Steve Lukather steps away from tours alongside Toto, Ringo Starr and Steve Vai to issue one of his most bitingly confessional solo recordings yet, while Aaron Neville goes way back for doo wop.

Yo La Tengo returns with an album that brings into high relief the best of their past successes, and we get some intriguing new jazz from Dylan Ryan’s Sand.

We called “All You Need Is Love” a pasted-together goof, “The Long and Winding Road” a devastatingly maudlin bore. And you ripped us to shreds. Now, we’re back for more.

In 2012, readers flocked to a boisterous discussion on those times when the Beatles didn’t exactly impress.

We’ve each already had our say, individually. Said our piece. Then came time to meet over the remnants of the egg nog and hammer out a consensus — before we go over the disc-al cliff into 2013.

There are as many Christmas music traditions as there are stockings hung with with care. For some, the process of awaiting ole St. Nick requires a classic soundtrack, filled with old favorites. For others, something newer makes sense.

A pair of lavish reissues arrive just in time for the Christmas buying season, one a classic Eric Clapton release — maybe his very best — and the other a signature effort from Rush, only days after their induction into a certain hall of fame.

Sticky Fingers-era guitarist Mick Taylor’s celebrated guest spots during the Rolling Stones’ “50 and Counting” concerts, continuing tonight in New Jersey, had us going back to this sometimes overlooked 1971 gem.

Worried about being running aground in some tropic locale this Christmas season? Something Else! has you covered, with a new list of Yuletide favorites criss-crossing the usual stylistic landscape.

If you’re missing Levon Helm (who hand-picked the selections for a new live set before passing), or just a few of your old Kiss singles (a box from their classic era on Casablanca is pending), New Music Monday is here for you.