The Decade in Music - New in 2002
George Harrison's final album. Comebacks begin for Springsteen and Rush, and continue for Santana. In many ways, 2002 was a year of rebirth of several classic rock artists.
Sometimes, getting out of one's comfort zone can help keep the fire going in a long career. In 2002, some familiar artists did some unfamiliar things.
Live performance albums were big in 2002, including:
Bruce Springsteen - 'The Rising'
It had been seven years since his last studio album (and 18 since his last with the E Street Band) when Bruce Springsteen was inspired to write and record his reflections on the events of September 11, 2001. The Rising won the Grammy for Best Rock Album, and was one of the few to receive a five-star rating from Rolling Stone magazine. It was his most successful album since Tunnel Of Love in 1987.MP3 DownloadMore »
George Harrison - 'Brainwashed'
George Harrison's last studio album was unfinished at the time of his death in 2001. Harrison's son Dhani and ELO's Jeff Lynne, who had been collaborating on the album's production, finished work on it over the next several months. Released a year after the artist's death, the album was eventually certified gold, peaking at #18 on the U.S. album chart. Harrison had been recording material for the album off and on since 1988.MP3 DownloadMore »
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - 'The Last DJ'
In 2002, Tom Petty was mad -- mad about what he saw as the collective corporate greed of the music and radio industries. The concept album was inspired by a real life Los Angeles DJ named Jim Ladd, who was a pioneer of progressive (sometimes called underground) FM radio in the '70s. Ironically, the single, "The Last DJ," which railed against the handful of large corporations that bought up most of the country's radio stations in the '90s, was banned by many of those stations. In spite of that, the song peaked just outside the Top 20 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.MP3 DownloadMore »
Santana - 'Shaman'
Santana had pulled off a huge comeback in 1999 with the release of Supernatural, which sold more than 25-million copies worldwide, spent 12 weeks at #1 and won nine Grammys, including Album of the Year. Nobody figured that 2002's Shaman would top that, but it wasn't a surprise when it debuted at #1 and racked up sales of more than 5-million worldwide. A common element of both albums was a large contingent of guest artists from a broad range of genres including rock, pop, rap and hip hop.More »
Boston - 'Corporate America'
Although they had been recording since 1976, Corporate America was only the fifth album released by Boston. Lead singer Brad Delp, who was missing from the band's previous release in 1994, returned for the 2002 release. The album featured two new additions to the lineup, vocalist/songwriter Kimberley Dahme and vocalist/songwriter Anthony Cosmo. Although highly anticipated, the album was the least successful the band's releases, charting only in the U.S., where it peaked at #42.Buy from Amazon »
Robert Plant - 'Dreamland'
Dreamland was Robert Plant's seventh solo album, and the first employing Strange Sensation as his backing band. Made up primarily of blues and rock covers, the album received two Grammy nominations. Although it made the Top 20 -- peaking at #20 -- it was the least successful of Plant's solo albums.MP3 DownloadMore »
Def Leppard - 'X'
This album's distinguishing feature was that it was considerably more pop-oriented than one would expect from a band deeply rooted in hard rock and heavy metal. This was not a bad business decision as it turned out. Def Leppard's X just missed being in the Top 10 (peaking at #11) and produced two relatively successful singles, "Now" and "Four Letter Word."Buy from Amazon »
David Bowie - 'Heathen'
By June 2002, when David Bowie's Heathen was released, it had been close to 20 years since he had been able to generate much interest among U.S. album buyers. After 1984's Tonight was certified gold after peaking at #11, his next seven albums, none of which went gold, struggled to peak in the Top 50 on American charts. Heathen ended the drought, going gold and reaching #14. It was Bowie's 24th studio album release.MP3 DownloadMore »
Rush - 'Vapor Trails'
It had been six years since Rush had recorded an album -- six years which drummer Neil Peart spent recovering from losing his only child in a traffic accident, and his wife to cancer, within 10 months of each other. He told band mates Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson to consider him retired. Peart's therapy: a 50,000+ mile solo motorcycle trek through North America, a book about his experience, and a new wife. Vapor Trails signaled the band's rebirth. Although it was criticized technically (for being overly loud and sometimes distorted) it was well received musically, peaking at #6.MP3 DownloadMore »
Playing Against Type
Sometimes, getting out of one's comfort zone can help keep the fire going in a long career. In 2002, some familiar artists did some unfamiliar things.
• Neil Young and Crazy Horse partnered with Booker T & the MGs to record an album of soul music
• Rod Stewart released the first of his Great American Songbook series of covers of pop standards of the 20th century
• Donovan released Pied Piper, an album of children's music featuring songs like "I Love My Shirt" and "Little Boy In Corduroy."
• Peter Gabriel recorded a movie soundtrack, Long Walk Home: Music from the Rabbit-Proof Fence, an obscure (outside Australia) film about mixed-race Aboriginal children in the 1930s.
Let's Go Live
Live performance albums were big in 2002, including:
• Eric Clapton - One More Car, One More Rider
• Bob Dylan - The Bootleg Series Vol. 5: Bob Dylan Live 1975, The Rolling Thunder Revue
• Kansas - Device, Voice, Drum
• Jethro Tull - Living With The Past
• Ringo Starr - King Biscuit Flour Hour Presents Ringo and his All Starr Band
• Ozzie Osbourne - Live At Budokan
• Styx - At The River's Edge: Live In St. Louis
• Bad Company - Merchants of Cool
• Simon & Garfukel - Live From New York City, 1967
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