It was designed to be a blockbuster and it was. Prior to Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Elton John had hits -- his second album, Elton John, went Top 10 in the U.S. and U.K., and he had smash singles in "Crocodile Rock" and "Daniel" -- but this 1973 album was a statement of purpose spilling over two LPs, which was all the better to showcase every element of John's spangled personality. Opening with the 11-minute melodramatic exercise "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" -- as prog as Elton ever got -- Goodbye Yellow Brick Road immediately embraces excess but also tunefulness, as John immediately switches over to "Candle in the Wind" and "Bennie & the Jets," two songs that form the core of his canon and go a long way toward explaining the over-stuffed appeal of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. This was truly the debut of Elton John the entertainer, the pro who knows how to satisfy every segment of his audience, and this eagerness to please means the record is giddy but also overwhelming, a rush of too much muchness. Still, taken a side at a time, or even a song a time, it is a thing of wonder, serving up such perfectly sculpted pop songs as "Grey Seal," full-bore rockers as "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" and "Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock & Roll)," cinematic ballads like "I've Seen That Movie Too," throwbacks to the dusty conceptual sweep of Tumbleweed Connection in the form of "The Ballad of Danny Bailey (1909-34)," and preposterous glam novelties, like "Jamaica Jerk-Off." This touched on everything John did before, and suggested ways he'd move in the near-future, and that sprawl is always messy but usually delightful, a testament to Elton's '70s power as a star and a musician.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

While both Liam Gallagher and Noel Gallagher have had some pretty good moments in their hit-or-miss solo careers, neither has been able to match what they had together as brothers in Oasis: the one-upmanship competition that pushed both to be better, yes, but also the us-against-the-world sibling camaraderie. Both need a foil to play off. Liam has been winning the race recently, though. For one thing, he's found the right producer in Greg Kurstin (Adele, Foo Fighters), who pushed him to great heights with 2022's C'mon You Know. But now he's teamed up with one of his hometown heroes: John Squire, legendary guitarist for Manchester's beloved Stone Roses, the band that Liam has said made him want to get behind a microphone. And damn if it's not an absolutely delightful, inspired pairing. (And if it makes Noel jealous, bonus points—right?) He's also brought Kurstin along for the ride, which was a wise decision. The set-up works as Oasis used to: Squire writes the songs, à la Noel, and Liam is just Liam. He sounds terrific here, and unmistakable. So does Squire, who absolutely wails on the excellent, Stone Roses-esque "Just Another Rainbow" and struts his stuff for groovy "Mars to Liverpool"; it's easy to imagine Oasis having gone in that direction had they not split in 2009. But the two don't just nod at their own past bands. Irresistible "One Day At a Time," which practically casts Squire's showy guitar as a duet partner for Liam, lifts a bit of the Rolling Stones' "Paint It, Black." Muscular "I'm So Bored" cribs from the Beatles' "Paperback Writer" (which also means it feels especially Oasis-esque). And "Love You Forever," which puts a psychedelic Madchester effect on Liam's sneer, owes a big debt to Hendrix and "Purple Haze." It's also boosted by monster fills from Joey Waronker—because if you're going to bring two Mancunian legends to Los Angeles to make a record, why not get that town's best studio drummer? Waronker adds a real kick to "You're Not the Only One," which also features great boogie-woogie piano and Squire's snarling runs. Single "Raise Your Hands" is a bit paint-by-numbers, but "I'm a Wheel" is unexpected: Squire and Kurstin, on bass, letting loose on 12-bar blues while an energized Liam delivers goofy lines like "Lock all the doors/ These aren't the droids/ You're looking for." It seems weird on paper—but wow, it works. (Thanks to Squire, too, for giving him lyrics like "Thank you for your thoughts and prayers/ And fuck you too" to gleefully nail.) "Mother Nature's Song" feels the most like a real Oasis-Roses crossover: Mersey paradise meets Beatlemania. © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz

