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
Kansas’ ‘Leftoverture’: A Prog/Arena Rock Magnum Opus
Their fourth album made Kansas one of the top U.S. mainstream rock bands and helped pave the way for the style now known as “arena rock.”
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Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers’ ‘Damn the Torpedoes’: Full Speed Ahead
The LP was the band’s long-awaited breakthrough, with them now matching the caliber of their front man’s writing with their focused musicianship
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Pure Prairie League: ‘Bustin’ Out’—Persistence Pays Off
Left for dead by their record label, and with musicians using the group as a revolving door, the band nearly packed it in. Then they got lucky.
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Rockpile’s ‘Seconds of Pleasure’: One And Done
By any measure they were a great rock ‘n’ roll band, but their sole album under the group’s name didn’t always show why.
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King Crimson’s Debut: Laying the Groundwork for the Prog Revolution
The 1969 debut album set a standard for all prog-rock that followed and raised the bar in terms of expectation and achievement.
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When ELO Delivered Magic With ‘Face the Music’
Other triumphs would follow, but clearly this 1975 best-seller marked a turning point in both their tapestry and trajectory
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The Who’s ‘Odds & Sods’: Beat the Boots
Fed up with the volume of unauthorized Who LPs on the market, the band put together this mixed bag of leftover tracks.
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When Donald Fagen Lightened Up With ‘The Nightfly’
On his debut solo album, cut during Steely Dan’s ’80s hiatus, Fagen trades cynicism for nostalgia in a song cycle.
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Billy Joel: ‘The Stranger’—The Breakthrough
The album could be considered a greatest hits, given the fact that several of the songs are still considered essential Joel standards.
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Santana ‘Abraxas’: Post-Woodstock Latin Magic
When it came to recording their second album, the band wanted to expend more effort, and make a better-sounding record, than their somewhat rushed debut.
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