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
Joe Cocker ‘Mad Dogs & Englishmen’: More Than a Little Help
“We can imagine how exhausted Cocker, Russell and Co. must have been when they got off the road, but from the audience’s point of view, it was worth it.”
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‘Graceland’—The World Music Reset From Paul Simon
The album that would become Simon’s grandest statement came into view when he was gifted with a tape of South African music.
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Smokey Robinson & the Miracles’ ‘Going to a Go-Go’: Life of the Party
Their 1965 release was their only studio album to make the Billboard top 10 during the ’60s
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The Allman Brothers Band’s ‘Brothers and Sisters’: A New Family
With both Duane Allman and Berry Oakley now deceased, the ABB had to decide how to move forward. The answer: their biggest album yet.
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‘Who’s Next’: Plan B Yields a Career Blockbuster
Born from the ashes of an abandoned project Pete Townshend called ‘Life House,’ the band’s 1971 masterwork triumphed through songcraft and performance.
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Linda Ronstadt ‘Hasten Down The Wind’: Right Songs, Right Singer
The 1976 release became Ronstadt’s third platinum album in a row, and earned her the second of her eventual 13 Grammy awards.
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Big Brother’s ‘Cheap Thrills’: Behind R. Crumb’s LP Cover
It would be the only rock album for which the cartoonist would do the art. It continues to serve as a psychedelic timestamp of one crazy summer.
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Genesis’ 1991 Blockbuster ‘We Can’t Dance’: Phil’s Farewell
It’s a significant album in the band’s discography, showcasing their ability to craft hit songs with broad appeal.
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‘The London Howlin’ Wolf Sessions’: When Clapton, the Stones, Winwood & Starr Helped Out a Blues Hero
When Eric Clapton was asked in 1970 if he’d like to record with a blues legend, it took him seconds to say yes. And so it began.
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Aretha Franklin’s ‘I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You’ LP: R-E-S-P-E-C-T
The 1967 album, her 10th, was her first for Atlantic Records and the start of her fruitful relationship with producer Jerry Wexler
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