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
‘Forever Changes’: A Brilliant Landmark From Love
The deeper complexity and nuance that had lurked under the surface came to the forefront in the L.A. band’s classic 1967 third album.
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Merle Haggard & Willie Nelson’s ‘Pancho & Lefty’: Masters at Work
Austin met Bakersfield on this meeting of consummate country stars in the early ’80s, produced with Chips Moman, designed to look backward and forward at the same time.
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Neil Young’s ‘Comes a Time’: Direct From The Heart
He became mostly restrained and melancholy for this 1978 release, drawing on folk and country idioms. It includes recordings made over several years.
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Kansas’ ‘Leftoverture’: A Prog/Arena Rock Magnum Opus
Their fourth album made Kansas one of the top U.S. mainstream rock bands and helped pave the way for the style now known as “arena rock.”
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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.
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Santana ‘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.
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Blondie: ‘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…
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Flying Burrito Bros.’ Seminal Country-Rock Debut, ‘Gilded Palace’
Gram Parsons had envisioned the Burritos as “his” band, but ‘The Gilded Palace of Sin’ underscores the partnership between Parsons and Chris Hillman
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‘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.
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Cheap 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.
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