Bridge Over Troubled Water was one of the biggest-selling albums of its decade, and it hasn't fallen too far down on the list in years since. Apart from the gospel-flavored title track, which took some evolution to get to what it finally became, however, much of Bridge Over Troubled Water also constitutes a stepping back from the music that Simon & Garfunkel had made on Bookends -- this was mostly because the creative partnership that had formed the body and the motivation for the duo's four prior albums literally consumed itself in the making of Bridge Over Troubled Water. The overall effect was perhaps the most delicately textured album to close out the 1960s from any major rock act. Bridge Over Troubled Water, at its most ambitious and bold, on its title track, was a quietly reassuring album; at other times, it was personal yet soothing; and at other times, it was just plain fun. The public in 1970 -- a very unsettled time politically, socially, and culturally -- embraced it; and whatever mood they captured, the songs matched the standard of craftsmanship that had been established on the duo's two prior albums. Between the record's overall quality and its four hits, the album held the number one position for two and a half months and spent years on the charts, racking up sales in excess of five million copies. The irony was that for all of the record's and the music's appeal, the duo's partnership ended in the course of creating and completing the album.© Bruce Eder /TiVo

Who's Next is not an album lacking for reissues. In addition to a deluxe edition from 2003, there have also been multiple audiophile editions and remasters of the album since its 1971 release. So what could a "super deluxe edition" possibly contain? Quite a bit, as it turns out. As even casual Who fans know, the genesis of Who's Next was as Lifehouse, a multimedia rock opera even more ambitious than Tommy. Pete Townshend had developed a bizarre, dystopian story that somehow merged his devotion to Indian guru Meher Baba, his recent fascination with synthesizers, and the idea that the only thing that could save humanity from a test-tube-bound future was "real rock 'n' roll." Yeah, the aftereffects of the '60s were wild. After some live shows at the Young Vic in London and a series of marathon recording sessions, a 16-song tracklist was finalized, but by this point, it was collectively decided—both creatively and commercially—that perhaps another concept-dense double album might not be the best studio follow-up to Tommy. So, eight Lifehouse songs were re-cut and one new song ("My Wife") was recorded and the leaner, meaner Who's Next was released in August 1971. The album was both an instant success and has become an undisputed part of the classic rock canon, thanks to the inclusion of absolutely iconic tracks like "Won't Get Fooled Again," "Baba O'Riley," and "Behind Blue Eyes."While one could make an argument that the taut and focused power of Who's Next inadvertently proved the point of the Lifehouse story (namely, that rock 'n' roll is most effective when it's at its most primal), it's important to remember that Who's Next was also a giant artistic leap forward for the Who, as it found them at the peak of their powers as a pummeling rock band and as a band willing to be experimental and artful in their approach to being a pummeling rock band. (If any evidence is needed of the group's unrivaled power, check out take 13 of "Won't Get Fooled Again" on this set, which is so immediate and electric that it could easily be mistaken for a concert performance.) While several Lifehouse tracks found their way to other Who and Townshend records, getting a sense of the contours of the project has been difficult. But this massive, 155-track set creates those lines thanks to the inclusion of multiple Townshend demos as well as recording sessions of Life House tracks that occurred both before and after the release of Who's Next, and, most notably, two freshly mixed live shows from 1971 (including one of the Young Vic shows) that provided both the energy and, in some cases the basic tracks, for the album versions. While nothing on this bursting-at-the-seams edition overrides the all-killer-no-filler approach of Who's Next, it does provide plenty of long-desired context and documentation for what made that record so powerful. © Jason Ferguson/Qobuz

Highly anticipated since the biopic trend took over Hollywood, the film depicting the Jamaican icon’s ascension to superstardom has been fully approved by the Marley family, with Kingsley Ben-Adir in the role of Bob and eldest son Ziggy as executive producer. To seal the deal, the label Tuff Gong has released a “soundtrack” to the film, which unsurprisingly showcases a number of Bob Marley’s hits, resembling an encore to Legend, with the eternal classics that are “Get Up, Stand Up,” “I Shot the Sheriff,” “Natural Mystic,” “Is This Love” and “Redemption Song”.We also hear the famous version of “No Woman, No Cry” at London’s Rainbow Theatre on June 4, 1977 – a concert that was seized upon for reissues in both 2020 and 2022. From the film, we also find “So Jah S’eh” and a version of “War/No More Trouble” with backing vocals by Naomi Cowan in place of the I-Threes, the new sensation of Jamaican reggae incarnating Marcia Griffiths in the film, and Anna-Sharé Blake, protégée of Protoje, playing Judy Mowatt. On keyboard for this version is Aston Barrett Junior, who takes on the role of his father, Family Man, legendary bassist, orchestra conductor, and scorned composer of the Wailers, who passed away February 3rd, 2024, a few days before the release of One Love, and whose immense career would also be deserving of its own film. © Smaël Bouaici/Qobuz

