Cheap Trick | At Budokan – Classic Commentary
In 1978, if you wanted a copy of Cheap Trick's At Budokan, you had to plop down $11.99 for the Japanese import. Epic, in their infinite wisdom, eventually released the...
Jethro Tull | Aqualung – Classic Commentary
In a previous write-up on Jethro Tull's Aqualung, I boldly proclaimed that the album, released in 1971, had ingrained itself into the rock stratum forever. On its 40 anniversary,...
Deep Purple | Machine Head – Classic Commentary
Deep Purple's Machine Head was not made under favorable circumstances. The band was originally scheduled to begin recording at The Casino in Montreux, Switzerland, but, in their own words, "some stupid...
Pink Floyd | The Wall – Classic Commentary
Pink Floyd's The Wall was bound for greatness despite the financial woes and internal friction brewing between the band's principals — Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Rick Wright, and Nick...
Big Star | #1 Record & Radio City – Classic Commentary
Big Star was a wondrous anomaly in the heavy-duty early 70s. All the proggy, acid-fueled, blues-based dirge couldn’t diminish the group’s pop sensibilities, despite the infighting and distribution hassles....
Creedence Clearwater Revival | Cosmo’s Factory – Classic Commentary
Creedence Clearwater Revival’s fifth album, Cosmo’s Factory, was arguably the peak of the Bay Area band’s commercial run. It dented the number one spot on the charts for an...
Black Sabbath | Sabbath Bloody Sabbath – Classic Commentary
When it comes to Black Sabbath albums, the go-to’s seem to be the first three — Black Sabbath, Paranoid, and Master Of Reality. There’s little argument that these early...
Bob Dylan | Blonde On Blonde – Classic Commentary
There's no denying that Blonde On Blonde, rock's first double album, was a pivotal step forward for Bob Dylan. With Bringing It All Back Home and Highway 61 Revisited, Dylan had...
Supertramp | Breakfast In America – Classic Commentary
One of my fondest memories from my high school years, is from Spring 1979, sitting shotgun in my buddy Bill's Chevy Nova, managing yet another weekday afternoon drive home...
Moody Blues | Seventh Sojourn – Classic Commentary
In November 1972, the Moody Blues released Seventh Sojourn, their aptly named seventh album. At the time, rock was becoming an extremely complex palette on which to navigate and...
