2012 Reviews

The Velvet Underground & Nico

1967 Albums, 2012 Reviews, Album Reviews by Ric Albano, American Artists, John Cale, Lou Reed, New York Artists, The Velvet Underground

The Stranger by Billy Joel

1977 Albums, 2012 Reviews, Album Reviews by Ric Albano, American Artists, Billy Joel, Classic Rock Review Album of the Year, New York Artists

Buy The Stranger There is a bit of irony in The Stranger being our selection as Album of the Year for 1977. Don’t get me wrong, this is a great album by Billy Joel. […]

The Southern Harmony & Musical Companion
by The Black Crowes

1992 Albums, 2012 Reviews, Album Reviews by Ric Albano, American Artists, Southern Artists, The Black Crowes

Buy The Southern Harmony & Musical Companion With the follow-up to their blockbuster 1990 debut, The Black Crowes took a more rootsy and soulful approach with The Southern Harmony & Musical Companion. That […]

The Piper At the Gates of Dawn
by Pink Floyd

1967 Albums, 2012 Reviews, Album Reviews by Ric Albano, British Artists, Pink Floyd, Roger Waters, Syd Barrett

Buy The Piper At the Gates of Dawn The Piper At the Gates of Dawn is the legendary debut album by Pink Floyd and the only album during their Syd Barrett-led era. This […]

The Number Of the Beast
by Iron Maiden

1982 Albums, 2012 Reviews, Album Reviews by Ric Albano, British Artists, Iron Maiden

Buy The Number Of the Beast As we’ve mentioned before on this site, Classic Rock Review does not like to stray too far from mainstream rock and pop when selecting which albums we […]

The Lonesome Jubilee
by John Mellencamp

1987 Albums, 2012 Reviews, Album Reviews by Ric Albano, American Artists, John Mellencamp, Midwest Artists

The Lonesome Jubilee is the ninth album by singer-songwriter John Mellencamp, who released many genres of music dating back to his days as “Johnny Cougar” in the mid 1970s. On this album, Mellencamp […]

The Joshua Tree by U2

1987 Albums, 2012 Reviews, Album Reviews by Ric Albano, Bono, Brian Eno, Classic Rock Review Album of the Year, Irish Artists, U2

Buy The Joshua Tree The Joshua Tree was the long-awaited fifth studio album by U2, released in the spring of 1987. Although not a true “concept” album, it was uniformly inspired by the […]

The House of Blue Light by Deep Purple

1987 Albums, 2012 Reviews, Album Reviews by Ric Albano, British Artists, Deep Purple, Ian Gillan, Jon Lord, Ritchie Blackmore

Buy The House of Blue Light Through the years, Deep Purple went though a bunch of lineup changes with only drummer Ian Paice remaining with the band throughout all phases. In fact, there […]

The Grand Illusion by Styx

1977 Albums, 2012 Reviews, Album Reviews by Ric Albano, American Artists, Midwest Artists, Styx, Tommy Shaw

Buy The Grand Illusion Although it was seventh overall studio album for the band, The Grand Illusion was the second album from Styx to head towards a more radio-friendly direction. The Chicago based […]

The Eagles

1972 Albums, 2012 Reviews, Album Reviews by Ric Albano, American Artists, California Artists, Don Henley, Glen Frey, Southwest Artists, The Eagles

Buy The Eagles The Eagles produced an impressive, diverse, and sonically superior debut album in 1972, launching a successful elevation throughout the rest of the decade. The album was produced in London by […]