, is a picture of Paul in transition, a historical document of quiet beauty.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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