Dylan's outstanding second album is a tremendous jump from its predecessor. Whereas the debut established him as a peerless interpreter of folk and country-blues classics, and a singer... read more

Dylan's outstanding second album is a tremendous jump from its predecessor. Whereas the debut established him as a peerless interpreter of folk and country-blues classics, and a singer like none before, this followup features some of the most pungent original songs of the '60s. "Blowin' in the Wind," "Masters of War," "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall," "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right," "I Shall Be Free": if this sounds like the lineup for a greatest-hits collection, you've got the idea. Nat Hentoff's liner notes are charmingly dated, but Dylan's idiosyncratic singing, unexpected lyrics, and inimitable guitar and harmonica playing are as immediate and relevant as whatever you heard on the radio today. (As great as this is, there's much more: a handful of top-rank outtakes from Freewheelin' appear on the Bootleg Series box set.) --Jimmy Guterman (hide)

British hippies who started out emulating Jefferson Airplane, Fairport Convention escalated their homeland connections with each outing, culminating in this, their fourth album and a watershed for British... read more

British hippies who started out emulating Jefferson Airplane, Fairport Convention escalated their homeland connections with each outing, culminating in this, their fourth album and a watershed for British folk-rock. Hindsight offers the ironic possibility that the Dylan covers of its predecessor, Unhalfbricking, opened a window onto the earlier Irish-English-Scots roots of the American music they loved, and Liege & Lief jumps through that window triumphantly. "Come All Ye" underscores their affinity for the Band yet is joyfully rooted in their own fertile folk traditions, echoed in a mix of classic songs from members Sandy Denny, Ashley Hutchings, and Richard Thompson, and given direct homage in the extended ballads "Matty Groves" and "Tam Lin," which evoke Neil Young & Crazy Horse in kilts. Fiddler Dave Swarbrick's arrival as a fulltime member adds new richness and a wonderful foil for Thompson's superb guitar leads. A medley of jigs and reels showcases their flair for hot-wiring traditional British Isles dances, a fixture ever since. --Sam Sutherland (hide)

Joni Mitchell would go on from this '71 recording to make more popular, more ambitious, and more challenging albums, but she's never made a better one. Working with... read more

Joni Mitchell would go on from this '71 recording to make more popular, more ambitious, and more challenging albums, but she's never made a better one. Working with minimal accompaniment (Stephen Stills and James Taylor are two of the four sidemen), the Canadian thrush summoned an involving song cycle of romance found and lost. Though Blue is an uncommonly intimate representation, it's also astonishingly open and gracious. Songs such as "All I Want," "Carey," "California," and "A Case of You" work equally well as poetry and pop music. --Steve Stolder (hide)

There's not a single dud in the trilogy of albums that singer/songwriter Nick Drake released during his all-too-short career. And 1968's Five Leaves Left--his first album--is certainly no... read more

There's not a single dud in the trilogy of albums that singer/songwriter Nick Drake released during his all-too-short career. And 1968's Five Leaves Left--his first album--is certainly no exception. Drake's sensitive guitar work and sensitive vocals are backed by the baroque sounds of a chamber string group, and the platter's lyrics show maturity well beyond the age of their 20-year-old creator. Sparser than its follow-up, the jazzy Bryter Layter, but less tortured than Drake's dark final chapter, Pink Moon, Five Leaves Left is a classic British folk disc. Songs like "River Man," "The Thoughts of Mary Jane," and "Day Is Done" are among Drake's finest moments. Newcomers be forewarned: this music is as infectious as it is bleak, and a purchase of Drake's boxed set Fruit Tree might be a wise investment. --Jason Verlinde (hide)

Pink Moon is the sound of Nick Drake cracking up. That's not exactly true--some have long thought that his death by an overdose of an anti-depressant was an... read more

Pink Moon is the sound of Nick Drake cracking up. That's not exactly true--some have long thought that his death by an overdose of an anti-depressant was an accident, and not suicide--but this album, recorded over two late nights, certainly sounds like a fever dream. Peter Buck of R.E.M. has called the album "Like an English version of (Robert Johnson's great blues) `Hellhound on My Trail.'" The lyrics to the title song read in their entirety: "Saw it written and I saw it say, pink moon is on its way. None of you will stand so tall, pink moon is gonna get ye all. And it's a pink moon." Aside from a splash of piano, the only instrumentation on this stark and spooky collection is Drake's eloquent acoustic guitar. --John Milward (hide)

Full title - I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight. The British folk-rock duo's 1974 masterpiece, digitally remastered, featuring 13 tracks including 3 previously unreleased bonus tracks... read more

Full title - I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight. The British folk-rock duo's 1974 masterpiece, digitally remastered, featuring 13 tracks including 3 previously unreleased bonus tracks recorded live at The Roundhouse, 'I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight', 'Together Again' (Buck Owens cover), & 'Calvary Cross'. Packaged in a slipcase with 12-page featuring full lyrics & sleeve notes. Universal. 2004. (hide)

At a time when the majority of those his age are drifting into retirement, 65-year-old Bob Dylan has put the capper on a three-record run that ranks with... read more

