Classic Albums. Hosted by Stevie Nix

Send us a textThe album's power lies in its refusal to play by the rules of either folk purity or contemporary indie rock. These weren't musicians interested in archaeological authenticity or preserving some imagined folk tradition in amber. Instead, they took the instrumentation and structural vocabulary of folk, bluegrass, and country music and weaponised it with the dynamics and emotional intensity of arena rock. The result was something genuinely new: songs that could pack the intimate storytelling of traditional folk into explosive, cathartic builds that hit with the force of a stadium anthem.Featured songs:Sigh No MoreThe CaveWhite Blank PageI Gave You AllTimshelLittle Lion Man 

Send us a textWhen Phil Collins released Face Value in February 1981, few could have predicted that this deeply personal debut would launch one of the most successful solo careers in pop music history. The album emerged from one of the darkest periods of Collins' life — a crumbling marriage that left him alone with his pain and a drum machine — and transformed that raw emotional devastation into something far greater than a simple breakup album. It became a watershed moment that proved Collins was an artist with a singular vision willing to take risks.Featured songs:In The Air TonightThis Must Be LoveThe Roof Is Leaking I Missed AgainYou Know What I MeanTomorrow Never Knows

Send us a textThe Stranger permanently altered the trajectory of Joel's career, transforming him from a struggling piano man to a stadium-filling superstar. More importantly, it established him as a serious artist whose work could connect with both critics and mainstream audiences. The album balances nostalgia with clear-eyed recognition of limitation and compromise. Its complex relationship with time and memory feels quintessentially American in its tension between idealism and pragmatism.Featured songs: Movin’ Out [Antony’s Song]The StrangerJust The Way You AreViennaOnly The Good Die YoungShe's Always A Woman

Send us a textUs is particularly notable for its deeply personal lyrical content. While Gabriel's previous work often dealt with political themes or character-based narratives, this album turned inward to explore relationships, personal psychology and emotional vulnerability. Written during a period of intensive psychotherapy, the album is deeply personal — exploring his divorce, his subsequent relationship with actress Rosanna Arquette and the growing distance between him and his first daughter.Featured songs:Love To Be LovedBlood Of EdenKiss That FrogWashing Of The WaterDigging In The DirtSteam

Send us a textNight And Day stood out by offering something sophisticated — a hybrid of styles that acknowledged contemporary trends and also classic songwriting traditions. Jackson's classical piano training is evident in the complexity of his arrangements, but he never lets technique overshadow musicality. And the integration of Brazilian and Latin American rhythms was ahead of its time, predating the World Music boom of the late 1980s.Featured songs:Another WorldSteppin' OutBreaking Us In TwoCancerA Slow SongReal Men