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
When Johnny Cash Did Time ‘At Folsom Prison’
Performing for prison inmates was nothing new for the legendary singer, but his record label was nervous about making an album at one. Good thing they did.
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Fine Young Cannibals’ ‘The Raw & the Cooked’: For One Year, They Drove Us Crazy
They only gave us two albums and then they were gone, but that hit-packed second one helped to define an era.
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Creedence Clearwater Revival’s ‘Bayou Country’: Proud & Loud
“I could go anywhere because I was a writer. I was conjuring that place deep in my soul,” said John Fogerty about the songs on the band’s 2nd LP.
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Joe Jackson ‘Look Sharp!’: An Artful Debut
The impressive 11 songs that made the final cut of this new wave-era debut comprise a coherent piece of art with nary a dull moment.
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Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson ‘Waylon & Willie’: Two of a Kind
It was actually a strange hybrid, but it proved irresistible to record buyers, including many rock fans who’d never bought a country album before.
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Badfinger ‘Straight Up’: A Power Pop Masterpiece
They began as proteges of the Beatles, then became power pop heroes. The story behind one of the classic Apple Records albums.
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Deep Purple ‘Made In Japan’: Onstage Chemistry
The reserved Japanese audience is clearly stunned as the concert ends, and is silent for a moment until exploding into raucous applause.
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‘Let It Bleed’: The Rolling Stones’ Turbulent Masterpiece
The album captures the band at its creative apogee through a dark masterpiece that mirrors the violent ’60s milieu in which it was created.
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Daryl Hall & John Oates: ‘Abandoned Luncheonette’—2nd Chances
The soul-influenced duo was still finding their way when they recorded their second album. Superstardom would soon find them.
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George Harrison ‘Cloud Nine’: Back at the Top
With friends Jeff Lynne and Eric Clapton aboard, and songs like “When We Was Fab” and “Got My Mind Set on You,” the 1987 album was a huge hit.
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