REVIEWS:
What’s the read on the latest reissue releases and live performances by classic rock artists? What biopics, movies or documentaries are worth seeing in theaters and at home? What books about rock music and the people who make and work with it are worth reading. Our team also takes a fresh look at notable works in our Album Rewind series
Joe Jackson ‘Look Sharp!’: An Artful Debut
The impressive 11 songs that made the final cut of this new wave-era debut comprise a coherent piece of art with nary a dull moment.
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Elton John’s ‘Tumbleweed Connection’: Raising the Stakes
The musical language that would define his work is all present on this early gem that solidified Elton’s writing partnership with Bernie Taupin
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Elvis Costello ‘Armed Forces’: What’s So Funny?
The band’s third album was a leap forward in songcraft and sonic ambition, a song cycle weaving the personal and political.
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ELP ‘Brain Salad Surgery’: A Brainstorm of the Highest Order
The combination of high concept, grandiose execution and ELP’s usual artistic ambition made ‘Brain Salad Surgery’ a mind-blowing effort.
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Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson ‘Waylon & Willie’: Two of a Kind
It was actually a strange hybrid, but it proved irresistible to record buyers, including many rock fans who’d never bought a country album before
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‘Before the Flood’—Memorializing Dylan and The Band’s ‘Tour ’74’
More than seven years after his shocking motorcycle accident, Dylan returned to live performance in style, along with his favorite musicians.
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Nektar 50th Anniversary ‘Remember the Future’ Box: Review
Even without their light show, the music on this prog classic is enveloping.
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A New Edition of Violent Femmes’ Celebrated Debut: Review
The folk-punk trio’s 1983 debut album was their best-selling, and is widely and understandably viewed as its best moment.
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Steve Winwood ‘Arc of a Diver’: Leaving the Past Behind
His most successful solo record, it allowed him to stand apart from the earlier work he had spawned with Traffic, Blind Faith and the Spencer Davis Group.
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The Best Music Books of 2023
The year’s best music-related reads include bios and memoirs associated with Rush, Sly Stone, Bob Dylan, the Allmans, plus much more!
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