Beckett-Beckett (1974)

This is one of the holy grails of progressive rock, an album as fascinating as it is monumental, from one of the most underrated and unknown bands in the rock music scene, and progressive rock in particular. We've mentioned before that almost everything has already been invented, and that somehow, at some point in history, someone conceived and created (obviously in a more rudimentary way and depending on the technological advancements of the time) something that seems novel today and is attributed to people many years later. This is precisely what happened with Beckett, a formidable band whose spectacular music a hybrid of the progressive pop of The Alan Parsons Project, with its spectacular orchestral arrangements and the dynamic heavy rock riffs that Iron Maiden would later exploit made them ahead of their time and one of the quintessential cult bands. To give a little background, this band was formed in Newcastle in the mid-70s by former Yellow guitarist Ken Mountain, guitarist Ian Murray (brother of Dave Murray of Iron Maiden), bassist Frankie Gibbon, the fantastic vocalist Terry Wilson-Slesser, and drummer Keith Fisher. However, just before recording this single album, Ian Murray left and was replaced by guitarist Arthur Ramm. The album was produced by none other than Family frontman Roger Chapman and released by Island Records, the British label specializing in avant-garde sounds. This self-titled solo album is one of the greatest and most unjustly overlooked records on any official rock music website today, yet it is highly valued by music lovers and collectors of rarities from 1970s progressive rock. This masterpiece begins with the epic intro "Once Upon A Time…The End", which leads into the following track, "Rolling Thunder", where the complex arrangements are reminiscent of what The Alan Parsons Project would later create. The beautiful "Rainclouds" is the prelude to "Life's Shadow", a superb track that Iron Maiden would later borrow musical passages from in "The Number of the Beast", something they would also do with "A Rainbow's Gold" in their song "2 Minutes to Midnight" from their 1984 album "Powerslave". The rest of the album maintains an irresistible blend of complex and sophisticated rock, captivating melodies with rich guitar and mellotron instrumentation, and Wilson-Slesser's immeasurable vocals. Despite its enormous quality, the album went unnoticed, selling little more than a hundred copies. Given the commercial failure, the band dissolved shortly afterwards, with different professional paths for its members. Terry Wilson-Slesser had a more fruitful career, playing alongside Paul Kossoff in the band Back Street Crawler, as an occasional singer in the Michael Schenker Group, and was even a candidate to replace the deceased Bon Scott in AC/DC in the late seventies.

Pat Metheny Group-Travels (1983)

In 1982, the contract between the Pat Metheny Group and the German record label ECM was about to expire; in fact, it would end two years later. However, the contract stipulated that the American musician still had three more works to deliver to his label. A year later, Metheny wanted to capture his live shows on an official recording, so it was decided to release the double live album "Travels" in 1983. This double album was recorded during the second half of 1982 on the North American tour following the album "Offramp", in the cities of Philadelphia, Sacramento, and Dallas. With this release, Pat Metheny fulfilled one of the recordings he owed to ECM, and at the same time, ensured a brilliant epilogue to his time with the German label. For this tour, Pat Metheny had expanded his band with Brazilian percussionist and singer Naná Vasconcelos, whose presence lent the songs a greater atmospheric dimension, thanks to his captivating backing vocals and subtle Latin touch in the percussion. The rest of the band consisted of his regular members, including keyboardist and Pat Metheny's right-hand man, Lyle Mays, drummer Danny Gottlieb, and bassist Steve Rodby, while Pat himself handled acoustic and electric guitars and guitar synthesizer. At that time, Pat Metheny had not yet steered his music towards rock influences, although some of his earlier work contained progressive compositions, always within a jazz framework. Tracks like “Phase Dance” and “San Lorenzo”, however, are imbued with a truly symphonic and progressive grandeur, where, as usual, Pat Metheny pours all his feeling into his memorable solos, all accompanied by passionate piano and synthesizer melodies, brilliantly executed by Mays. “Travels” is full of enchanting moments, as demonstrated by the dramatic and epic “As Falls Wichita Falls, So Falls Wichita Falls”. As a counterpoint to all of this, the closest to rock music is found in the opening track, “Are You Going With Me?”, one of Pat Metheny’s most charismatic songs, with its famous guitar synthesizer solo. With “Travels”, Pat Metheny would not achieve the number one ranking of his previous “Offramp” on the Billboard Jazz charts, achieving “only” a commendable eighth place, however he would repeat the top award for the best Jazz Fusion performance of the year in 1984 at the Grammy Awards.

Dr.John-In The Right Place (1973)

Malcolm John Rebennack, better known as Dr. John, was one of the great pioneers of the New Orleans sound, steeped in jazz, blues, and the ancestral music of Mardi Gras, the city's famous Carnival. From a young age, his passion for these genres led him to join local bands and work as part of the backing group for such prestigious musicians as Lloyd Price. For a few years, the guitar was his primary instrument, but due to an accident during a fight, he lost part of one of his fingers. From then on, he dedicated himself to playing the piano, thus beginning an extensive and fruitful career as a session musician. He also launched his solo career in the mid-1960s, right in the midst of the burgeoning psychedelic genre. It wasn't until the end of that decade that his first album, "Gris-Gris", arrived, followed by other interesting records such as "Babylon" and "The Sun", among other works brimming with Creole, R&B, and jazz sounds, all infused with rock and roll. In 1973 came one of his best works, "In The Right Place", his sixth album, which brought him his greatest commercial success, remaining on the Billboard charts for almost eight consecutive months. Recorded in Florida and produced by another giant of the New Orleans scene, Allen Toussaint, it featured collaborations with some of the most respected musicians in the American music scene, including Art Neville, Joseph Modeliste, David Spinozza, Leo Nocentelli, Ralph McDonald, and George Porter. Based on his unmistakable sound, “In The Right Place” is a journey into the realms of R&B, world music, and jazz, featuring irresistible tracks like the carnival-like “Same Old Same Old”, the driving rhythm of “Right Place, Wrong Time”, the laid-back “Just The Same”, the swampy “Traveling Mood”, the funky “Peace Brother Peace”, and the jazzy “Such A Night”. However, John also incorporates elements of other recognizable sounds within traditional American music, such as soul in “Shoo Fly Marches On” and gospel in “I Been Hoodoo”. “In The Right Place” was one of his biggest hits, though the only one to reach the top 10. Throughout his career and countless collaborations, he won an impressive six Grammy Awards. Among many others, that list of collaborations includes The Allman Brothers Band, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, The Band, Bob Seger, and B.B. King.