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
Bonnie Raitt Rebounds in the ‘Nick of Time’
Just when her career needed a boost, Raitt switched labels and came up with her biggest hit album, which took her all the way to number one
Read More
Kiss’ ‘Destroyer’: Where the Music Finally Equaled the Image
Everyone knew the makeup, the blood and that tongue, but their records weren’t selling. Then came ‘Destroyer’ and a single that almost didn’t make the cut.
Read More
Pretenders Reborn: ‘Learning to Crawl’
With hits like “Back on the Chain Gang” and “My City Was Gone,” the band successfully rebounded from tragedy.
Read More
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.
Read More
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.
Read More
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.
Read More
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.
Read More
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
Read More
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.
Read More
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.
Read More