Could Feist, the Canadian singer, have read Marcel Aymé? Nothing could be less certain, and yet the concept of this sixth album by the Canadian singer has false airs of Les Sabines, one of the most famous short stories by the Montmartre author, published in 1943. Sabine “could, at will, multiply herself and exist simultaneously, in both body and mind, in as many places as she pleased.” In the aptly named Multitudes, Feist realises Marcel Aymé's fantasy, by displaying vocal layering in some of the album’s songs, in particular in Become The Earth. This original concept is also applied in the project visuals (see the Hiding Out In The Open clip). It was during concerts performed after the Covid pandemic that the artist wrote the Multitudes songs, a recording characterised by a wide gap between minimalist folk ballads (Forever Before, Love Who We Are Meant To) and more powerful and exalted tracks like Borrow Trouble. The themes of the songs revolve around a struggle for the search for truth. According to Feist, by digging into the past we can begin to find answers, undoubtedly illustrating why certain pieces have an ancestral flavour: David Ralicke’s traditional flute in Martyr Moves, the questions posed to her ancestors in Calling All The Gods (in which she quotes Homer's Odyssey). Produced by Mocky and Robbie Lackritz, Multitudes is, ultimately, a vocal feat: whether alone facing the microphone or in multiple layers, Feist's timbre has lost none of its original charm, even six years after his previous opus, Pleasure. © Nicolas Magenham/Qobuz  

On her ninth album, P!nk proves to be something her tough-edged younger self might never have imagined: graceful. At 43, she's long abandoned the sometimes seductive, sometimes challenging snarl of her early work, as well as the party-girl persona of albums like Funhouse. The scene is set with "When I Get There," a piano-and-strings ballad for her father, who died in 2021. ("Is there a bar up there/ Where you've got a favorite chair … Is there a place you go/ To watch the sunset, oh.") P!nk has said that the album was partly inspired, as so many records of this era are, by the pandemic and, in her case, seeing her young son so ill with Covid-19. "The panic is temporary/ But I'll be permanent ... As scary as it gets/ It's just turbulent," she sings on "Turbulence," offering pragmatism and the wisdom, born from experience, that shocks will pass. She's also a gracious collaborator, letting her duet partners sound like themselves rather than bending them completely to her polished pop sound. The Lumineers bring along familiar marching drum rolls and Wesley Schultz's warm vocals for "Long Way to Go." Likewise, "Kids In Love," with the Swedish siblings of First Aid Kit, is as airy and folky as anything by that duo. And you can tell P!nk is a true fan of Chris Stapleton. "Just Say I'm Sorry," their closing collaboration, sounds like a Stapleton song: romantic, nostalgic, with a Roy Orbison-esque melody and the country singer's evocative guitar tone. His voice is as powerful as P!nk's—it's not so much leather and lace as leather and brightly colored leather—yet neither of them overpowers the other. But look, P!nk is still here to have a good time. The title track, co-written with Snow Patrol's Johnny McDaid, glitters with EDM beats. And she called up old collaborators Max Martin and Shellback, who produced her 2010 hit "Raise Your Glass," to help concoct "Never Gonna Not Dance Again"—a sunny, shimmering disco number with tropical-breeze horns and rhythmic "d-d-d-dance" stuttering that sounds a whole lot like Justin Timberlake's "Can't Stop the Feeling." Writer/producer Greg Kurstin, a favorite of female artists including Kelly Clarkson, Sia and P!nk herself (he worked on 2012's The Truth About Love album), layers on post-punk guitars and a pop-punk chant ("Oh no! Here we go!") to help the singer tap into the spitfire of her early work with "Hate Me": "She's loud and drunk/ Let's take her down to size … I'm the villain you made me," P!nk sings. "Last Call" has a light country flavor, "Feel Something" offers R&B vibes and tender acoustics from experimental guitarist Nate Mercereau, and "Lost Cause" could be a Disney ballad with its soaring chorus. And, lest you forget the amazing vocal leaps and tricks P!nk is capable of, "Our Song" slathers on expansive range and Broadway-worthy drama to remind the world: it's all about that voice. © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz

In 2015, Melody Gardot stepped out of her comfort zone with Currency of Man, an album which suited her entirely but displayed a more soul’n’blues side. That is not to say that her brilliant past efforts were not in keeping with her musical personality, but it was with this record that she confirmed her love for Philadelphia, the town in which she grew up and where groove holds a different meaning.  Five years later, Sunset in the Blue holds all the hallmarks of a return to the singer’s old days which made Melody Gardot’s name. The album is a stripped-back approach to jazz and bossa-nova as imposed by the unexpected circumstances of the year 2020. When the album was beginning development, the pandemic brought a halt to everything an forced the American to rethink the project. She hence proposed that her associates, spread out all over the world, work from a distance. Melody Gardot was based in Paris, her arranger and conductor Vince Mendoza in Los Angeles and the majority of her musicians in England! Despite these constraints, the miracle record was on course for creation which would span a period of roughly five months. And so, Mendoza found himself conducting on-screen from California with musicians playing in London’s Abbey Road Studios (things weren’t made any easier considering the various time-differences). In addition to Mendoza, Melody Grant recruited a set of silky smooth sound connoisseurs who were also instrumental in the success of 2009’s My One and Only Thrill: the producer Larry Klein and sound engineer Al Schmitt.Upon listening to the end result, however, we soon forget the last-minute DIY means with which this album was made. Because throughout Sunset in the Blue, Melody Gardot maintains a fascinatingly solid and intimate direction. Here we see a return to Gardot whispering hypnotically into the ear as she sings amid intermittent piano phrases and guitars. Her voice gracefully lounges upon a bed of refined and perfectly balanced violin strings. This formula reaches an irresistible climax with the album’s title track as she turns to her much-loved Brazil with tracks like Ninguém, Ninguém and Um Beljo, before she returns to the exquisite-sounding Moon River and I Fall in Love too Easily. A beautiful album which finishes with a somewhat intrusive track, Little Something, a pop duet with Sting that doesn’t really fit in with Sunset in the Blue’s general mood. © Marc Zisman/Qobuz

A stunning self-reinvention by a band that many had given up for dead, 90125 is the album that introduced a whole new generation of listeners to Yes. Begun as Cinema, a new band by Chris Squire and Alan White, the project grew to include the slick production of Trevor Horn, the new blood (and distinctly '80s guitar sound) of Trevor Rabin, and eventually the trademark vocals of returning founder Jon Anderson. His late entry insured that Rabin and Horn had a heavy influence on the sound. The album also marked the return of prodigal keyboardist Tony Kaye, whose crisp synth work on "Changes" marked the band's definitive break with its art rock roots. "Owner of a Lonely Heart" was a huge crossover hit, and its orchestral break has been relentlessly sampled by rappers ever since. The vocal harmonies of "Leave It" and the beautifully sprawling "Hearts" are additional high points, but there's nary a duff track on the album.© Paul Collins /TiVo

His first record sans the Heartbreakers, Full Moon Fever is a career-definer for Petty straight from the opening notes of "Free Fallin." With bright guitar chords, the singer-songwriter's "And I'm free" howl, and backing vocals that crest like a Pacific wave, the song — indeed, the whole album — evokes the underlying melancholy of sunny Los Angeles. Full Moon Fever is also a tribute to Petty’s idols. Producer and co-writer Jeff Lynne of ELO layers on his signature pop polish, while leaving Petty’s raw-nerve vocals exposed. George Harrison’s harmonies give the defiant anthem "I Won’t Back Down" unexpected sweetness. Del Shannon gets a shout-out on the mischievous "Runnin' Down a Dream" — propelled by Heartbreaker Mike Campbell’s hellfire-and-brimstone guitar — and Roy Orbison hams up the chorus for the organ-chugging weirdness that is "Zombie Zoo." There’s even a true-blue cover of the Byrds’ "Feel A Whole Lot Better." But the star here, as ever, is Petty: cracking jokes on the jangling "Yer So Bad", tugging at the heartstrings with lullabye "Alright for Now" or snarling on the spaced-out "Love is a Long Road." © Qobuz