At a time when the majority of those his age are drifting into retirement, 65-year-old Bob Dylan has put the capper on a three-record run that ranks with the best in his storied, 44-album career. Like Time Out of Mind and Love and Theft before it, Modern Times is a rootsy, blues-soaked pool of the purest form of Americana--skipping the progressive bells or whistles for an understated backing by his touring band. Dylan's voice, which cracks, rasps and moans from the pop singer's pulpit, hasn't been this rich and emotive since 1976's Desire. And while his lyrics prolong his steadfast allusions to a higher power and his own immortality, they are not without the Dylan mirth, as when he sings of tracking pop queen Alicia Keys from Hell's Kitchen to Tennessee in "Thunder on the Mountain," the album's opener, which teams with "Someday Baby" and "Rollin' and Tumblin'" (for which Dylan misguidedly claims writing credit) as the record's most fiery numbers. Still, it's the Dylan that tells of a slave-loving owner ("Nettie Moore"), brings New Orleans to the front burner ("The Levee's Gonna Break") and plays the part of an eloquent lounge singer ("Spirit on the Water," "When the Deal Goes Down" and "Beyond the Horizon") that makes Modern Times sound just like old times. --Scott Holter

Dylan Classics and Collections

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan	The Times They Are A-Changin'	Bringing It All Back Home
Highway 61 Revisited	Blonde on Blonde	Blood on the Tracks
No Direction Home: The Soundtrack	Biograph (Box Set)	Bootleg Series 1-3: Rare 1961-1991 (Box Set)

(hide)

With Rounder Records, Cheryl Wheeler found a home. With her first recording for the label, Wheeler steps to the plate and swings with confidence. Don't let the hilarious... read more

With Rounder Records, Cheryl Wheeler found a home. With her first recording for the label, Wheeler steps to the plate and swings with confidence. Don't let the hilarious cover art fool you: from the atmospheric title tune to the gliding hooks in "Silver Lining" to the anti-gun hillbilly honk "Don't Forget the Guns" (with Alison Krauss on harmony vocals), this is a singer/songwriter tour de force. "75 Septembers" has a powerful sweep. An accordion adds a nice touch to a pair of tunes, including the bayou-flavored "Spring." And her paean to her adopted homeland, "When Fall Comes to New England," has become a performance staple. Jonathan Edwards, who produced her first two albums, wisely opts for a spare setting this time out, allowing her songs to shine through. Yet another sterling collection from one of the most sage and sly singer/songwriters on the circuit. --Robert Baird (hide)

The Weepies are a duo of songwriters Deb Talan and Steve Tannen. How can one not help but be delighted when two such similar sound names align with... read more

The Weepies are a duo of songwriters Deb Talan and Steve Tannen. How can one not help but be delighted when two such similar sound names align with one another? Perfectly matched, the thirteen songs are quiet but insistent, with lyrics full of pop smarts and poetic depth. Narratives, whether fragmented or direct, empower most of the songs, giving even first-person vantage points a solid foundation. Talan does the bulk of the lead vocals, and her voice is a confident instrument, full of sly surprise and subtle phrasing. The pair's harmonies are thoughtful and evocative, oftentimes utilizing less than obvious intervals. In fact, the chorus vocals owe more to great radio pop of the sixties and seventies than to the various contemporary strains of folk and Americana. --David Greenberger (hide)

UK digitally remastered reissue of the 1970 album for Hannibal. Includes four bonus tracks, 'Now Be Thankful' (mono & new stereo mix), 'Sir B. McKenzie's Daughter's Lament...' &... read more

UK digitally remastered reissue of the 1970 album for Hannibal. Includes four bonus tracks, 'Now Be Thankful' (mono & new stereo mix), 'Sir B. McKenzie's Daughter's Lament...' & 'Bonny Bunch Of Roses'. (hide)

Whereas Nickel Creek's debut album established the young California trio at the progressive vanguard of traditional bluegrass, this ambitious, risky follow-up finds their acoustic artistry straying far afield.... read more

Whereas Nickel Creek's debut album established the young California trio at the progressive vanguard of traditional bluegrass, this ambitious, risky follow-up finds their acoustic artistry straying far afield. Mandolin player Chris Thile and the Watkins siblings--guitarist Sean and fiddler Sara--continue to impress with their intuitive instrumental interplay and lush vocal harmonies. Sean Watkins's title cut achieves the sprightliest blend of traditional bluegrass instrumentation and contemporary pop craft, while the ruminative melancholy of "Hanging by a Thread" and "Green and Gray" sound as though Thile has been listening to a lot of Elliott Smith (and reading the published poetry of Jewel). The album also features Pavement's "Spit on a Stranger," Carrie Newcomer's "Should've Known Better," and a traditional British ballad, "House Carpenter." However, much of the collection's original material lacks the maturity to match the trio's musical gifts, as songs incorporating influences ranging from neo-psychedelia to alt pop often suffer from self-consciousness. Kindred-spirit producer Alison Krauss plainly gave the project a long leash, and the results can be viewed as either sophomore slump or creative growth spurt--or perhaps both. --Don McLeese (hide)

Limited edition Japanese pressing of this album comes housed in a miniature LP sleeve. Vivid. 2006.

Limited edition Japanese pressing of this album comes housed in a miniature LP sleeve. Vivid. 2006. (hide)

Fairport Convention was the most accomplished band in the late-'60s British folk-rock scene, and a combination of musical passion and whimsy makes Unhalfbricking one of its very best... read more

Fairport Convention was the most accomplished band in the late-'60s British folk-rock scene, and a combination of musical passion and whimsy makes Unhalfbricking one of its very best albums. Fairport's standout members were singer Sandy Denny and guitarist Richard Thompson. Both shine on Denny's haunting "Autopsy," with its sinuously melancholy melody making a perfect bed for a Thompson guitar solo. Denny shines on her most famous composition, "Who Knows Where the Time Goes," which was quickly covered by Judy Collins. Denny and Thompson each contribute two songs to an album that includes three Bob Dylan songs, including joyful spins on "Million Dollar Bash" and "Si Tu Dois Partir," that conjure up a moment when bands didn't think about losing publishing income as much as how to best maximize the fun of playing music. --John Milward (hide)