Heart-Greatest Hits/Live (1980)

Heart are one of the greatest American hard rock and melodic rock bands, having released a series of celebrated albums over the last five decades, some of them huge worldwide hits. From their first album, "Dreamboat Annie" (1976), this Seattle-based band showcased their raw and powerful rock sound, heavily influenced by Led Zeppelin. However, the fact that they were fronted by two women (sisters Nancy and Ann Wilson) made them different and unique at the time. The rest of the band was marked by a constant influx and departure of musicians, including guitarists Howard Leese, Roger Fisher, and Gilby Clarke, among many others. After “Dreamboat Annie”, came the more folk-rock-oriented “Little Queen” (1977), the intense “Dog & Butterfly” (1978), where they combined the raw energy of their powerful rock with acoustic sensitivity, and the experimental “Bebe Le Strange” (1980), where they attempted to blend the sounds of the new musical trends of the 1980s, but with a mediocre and rather predictable result. Towards the end of 1980, the group released “Greatest Hits/Live”, a double album composed of a combination of the greatest hits from their first five albums, with live tracks and new compositions. Comprised of energetic rock tracks like “Bebe Le Strange”, “Barracuda”, and “Mistral Wind”, along with a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll”, the album is interspersed with more melodic songs such as “Straight On”, “Even It Up”, “Crazy On You”, and “Magic Man”, as well as ballads and acoustic pieces like “Sweet Darlin’ ”, “Dreamboat Annie”, and “Dog and Butterfly”. It even includes more avant-garde and experimental tracks like “Hit Single” and “Strange Euphoria”. The band that recorded this album consisted of Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson on vocals, drummer Michael DeRosier, guitarists Howard Leese and Roger Fisher, and bassist Steve Fossen. This double album was Heart’s third biggest hit to date in the North American market, reaching number thirteen on the Billboard charts and achieving multiple platinum records for its enormous sales.

Spirogyra-Bells, Boots And Shambles (1973)

Another of the great prog-folk bands is Spirogyra (not to be confused with the American jazz fusion band Spyro Gyra). Although many categorized them as part of the Canterbury sound, they were never officially classified within that genre. Formed in 1967 in Bolton, in northwest England, their original lineup consisted of guitarist, composer, and singer Martin Cockerham, singer Barbara Gaskin, bassist Steve Borill, and violinist Julian Cusak, in addition to drummer Dave Mattacks, who would appear on all their albums as a guest musician. Their debut album, "St. Radiguns". was released in 1971 and achieved considerable success in the British folk scene. It featured a repertoire of politically conscious and spirited songs, along with a great deal of instrumental interplay and captivating vocals. A year later, "Old Bott Wine" was a continuation of their previous work and quite predictable. Despite its great folk harmonies, complex arrangements, and good balance between folk and rock elements, it was a slight step backward due to its predictable sound, offering nothing new compared to its predecessor. After this album, the band was reduced to just two permanent members, Cockerham and Gaskin, while collaborators and guest musicians included flautist Stan Sulzman, bassist Steve Borrill, drummer Dave Mattacks, and other musicians such as Steve Ashley, Henry Lowther, Julian Cusack, and Dolly Collins. With this lineup, Spirogyra recorded their third and final album, "Bells, Boots and Shambles", released in 1973. On this album, Spirogyra perfectly blended traditional folk elements with rock and progressive sounds, featuring tracks like the solemn and atmospheric "The Furthest Point", the acid rock anthem "The Sergeant Says", the atmospheric suite "Western World" with its grand, melancholic soundscapes, the bucolic "Old Boot Wine", and the melodic "Parallel Lines Never Separate" and "Everyday Consumption".

Heavy Jelly-Heavy Jelly (1970)

Jackie Lomax was a British singer, songwriter, and guitarist who rose to fame in the late 1960s as one of the first artists to sign with The Beatles' label, Apple Corps Ltd., which had been founded in 1968 as a parallel record label to EMI Records. However, Lomax's career had begun much earlier with various projects as a member of some of the leading bands on the British pop-rock scene of the 1960s, such as Dee and The Dynamites. He later moved to the United States and joined The Undertakers, but without achieving the desired fame or fortune. Once back in the UK, thanks to The Beatles' manager, Brian Epstein, he signed with CBS, with whom he recorded several singles and an album that had little impact. His friendship with Epstein opened many doors and great opportunities for him, including collaborations with artists of the caliber of George Harrison and Eric Clapton, among many others. After leaving The Beatles' label, Lomax joined forces with former members of the band Aynsley Dunbar, John Morshead, and Alex Dmochowski, along with former Animals drummer Barry Jenkins, to form Heavy Jelly. In 1970, the band recorded their first and only album, which also featured Tom Evans and Pete Ham, both members of Badfinger, another Apple Records band, and the Rolling Stones' horn section, Bobby Keys and Jim Price. This debut album is essentially composed of an interesting repertoire of powerful rock tracks with psychedelic sounds, as demonstrated in "Take Me Down to the Water," while the group's melodic side is showcased in "You Better Let Me Know" and "Too Complicated". The Beatles-esque sound can be found in "Born For Something", along with darker hard blues-rock sounds in "Just Don't Feel So Good" and "F-F-F-Females", classic blues-rock tracks like "Bio-Blues", and another song with a Beatlesque flavor, "If You'd Like To". However, because the album featured artists signed to Apple Records, the label boycotted its release, preventing its official publication beyond a few promotional copies. Some of these copies served as master tapes for bootleg releases, which became highly sought after by collectors for decades. More than forty years later, after Jackie Lomax's death, his family was able to resolve the contractual issues with Apple, and the album was officially released in 2013, thus recovering one of the most famous lost albums in rock music history.