Memory Lane Music

Photo: foldscheap. CC0 1.0 Some records arrive quietly and then refuse to leave. Highway 61 Revisited by Bob Dylan is one of those records, and it rewards a slower, closer listen than a greatest-hits skim usually allows. This album pairs electric blues with surreal lyrics, from its opening snare crack to its closing epic. Heard … Read more

Photo: Tim Napier. CC0 1.0 Some records arrive quietly and then refuse to leave. “Mr. Tambourine Man” by Bob Dylan is one of those records, and it rewards a slower, closer listen than a greatest-hits skim usually allows. Its surreal imagery and its melody made it a folk-rock standard, covered by the Byrds and many … Read more

Photo: foldscheap. CC0 1.0 Some records arrive quietly and then refuse to leave. “The Times They Are a-Changin’” by Bob Dylan is one of those records, and it rewards a slower, closer listen than a greatest-hits skim usually allows. Its warning to parents, politicians, and writers captured a moment of social change. Heard on its … Read more

Photo: Jaclyn Clark. CC0 1.0 Some records arrive quietly and then refuse to leave. “Blowin’ in the Wind” by Bob Dylan is one of those records, and it rewards a slower, closer listen than a greatest-hits skim usually allows. Its questions about peace, war, and freedom made it an anthem of the civil-rights era. Heard … Read more

Photo: foldscheap. CC0 1.0 Some records arrive quietly and then refuse to leave. Quadrophenia by The Who is one of those records, and it rewards a slower, closer listen than a greatest-hits skim usually allows. Its double-album story of mod Jimmy, told through four musical themes, is Townshend’s most ambitious work. Heard on its own, … Read more

Photo: Jaclyn Clark. CC0 1.0 Some records arrive quietly and then refuse to leave. Tommy by The Who is one of those records, and it rewards a slower, closer listen than a greatest-hits skim usually allows. This rock opera about a deaf, dumb and blind boy turned the album into narrative theatre. Heard on its … Read more

Photo: Laura Wielo. CC0 1.0 Some records arrive quietly and then refuse to leave. “The Kids Are Alright” by The Who is one of those records, and it rewards a slower, closer listen than a greatest-hits skim usually allows. Its jangling guitars and its bittersweet lyric capture youth with more tenderness than its title suggests. … Read more

Photo: Jaclyn Clark. CC0 1.0 Some records arrive quietly and then refuse to leave. Low by David Bowie is one of those records, and it rewards a slower, closer listen than a greatest-hits skim usually allows. Its split between short songs and ambient instrumentals marked Bowie’s boldest break with pop convention. Heard on its own, … Read more

Photo: Celsoazevedo. CC0 1.0 Some records arrive quietly and then refuse to leave. “Rebel Rebel” by David Bowie is one of those records, and it rewards a slower, closer listen than a greatest-hits skim usually allows. Its riff and its celebration of a gender-bending rebel captured glam’s spirit in a single chorus. Heard on its … Read more

Photo: Jaclyn Clark. CC0 1.0 Some records arrive quietly and then refuse to leave. “Life on Mars?” by David Bowie is one of those records, and it rewards a slower, closer listen than a greatest-hits skim usually allows. Its piano-led surrealism and soaring chorus make it one of Bowie’s most beloved songs. Heard on its … Read more