Recordings
Best Classic Bands offers smart, informed and unbiased assessments of the latest rock album releases and reissues to offer readers guidance on what sounds they might enjoy.
Mark Knopfler’s ‘Studio Albums 2009–2018’: Review
The subject matter and musical approaches are all over the place, but the albums feel cohesive and the performances are first-rate.
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Pink Floyd ‘Animals’ Deluxe Edition: Review
The LP feels almost like a Waters solo project, but owes a debt to Gilmour’s dynamic guitar work, and to Wright and Mason.
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Joni Mitchell Moves Beyond Folk on ‘The Asylum Albums’
This anthology is loaded with classic material that proves Mitchell is not content to deliver variations on past successes.
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An Expansive Look at Two Classic Early-’70s Kinks LPs
The band’s first two albums for RCA Records deliver more pleasures than their initial sales and reviews would suggest.
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‘Against the Odds 1974-1982’ Delivers a Massive Dose of Blondie
The set offers a reminder that Blondie’s massive success came despite initial years of struggle, internal conflicts and other obstacles.
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A Superlative 1972 Grateful Dead Concert Album from London Resurfaces: Review
If you wanted to introduce someone to the group for the first time, this concert would be as good a place to start as any.
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The Swinging Blue Jeans: Echoing the Beatles—Until They Didn’t
Where their fellow Liverpudlians continued to grow artistically, this combo, known for “Hippy Hippy Shake,” stayed in place too long.
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The Animals’ Early LPs Reappear in Expanded Editions
They scored numerous hits, all of which showed that, like the Rolling Stones, their members were heavily influenced by American R&B and blues.
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A New Compilation Surveys L.A.’s Vibrant Late ’60s Rock Scene
What most makes this 3-CD set noteworthy are the many fascinating obscurities that the compilers have unearthed by major and long forgotten bands.
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Elvis Presley ‘Live 1969’ Review: ‘He Meant Every Word’
After years of making mostly cringe-worthy movies, the King returned to the stage, fully engaged, in fine voice and clearly having a ton of fun.
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