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

John Fogerty’s ‘Blue Ridge Rangers’: One-Man Band

With CCR having called it a day, Fogerty entered the studio alone and put together an album’s worth of tributes to his country, gospel and bluegrass heroes.

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J. Geils Band’s ‘Live—Blow Your Face Out’ Revisited

It wasn’t their first live album, but ‘Blow Your Face Out’ took the band’s manic rock ‘n’ soul energy to another level entirely.

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Bill Withers’ ‘Live at Carnegie Hall’: Soul Preachin’

He’d never even planned for a career in music. Before long, he found himself on stage at one of the most prestigious performance venues in the world.

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Roger Daltrey’s Solo Debut @50: Doing A Favor

He wasn’t even planning on recording a solo album. But one thing led to another and soon The Who’s lead singer found himself with 10 songs of his own.

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Dr. John’s ‘Gumbo’: A New Orleans Master’s Thesis

For the sessions, instead of his own new material, he breathed authentic life into lively new versions of hometown classics.

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Loggins and Messina’s ‘On Stage’: The Peak of a Formidable Partnership

The album marked a successful coda in terms of a catalog that’s forever inscribed in the annals of radio-ready music and mainstream Americana.

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The Doors’ ‘L.A. Woman’: Last Call

The Doors’ sixth and final studio LP re-energized the band through a return to their roots in American blues, and served as a tribute to their hometown.

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‘Late for the Sky’—Jackson Browne’s Confessional Masterpiece

Browne achieved a poetic force with the eight songs comprising the album, their lyrics demanding a closer listen.

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Paul McCartney’s Solo Debut: Declaration of Independence

The 1970 album, his first outside of the Beatles, is a picture of Paul in transition, a historical document of quiet beauty.

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Manassas: Stephen Stills’ Finest (Solo) Hour

Stills’ third full-length as leader showcased a collaborative ensemble flexible enough to cover a broad stylistic palette.

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