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
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.
Read MoreSantana ‘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.
Read MoreBlondie: ‘Parallel Lines’—An International Smash
The LP, which included the smash “Heart of Glass,” would transform the group from boutique act into a worldwide sensation. Our Album Rewind…
Read More‘Smiley Smile’: The Beach Boys Album That Wasn’t Supposed to Be
Their followup to ‘Pet Sounds’ was a quick replacement for an abandoned masterpiece-to-be. Some fans didn’t love it, but in time its reputation has grown.
Read MoreGood ‘Sports’: How Huey Lewis and the News Hit a Home Run
‘Sports’ remains one of Huey Lewis and the News’ most memorable efforts, and confirmation that they were decidedly in the game.
Read MoreCheap Trick ‘In Color’: The LP That Put Them on the Map
Cheap Trick broke musical and lyrical boundaries, even defying the look of a rock band with a couple of rock stars and a couple of nerds.
Read MoreMott the Hoople ‘All the Young Dudes’ Generated Some Hoopla
The album, with its Bowie-written title track, emphasized the band’s bravado, and helped lay the foundation for the ’70s glam movement.
Read MoreR.E.M.’s ‘Document’: Not the End of the World, But the End of an Era
The Georgia band’s fifth studio album was the mark of a group spreading its wings, but also leaving something behind.
Read MoreAerosmith ‘Permanent Vacation’: A Rejuvenation
They’d lost their way as the ’80s lumbered along. Then, the Boston rockers remembered just who Aerosmith was. We take a look back at their classic comeback
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