Marsupilami-Arena (1971)

Pioneers of the sounds that bands like King Crimson and Yes would later achieve, Marsupilami were one of the seminal groups of progressive rock. They had their moment of glory when they replaced King Crimson at the opening of the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970. Formed in the late 1960s, this band released two albums between 1970 and 1971, "Marsupilami" and "Arena", showcasing great musical complexity with elements of blues, experimental jazz, and British folk influences. Their base was in the Netherlands from 1970 onward, where they recorded and released their albums. The lineup consisted of Fred Hasson on vocals and percussion, Dave Laverock on guitar, Leary Hasson on keyboards, Jessica Stanley-Clarke on flute and vocals, Richard Hicks on bass, and Mike Fouracre on drums. Their second release, "Arena", is a concept album based on ancient Roman culture, depicting the scenes that unfolded in the Roman Colosseum, life and death on the sand of this iconic venue. Produced by Pete Bardens, along with several other musicians who collaborated on the recording, the band showcased unusual melodies and harmonies, featuring numerous keyboards, dense sounds, and electric guitars that, together with flute and powerful drums, resulted in a dark and intricate progressive rock sound. The album's compositions are quite complex, with sounds influenced by jazz, Eastern music, and a certain Canterbury scene.

Gracious-This Is...Gracious (1971)

A band from the nascent British progressive rock movement, founded in 1967 in the London suburbs, they initially played pop music, which evolved into more complex and ambitious territory after discovering the potential of the Mellotron sound. After several lineup changes, their first stable formation consisted of Alan Cowderoy (guitar), Paul Davis (vocals and 12-string guitar), Martin Kitcat (keyboards), Robert Lipson (drums), and Tim Wheatley (bass). From their debut album, "Gracious" (1970), the band displayed an interest in imbuing their style with risky and complex compositions, though with little musical coherence. In 1971 came "This Is...Gracious", featuring a more polished production and a more cohesive and committed band. Here Gracious shows impressive progress compared to his debut album, with the Mellotron taking center stage in the music, complemented by guitar interactions as demonstrated in the suite "Super Nova" which occupies one side of the album. The rest are shorter tracks with a more eclectic style and pleasant sounds that accommodate pop alongside influences of blues, rock, and symphonic textures.

Chicago Transit Authority - Chicago Transit Authority (1968)

Few debut albums can boast as consistently solid an effort as the self-titledChicago Transit Authority (1969). Even fewer can claim to have enough material to fill out a double-disc affair. Although this long- player was ultimately the septet's first national exposure, the group was far from the proverbial "overnight sensation." Under the guise of the Big thing, the group soon to be known as CTA had been honing its eclectic blend of jazz, classical, and straight-ahead rock & roll in and around the Windy City for several years. Their initial non-musical meeting occurred during a mid-February 1967 confab between the original combo at Walter Parazaider´s apartment on the north side of Chi Town. Over a year later, Columbia Records staff producer James Guercio became a key supporter of the group, which he rechristened Chicago Transit Authority. In fairly short order the band relocated to the West Coast and began woodshedding the material that would comprise this title. In April of 1969, the dozen sides of Chicago Transit Authority unleashed a formidable and ultimately American musical experience. This included an unheralded synthesis of electric guitar wailin' rock & roll to more deeply rooted jazz influences and arrangements. This approach economized the finest of what the band had to offer — actually two highly stylized units that coexisted with remarkable singularity. On the one hand, listeners were presented with an incendiary rock & roll quartet of Terry Kath (lead guitar/vocals), Robert Lamm (keyboards/vocals), Peter Cetera (bass/vocals), and Danny Seraphine (drums). They were augmented by the equally aggressive power brass trio that included Lee Loughnane (trumpet/vocals), James Pankow (trombone), and the aforementioned Parazaider (woodwind/vocals). This fusion of rock with jazz would also yield some memorable pop sides and enthusiasts' favorites as well. Most notably, a quarter of the material on the double album — "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?," "Beginnings," "Questions 67 and 68," and the only cover on the project, Steve Winwood´s "I'm a Man" — also scored as respective entries on the singles chart. The tight, infectious, and decidedly pop arrangements contrast with the piledriving blues-based rock of "Introduction" and "South California Purples" as well as the 15-plus minute extemporaneous free for all "Liberation." Even farther left of center are the experimental avant-garde "Free Form Guitar" and the politically intoned and emotive "Prologue, August 29, 1968" and "Someday (August 29, 1968)." The 2003 remastered edition ofChicago Transit Authority offers a marked sonic improvement over all previous pressings — including the pricey gold disc incarnation