T2-It´ll All Work Out In Boomland (1970)

Another short-lived band was T2, who disappeared without a trace after only two years, having released a single album, "It'll All Work Out In Boomland". Twelve years later, the band reunited to record a series of songs that had been forgotten, intended for a second release, but which were never officially released. Formed in London in 1970, this band consisted of drummer Peter Dunton, bassist Bernard Jinks, and guitarist Keith Cross, the latter a six-string prodigy at just 17 years old. Despite his young age, Cross already had considerable experience, having played in several psychedelic rock bands such as Please, Gun, and Bulldog Breed. T2's only album was recorded by Decca Records, who advanced them ten thousand pounds in royalties, anticipating a successful career for the group. However, poor planning and inadequate promotion resulted in the album going largely unnoticed by the general public. “It’ll All Work Out In Boomland” is a work based on a hard rock sound influenced by blues and jazz, with improvisations contrasting with Dunton’s melodious vocals. Tracks like the heavy blues of “No More White Horses”, the psychedelic haze of “In Circles”, and the progressive and expansive “Morning” make up an album that is a kind of puzzle, reflecting the diverse musical ideas that prevailed in England during those years. From this point on, T2 earned a great reputation as a live band, even playing at the Isle of Wight Festival alongside Jimi Hendrix. But internal tensions led to Keith Cross’s departure, leaving behind a considerable amount of material composed and recorded but unfinished. The band continued for a while with new guitarist Mike Foster, finally disbanding in 1972. It was in the late 80s and early 90s that the resurgence of progressive rock led many forgotten bands from the 60s and 70s to release "lost" and "forgotten" albums for new generations eager to discover material from those years. Thus, the band recorded "Second Blue" (1992), "Waiting For The Band" (1993), and "On The Front Line" (1994), composed mostly of material discarded from their first album and demos intended for their second well-crafted compositions, but nonetheless not reaching the heights of their fantastic debut.

Ash Ra Tempel-Join Inn (1973)

Ash Ra Tempel are the quintessential krautrock. Their musical style wasn't based on structured or pre-planned compositions; this band was the complete opposite: pure improvisation. What might sound like a chaotic mess of each instrument playing on its own, in Ash Ra Tempel functioned like a perfectly oiled machine. Formed in Berlin in 1970, Ash Ra Tempel are one of the most formidable groups to have ever existed, a colossal and powerful force, almost superhuman in some ways, with three virtuoso musicians led by guitarist Manuel Gottsching. The lineup also included former Tangerine Dream drummer and synthesizer player Klaus Schulze and bassist Harmut Enke. All their albums are considered classics of krautrock and progressive rock. But "Ash Ra Tempel" and "Join Inn" are their best works. The term "jam band" is generally synonymous with spontaneous stoner jams like the Grateful Dead, but Ash Ra Tempel is undoubtedly the band that has best navigated this field; they never worried too much about rehearsals, so by nature their compositions were not premeditated. Their first album, “Ash Ra Tempel” (1971), contains two extensive tracks where the cosmic and atmospheric soundscape has a distinctly psychedelic feel. Side A features the energetic and dramatic “Amboss”, while side B is much more atmospheric, with “Traummaschine”. “Join Inn” (1973) has an identical structure but is definitely much more accessible. The sound is also more readily digestible, and unlike the first album, Schulze takes center stage, imbuing the pieces with a more ambient style. “Join Inn” is somewhat similar to the debut album, with one side featuring a powerful power trio jam, “Freak’n’Roll”. This long suite unfolds with gentle interludes, building to a climax with blistering guitars and a powerful rhythm section featuring incredibly precise and powerful drumming and a dominant, energetic bass. The second side... The 25-minute ambient experiment “Jenseits” features spacious sounds and grand tones beautifully achieved by Schulze's synthesizers and Rosi Muller's haunting yet exquisitely beautiful vocals. “Ash Ra Tempel” and “Join Inn” are undoubtedly two of the most devastating recordings of all time.

Nucleus-We´ll Talk About It Later (1971)

“We’ll Talk About It Later” is considered one of the best jazz fusion albums, on par with any by Miles Davis, Mahavishnu, or Return to Forever, and is also Nucleus’s best album, though not far behind their debut. This British band, founded in the late 1960s by trumpeter Ian Carr, along with Brian Smith on winds, Karl Jenkins on keyboards, Chris Spedding on guitar, Jeff Clyne on bass, and John Marshall on drums, remained largely unchanged for a considerable time. This helped them develop the necessary confidence and a fluidity of interaction among its members that dwarfed their contemporaries. From their inception, the band gained considerable notoriety, winning first prize at the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival in 1970, and becoming a sensation at the Newport Jazz Festival and the renowned Village Gate Jazz Club. In 1970, Nucleus released their debut album, "Elastic Rock", and that same year came "We'll Talk About It Later" (both with covers by Roger Dean), which received high praise from the specialized press, hailed as one of the pinnacles of jazz-rock. After their impressive first album, they created this incredible work, an amalgamation of great tracks featuring dark sounds of oboe, trumpet, and guitars with hypnotic passages performed by these virtuoso musicians. In fact, most of the members later became renowned musicians in other top-tier bands. The quality of the compositions is very high, with a superb musicianship that is not only about flashy virtuosity but also about restraint, fluidity, space, breath, feeling, and interplay. This allows the band to open their melodious compositions with intricate improvised sections, resulting in a brilliant album of engaging jazz music that seamlessly blends the energy of rock with the powerful melodies and captivating musicianship of jazz. An album that is essential for any serious music collection.