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
The Van Morrison Masterpiece: ‘Astral Weeks’
A “feverish poetic intensity persists” throughout the cycle of songs that comprise his 1968 work, even as those songs shift in pace and tone.
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Randy Newman ‘Sail Away’: The Big One
The 1972 album proved a breakthrough for his career both in terms of quality and box-office appeal as singers of many genres competed to record its tunes.
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When Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen Were ‘Lost in the Ozone’
There was much more to this genre-defying band than “Hot Rod Lincoln.” Here is the back story of a truly versatile and unique group.
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Traffic ‘The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys’: Rock on the Fusion Frontier
What had begun as post-‘Sgt. Pepper’ psychedelia turned toward a darker, more idiosyncratic synthesis of jazz, blues, world music and English folk elements.
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‘Hums of the Lovin’ Spoonful’ & The Evolution of Their Good-Time Music
For their third studio album, the band knew that it wanted no two songs to sound alike. The result: no two songs sounded alike.
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Queen ‘A Night at the Opera’: A Fancy Blockbuster
Their fourth album was “a showy spectacle that revels in its bombastic production” and gave us “Bohemian Rhapsody.” It’s also an indisputable classic.
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Don Henley ‘Building The Perfect Beast’: Don’t Look Back
The 1984 album, recorded with ace musicians, yielded four hit singles, making the Eagles’ drummer/singer even more ubiquitous on the AM and FM radio dials.
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The Moody Blues’ ‘Seventh Sojourn’: A Journey All Its Own
Whereas their earlier albums were bathed in day-glo tones, imagery, Mellotrons and mystique, their eighth release was decidedly down-to-earth in comparison.
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Dan Fogelberg: ‘Souvenirs’ — A Keepsake That Was Part of the Plan
The 1974 LP features a star-studded cast of musicians, chief among them Joe Walsh, who not only oversaw its production, but also played guitar on 10 of its tracks.
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‘Diana Ross & the Supremes Join the Temptations’: When Motown’s His & Hers Cadillacs Met Again
The LP was a perfect indicator of Motown’s growth, offering proof that Berry Gordy’s operation was quickly becoming a major Black-owned business.
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