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...

Bruce Springsteen | Born To Run – Classic Commentary

Born To Run is the album that put Bruce Springsteen on the cover of both Newsweek and Time. It is a timeless snapshot of Americana — all sweaty, high energy, tuned...

Queen | A Night At The Opera – Classic Commentary

In and around the mid 70s, there was a cluster of different styles and temperaments stirring around in the pop music kettle. With progressive, glam and hard rock all...

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...

The Band | The Last Waltz – Classic Commentary

Considered by many to be the greatest rock film of all time, The Last Waltz is the last word on the Band's final concert that took place on Thanksgiving...

Eagles | Hotel California – Classic Commentary

The peaceful, easy feeling the Eagles exuded in the early 70s had, by 1976, given way to a darker, more ominous sentiment. To begin, the band parted ways with...

The Doors | The Doors – Classic Commentary

As debut albums go, The Doors packed a punch that still reverberates to this very day. Jim Morrison was young and hungry, ready to take a big bite out of the...

Santana | Supernatural – CD Review

By the end of the 1990s, the music of Carlos Santana was apparently in need of a major overhaul. Actually, many of Santana’s peers were up against the same...

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...

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,...