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

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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The Doors’ ‘LA Woman’: Last Call

Their 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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A Rollicking Live Album from Willie Nile: Review

His instantly recognizable voice conveys urgency throughout the set, which features his guitar and piano work and a tightly knit backup trio.

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The 1970 album, his first outside of the Beatles, is a picture of Paul in transition, a historical document of quiet beauty.

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Bob Seger ‘Live Bullet’: Old Time Rock ‘n’ Roll

Although he was a star locally, the Detroit rocker had been struggling for years to break out nationally—until he formed the Silver Bullet Band.

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Ray Charles’ Soulful Country Music: ‘It’s Got to Move Me’

The 1962 album astonished pop consumers with the quality of the chosen songs, the intensity of Charles’ vocals and the amazing arrangements.

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Jim Croce ‘You Don’t Mess Around With Jim’: An Everyman Arrives

With more time, he might have taken his place as an equal of James Taylor, Gordon Lightfoot, Paul Simon, etc.

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‘New Guitars in Town,’ a Power Pop Anthology, Features Noteworthy Obscurities: Review

In addition to well-known artists like Elvis Costello and Squeeze, the collection features many artists about whom nothing is known.

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Loggins and Messina ‘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 Lifesaving Eric Clapton ‘Rainbow Concert’

It’s widely believed that Pete Townshend’s successful efforts to bring the guitarist out of his self-imposed musical exile marked a turning point.

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