The Traveling Wilburys’ debut, released in October 1988, featured a should’ve-been-hit that summed up this all-star amalgam’s enduring charm.

‘Chrome Dreams II,’ released Oct. 23, 2007, showcased all of Neil Young’s many sides. A blockbuster 18-minute track brought everything into focus.

When Bruce Springsteen issued ‘The River’ in October of 1980, I didn’t like it very much. Time has changed that – and here’s why.

‘Mystery to Me,’ released this week in 1973, included a standout moment that pointed the way to Fleetwood Mac’s charttopping promised land.

‘Tug of War,’ an album that chronicled Paul McCartney’s journey from fond reminiscing to grief to artistic rebirth, has aged well.

When ‘All’s Well That Ends Well’ arrived on Oct. 11, 2010, it looked as if Toto was over. Steve Lukather stepped forward to accept the mantle.

Turns out, John Lennon – who would have celebrated a birthday today – was just as mercurially intriguing to his sidemen as he was to everyone else.

‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,’ released on Oct. 5, 1973, illustrates why – and how – Elton John became Elton John.

Let’s look past the easy Fab Four comparisons with Electric Light Orchestra’s “Mr. Blue Sky,” released Oct. 3, 1977 as part of ‘Out of the Blue.’

‘Talk Is Cheap,’ released by the Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards on Oct. 3, 1988, was an island of rock and roll grit in a sea of shallow glitter.