For Cardiff Rose (1976), the former leader and 12-string jangle-meister of the Byrds collaborated with Mick Ronson, guitarist for David Bowie's Spiders From Mars. The two toured as part of Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue, after which Ronson went into the studio with McGuinn to produce his next solo album.

This is easily one of McGuinn's finest solo efforts; recorded with fellow Rolling Thunder veterans Rob Stoner, Howie Wyeth and David Mansfield, the band sounds tight and enthusiastic from front to back. McGuinn wrote a handful of strong originals, including "Partners in Crime", the charging rockers "Rock and Roll Time" and "Take Me Away," and the beautifully atmospheric "Jolly Roger," while he was also lucky enough to receive fine contributions from Bob Dylan ("Up to Me") and Joni Mitchell ("Dreamland").

• 180 gram audiophile vinyl
• Insert