He may be in his seventies now, but there’s still no stopping Bruce Springsteen. In 2019, without the E Street Band, the Boss released Western Stars, an astonishing album which would see him transformed into the Glen Campbell of the third millennium, detaching himself from the present day by choosing an attitude of innocence and nonchalance over resistance or defiance. Letter to You came along a year later, where he gathered his favorite band—or rather, what was left of it after the passing of Danny Federici (2008) and Clarence Clemons (2011)— in his home studio in New Jersey to record 12 songs live in just 5 days. It was a reunion among old friends, rooted firmly in the '70s.With Only the Strong Survive, released in autumn 2022, Bruce Springsteen goes 100% soul. There is no doubting the quality of the goods on this 21st studio album. Comprised exclusively of covers, the album seeks to "do justice" to the Great American Songbook of the sixties and seventies. It’s a tasty tracklist, taken from the five-star catalogs of Motown, Stax, Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff’s Philadelphia International, alongside a few other soul and R&B labels. The Boss has always had good sense in this department, mixing such gold-plated legends as Jerry Butler, Arethra Franklin, the Temptations, Diana Ross with her Supremes, and forgotten geniuses like Tyrone Davis. Not everything is totally vintage, indeed, there’s the aptly named "Soul Days"—a nostalgic song by Jonnie Barnett recorded by Dobie Gray in 2000—and "When She Was My Girl," first recorded by the Four Tops in 1981. To strengthen his case, Springsteen even invited the great Sam Moore (of the legendary duo Sam & Dave). Overall, Only the Strong Survive radiates a sincere and infectious joy. This feeling dominates throughout, underpinned by a gang of powerful backing singers (Soozie Tyrell, Lisa Lowell, Michelle Moore, Curtis King Jr., Dennis Collins and Fonzi Thornton). It's definitely a celebration. Whenever the Boss does add a personal touch—putting the spotlight on his own voice, for example—he never tries to transform these gems of the past into Born to Run-style stadium anthems. His approach is perhaps even a little educational, given that many of his younger fans will be discovering some of these songs for the first time. After all, he was a young fan himself once upon a time: a teenager glued to his AM radio, sputtering out wondrous "made in Motown"singles all night long. © Marc Zisman/Qobuz

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Turnpike Troubadours is one of those IYKYK acts, able to headline Red Rocks but rarely played on mainstream country radio. Often called one of the best groups in contemporary country music (though that's discounting their Red Dirt roots, incorporating folk, rock, bluegrass, Western swing and more), they are also a musicians' band able to attract a catholic list of openers including Dawes, Old 97's, the Avett Brothers, Steve Earle and Ray Wylie Hubbard. But four years ago, there was fear that the magic had disappeared after a high-profile demolition derby—including singer/guitaristEvan Felker temporarily leaving his wife for Miranda Lambert, plus show cancellations and a viral video of Felker seemingly so drunk he couldn't perform—that led to the band taking an open-ended hiatus. The break only reenergized them. Now sober, Felker sounds great, the band is tight, and the songwriting is sure and purposeful. Produced by Shooter Jennings, the Troubadours' sixth album is one of the most exciting of the year. It's also full of regrets and humility and a determination to make it right. Felker, an Americana poet, gets straight to the heart of the messy matter with "Chipping Mill," an apology to his wife, with whom he reunited and started a family. "Ran my heart through a chipping mill/ Sold my soul for rock 'n' roll … Drank my way through a hurricane/ Thinking about your wedding ring/ I done a lot of real dumb things/ But I always kept the best for you." "Mean Old Sun" is killer, all driving guitars and sorrowful fiddle from Kyle Nix, and Felker counting the "Empty promises I've given." Hank Early's steel guitar is like an empathetic echo on the easy-paced and declarative "The Rut," as Felker proclaims, "I don't miss the taste of liquor/ Or really anything about it/ But the temporary shelter." Felker adopts a sort of Billy Bragg delivery for "Brought Me," an excellent bit of winsome folk and Appalachian tent gospel. "Lucille" is stark and moody with a gorgeous chorus, and the title track—keening with eye-watering steel—has an Uncle Tupelo feel. "Three More Days" is lovely neotrad country. "East Side Love Song (Bottoms Up)" strides like a honky-tonk shuffle, while Cajun-swampy "Black Sky" features howling harmonica and fiddle plus creek-baptism chorus harmony. There's joy and redemption to be found in closer "Won't You GIve Me One More Chance," with its high-lonesome harmonica and The Last Waltz vibe. Fans can look forward to a moving singalong in concert: "Won't you give me one more chance/ To make it with you/ Forget about the bad/ I don't believe we're through." © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz

Perhaps a bit more conscious of contemporary soul trends than her previous Philips albums, this is still very characteristic of her mid-'60s work in its eclectic mix of jazz, pop, soul, and some blues and gospel. Hal Mooney directs some large band arrangements for the material on this LP without submerging Simone's essential strengths. The more serious and introspective material is more memorable than the good-natured pop selections here. The highlights are her energetic vocal rendition of the Oscar Brown/Nat Adderley composition "Work Song" and her spiritual composition "Come Ye," on which Simone's inspirational vocals are backed by nothing other than minimal percussion.© Richie Unterberger /TiVo