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
Dave Edmunds’ ‘Get It’: Forward Into the Past
The 1977 album, consisting mainly of treasured cover songs with help from Nick Lowe, hinted at what Rockpile would soon deliver.
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Talking Heads’ ‘Fear of Music’: A Transitional Gem
“The first step in David Byrne’s assumption of power, moving Talking Heads from a band to his band… It was dance music that reflected the time.”
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The ‘Truth’ According to Jeff Beck: A Genre-Busting Masterpiece
The former Yardbirds guitarist’s 1968 solo debut signaled a half-dozen highways for the future of rock. Every track on ‘Truth’ is astonishing.
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Rod Stewart’s ‘Never a Dull Moment’: Another Step Forward
Collaborating with Ronnie Wood and his other mates in the Faces, the singer’s formula of mixing original tunes with covers proved successful.
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The Eric Clapton Solo Debut LP: A Long Way From Home
With help from some of rock’s greatest songwriters and musicians, the former Cream/Blind Faith guitarist launched his solo career with a gem of an LP.
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‘Countdown to Ecstasy’: Musical Adventures From Steely Dan
If the songcraft displayed on the first album reflected their Brill Building apprenticeship, the new material proved more open-ended—and more sophisticated
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The Souther Hillman Furay Band’s Debut LP: Less Than the Sum of its Parts
The Souther Hillman Furay Band accomplished its commercial mission and displayed the stylistic DNA of the Byrds, Poco and, yes, the Eagles.
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ELO’s ‘Xanadu’ Soundtrack With ON-J: Magic, All Over the World
With music from two popular acts, the soundtrack more than survived the 1980 film’s mixed reviews.
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‘John Barleycorn’: From Winwood Solo Project to Traffic Reunion
The 1970 album morphed into a full-blown Traffic reunion with the addition of Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood to the fold.
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The Band and Their Pioneering ‘Music From Big Pink’: Review
The album offered quiet songs of experience bathed in a rustic glow, with no hints of the futurism and none of the kilowatt drama then prevalent elsewhere in rock.
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