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
Little Feat ‘Waiting for Columbus’: The End of the Beginning
How they pulled off one of the best live albums of all time is a heartening story of persistence and a sad, cautionary tale.
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Review—James Taylor’s ‘Sweet Baby James’: Fire and Rain
It ushered in the singer-songwriter era and has endured as a beacon to listeners and like-minded musicians for half a century.
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Van Morrison: His Finest Live Album
The enhanced original ‘It’s Too Late to Stop Now’ and the added three discs and DVD are a treasure trove of live in-concert gems.
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Jefferson Airplane ‘Surrealistic Pillow’: The LP That Fed Your Head
The Summer of Love landmark sounds like a sonic experiment, drenched in echo and reverb, with poetic lyrics that often flirt with the totally irrational.
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Jackson Browne: The 1st Album, An L.A. Troubadour’s Debut
Several of his songs, written when he was still in his teens, had already been recorded by others by the time Browne entered the studio to cut his debut.
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Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’: An Epic, Massive Swan Song
By the time ‘Bridge’ swept the 1971 Grammy Awards, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel had effectively parted ways professionally.
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Pretenders Debut Album: Chrissie Hynde Takes No Prisoners
Released at the edge of the ’70s punk and new wave assaults, ‘Pretenders’ traded on her substantial punk bona fides—but there was more to it.
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The Dusty Springfield Pop-Soul Pinnacle: ‘Dusty in Memphis’
Nearing 30, the British vocal great was intimidated by the soul power at Atlantic Records, her new home. She overcame it and turned out a masterpiece.
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Joni Mitchell ‘Court and Spark’: A Significant Pivot
Her 1974 best-seller was adorned by a sophisticated sonic sensibility that would define her career from that moment forward.
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Rush’s ‘Permanent Waves’: Ready for the ’80s
The album marked one of the few times that a veteran rock band managed to remain current without it being a blatant attempt at crass commercialization.
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