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.
Talking Heads’ ‘Stop Making Sense’ Expanded: One of the Best-Sounding Live Albums Ever
After 40 years, ‘Stop Making Sense’ in all its forms remains ineffably compelling and still feels fully modern.
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Elvis Presley ‘Wows’ With Expanded ‘Aloha from Hawaii’: Review
Presley sings as well as ever in the Hawaiian concert and seems fully engaged with the material, including songs not on other live releases.
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Joni Mitchell’s Triumphant Return to Newport: Review
Having Mitchell back on stage and singing these tunes so beautifully with stellar accompaniment seems like some sort of miracle.
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Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Prolific 1969
A magnificent box set commemorates CCR’s run when they released 3 great LPs and had a string of hit singles, all in one remarkable year
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Eric Clapton’s ‘24 Nights’ Dramatically Expanded Edition: Review
While attention focuses almost exclusively on his guitar work, this set offers plenty of reminders of what a fine vocalist Clapton can be.
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‘Let’s Stomp!,’ A Merseybeat Anthology: Review
The Beatles weren’t the only group working in Liverpool in the early ’60s, and some of the other bands were pretty great too!
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Lucinda Williams’ Effusive ‘Stories from a Rock n Roll Heart’: Review
The singer-songwriter’s primary lyrical focus, on this album marking her 70th birthday, is how much music means to her.
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Grateful Dead’s ‘Here Comes Sunshine 1973’ Delivers Classic Concerts: Review
If you love the band and can spare the bucks, you really ought to experience the music from all five of these 1973 shows.
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West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band Box Set Review: ‘Experimental’ Was the Key Word
The collection provides a comprehensive look at an idiosyncratic band that endured its share of stumbles but was occasionally first-rate.
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The Four Seasons: A Massive Box Set Collects All of the Seminal Frankie Valli-Led Group’s LPs & More
With more than 800 tracks, plus lavishly illustrated and annotated books, this humongous set is not for casual fans of the Jersey Boys.
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