Black Sheep-Black Sheep (1975)

Black Sheep was a short-lived American hard rock and blues rock band from the mid-1970s, based in Rochester, near New York City. They are known for being one of the first bands to feature vocalist Lou Gramm, who would later front one of the greatest melodic rock bands, Foreigner, for the next two decades. But before that, Black Sheep had already released the hit single "Stick Around" in 1974, and a year later their self-titled album, "Black Sheep". They then released the band's epilogue, "Encouraging Words", in late 1975. Lou Gramm did not appear on this last album, having left after being recruited by guitarist Mick Jones to join Foreigner in mid-1976. At that time, Black Sheep consisted of Donald Mancuso (guitar), Larry Crozie (keyboards), Ron Rocco (drums), and Bruce Turgon (bass), in addition to Lou Gramm on vocals. It was in this band that Lou Gramm honed the impressive vocal skills that would later make him one of the greatest vocalists in AOR, as demonstrated on Foreigner's first two multi-platinum albums. In this debut with Black Sheep, Gramm displays evident and impeccable vocal mastery on tracks like "Piano Interlude / Let Me Stay", which helped Black Sheep begin to gain some notoriety in the clubs of Rochester and New York. But in addition to this magnificent piece, the band showcases its talent with high-caliber tracks such as the blues-rock anthems "Payin' Yer Dues", "A Little or a Lot", and "Freight Train", or the melodic "Broken Promises" and "Far Side of the Sun", while the sublime "Woman" is a nod to the powerful sound of the enduring Free. After their second album, Black Sheep disbanded, with Don Mancuso and Ron Rocco joining Cheater, an obscure local hard rock band. Cheater released an album titled "Ten Cent Love Affair" in 1980, which received little media attention. Later, bassist Bruce Turgon played on Lou Gramm's solo albums, "Ready Or Not" (1987), which also featured Don Mancuso, and "Long Hard Look" (1989). In the mid-1990s, Turgon officially joined Foreigner, replacing bassist Rick Willis, and recorded the band's eighth album, "Mr. Moonlight".

The Mick Abrahams Band-A Musical Evening With Mick Abrahams (1971)

Mick Abrahams is best known as one of the founders of the British band Jethro Tull in 1967, with whom he released the album "This Was" in 1968. However, Abrahams's musical career had its roots some time before, participating in various R&B bands such as The Hustlers, The Toggerty Five, and Screaming Lord Sutch. By 1968, Jethro Tull had already earned a huge reputation based on Abrahams's distinctive blues guitar and the captivating flute and fierce stage presence of Ian Anderson. Jethro Tull's original blend of blues, jazz, and rock was reflected in the aforementioned "This Was", which achieved almost immediate success on the UK charts. However, the strong charisma of its two leaders and a different musical approach led to Abrahams' departure at the end of 1968. Some time later, Mick Abrahams founded a band of his own making called Blodwyn Pig, where he gave free rein to his passion for authentic blues, leaving behind the forays into folk and jazz sounds of his previous band. With this band, the excellent albums "Ahead Rings Out" (1969) and "Getting To This" (1970) were released. But, as fate would have it, both albums went unnoticed, despite containing an exquisite repertoire of great songs focused on blues, rock, and R&B. After this venture ended, Abrahams founded The Mick Abrahams Band, recruiting drummer Ritchie Dharma, keyboardist Bob Sargeant, and bassist Walt Monaghan. With this new band, he released two more excellent albums, "A Musical Evening With Mick Abrahams" and "At Last", which enjoyed some success on the blues-rock circuit throughout Europe. However, this time, the lack of support from his record label, Chrysalis, hampered his ability to achieve sufficient promotion to secure success in England and the United States. Disillusioned, Mick Abrahams decided to leave the music business in the mid-1970s. Focusing on his album "A Musical Evening With", Abrahams showcased his considerable skills on the guitar, along with brilliant and effective compositions such as the opening track, "Greyhound Bus". In this track, the infectious rhythm of funky sounds, accompanied by soaring guitar riffs, shines alongside Bob Sargeant's dense keyboard work. In "Awake" progressive sounds are faintly foreshadowed by its dark atmosphere, a subdued voice, and the instrumental prowess of the entire band. Meanwhile, the acoustic "Wind Of Change" approaches the folk sounds of CSN with some good vocal melodies. Blues rock peeks through in "Why Do You Do Me This Way" and in the accelerated "Big Queen", to end with the extensive "Seasons", a progressive blues rock where the keyboards, the sharp guitars, and the hypnotic sounds make it the best track on the album.

Ashbury-Endless Skies (1983)

Ashbury are another of those forgotten bands, buried in time, who released a legendary debut album in 1983, a true gem for fans of classic 70s hard rock. Related to the epic sound of Wishbone Ash, the vocal melodies of the Eagles or CSN, and the prog-folk mysticism of Jethro Tull, this band was actually a duo founded in Tucson, Arizona by brothers Randy and Rob Davies, both guitarists and singers. They founded Ashbury (not to be confused with the alternative rock band of the same name formed in 2005) after the breakup of the southern rock band Rigid Spur, in which Randy Davies played, in the late seventies. Once Rigid Spur disbanded, some of its members founded Ashbury South, where Rob Davies served as lighting technician. In the following years, the band gained a strong reputation in Arizona, performing in clubs and concert venues, and even winning a prestigious award from a Phoenix radio station for best live band in the entire state. By 1980, the Davis brothers decided to go solo and planned to record an album, using material they had been writing together over the past few years while with Ashbury South. The album that would finally be released in 1983, titled "Endless Skies", earned them another important award. This time, a famous Phoenix radio station proclaimed it the best rock album of 1983. "Endless Skies" is composed of a clever blend of southern rock, hard rock, and sounds very close to heavy metal with slight progressive touches, as demonstrated in "The Warning", where they show their inclination towards the heavier side of Jethro Tull, while in the melodic "Take Your Love Away", the epic, guitar-driven sounds of Wishbone Ash emerge. The heavy rock track "Vengeance", the country rock song "Madman", the epic and progressive "Hard Fight", and the southern-tinged "Mystery Man" make up an album as brilliant as it is classic. Special mention must be made of the title track of the album, a magnificent exercise in progressive and dynamic hard rock, where disparate influences are accommodated, with great vocal harmonies, delicate and melodic moments and the heavy heavy rock of the late 70s.