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
Humble Pie ‘Performance Rockin’ the Fillmore’: Doctor’s Orders
It took several attempts for the British quartet to catch on, but these NYC gigs did the trick. Our Album Rewind of a great live rock LP.
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Johnny Cash ‘Unchained’ With Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
For one of his final recordings, he teamed with the great rock band. “I was with a bunch of people and we had fun,” he said.
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Billy Joel: On 1976’s ‘Turnstiles,’ Classic Songs, Unappreciated
Even with songs like “New York State of Mind” and “Say Goodbye to Hollywood,” the album fizzled upon its release
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‘The Who By Numbers’: Back to Basics
After an eight-year odyssey of releasing concept albums, the original quartet put together a set of unrelated songs that found favor with their fans.
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Graham Parker & the Rumour’s ‘Heat Treatment’: When Pub-Rock Met New Wave
When the Village Voice unveiled its 1976 Pazz & Jop Poll winners, an unknown English musician commanded two of the top five entries from the influential poll’s panel of music critics
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Dire Straits’ ‘Making Movies’: Mark Knopfler’s Widescreen Ambitions
The album restored the band’s platinum stature with a more expansive style verging on prog rock while retaining retro accents
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Traveling Wilburys’ Debut: Just Your Basic Dylan-Petty-Harrison-Orbison-Lynne Supergroup
Their unexpected union was a landmark combining an array of distinctive voices into something no individual could create alone.
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1977’s Incendiary ‘Moonflower’ From Santana
After several years without a hit single or album, this top 10 hybrid studio/live LP featured a cover of the Zombies’ “She’s Not There.”
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Paul Simon ‘Still Crazy After All These Years’: A Solo Triumph
His only #1 LP, and an Album of the Year Grammy winner, this 1975 release offered definitive proof that he was not going back to the past.
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Al Stewart and ‘Year of the Cat’: Musical Cinema
He liked the title track, but didn’t consider it suitable as a single, until producer Alan Parsons and the record company convinced him of its destiny.
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