Methuselah-Matthew, Mark, Luke And John (1969)

This short-lived British band only released one album, "Matthew, Mark, Luke and John", which, despite containing some great moments, had virtually no commercial impact. Even the Elektra label only released it in the United States, refusing to do so in the band's home country. Despite the biblical title, many wondered at the time what their music had to do with Christianity, aside from the references in some of the song titles and little else. Singer John Gladwin wrote and composed most of the album's material, giving it a sound reminiscent of Fairport Convention's most primitive and raw work, blending traditional British folk with blues and West Coast psychedelic influences. The highlights of this album, which deserves to be rediscovered, are undoubtedly the vibrant and fiery "High in the Tower of Coombie", with its medieval feel, the excellent "Fireball Woman", a sad and mournful ballad, and the jazzy "Frere Jacques". Methuselah disbanded soon afterwards, and Gladwin and rhythm guitarist Terry Wincott left to form the medieval folk group Amazing Blondel, which lasted well into the 21st century.

Electric Light Orchestra-ELO 2 (1972)

After Ron Wood's departure, Jeff Lynne took over as the sole leader of Electric Light Orchestra, steering their style towards a more accessible and commercial sound. However, Roy Wood was still present on their second album, and there were glimpses of the experimental side they had showcased on their debut. The band also expanded with a new bassist, Mike de Albuquerque, and a string section composed of Mike Edwards, Wilf Gibson, and Colin Walker. The rest of the lineup remained the same: keyboardist Richard Tandy, drummer Bev Bevan, and Jeff Lynne himself, who, in addition to playing guitars and synthesizers, returned to production duties. The sounds of cellos and cels emerged as the main protagonists, as evidenced in the dark and pessimistic "In Old England Town", a starkly negative reflection on the world's problems in 1972. In contrast, we find "Mama", a prelude to ELO's future sound, a simple yet addictive rock song. This last track serves as a prelude to one of the classics of progressive rock, Chuck Berry's version of "Roll Over Beethoven", an energetic eight minutes of long instrumental sections with superb violin solos and soaring percussion. The majestic "From The Sun To The World" showcases a symphonic sound with grand and beautiful Moog synthesizer passages and dynamic, energetic instrumental interplay. The finale is reserved for the epic "Kuiama", brimming with dark emotions about the Vietnam War, which instrumentally becomes the album's high point, demonstrating Jeff Lynne's immense creativity. Thanks to the addition of two cellists and a violinist, he created a unique sound unlike anything his contemporaries had produced.

Electric Light Orchestra-No Answer (1971)

Electric Light Orchestra's debut album, "No Answer", is the most experimental album recorded by the band led by Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood. It blends conventional pop-rock with Lynne's Beatles influences, alongside Wood's avant-garde and progressive experimentation. Despite ELO's subsequent string of hits, what we have here is essentially a disjointed and pretentious album, constructed with musical structures that are not easily accessible to the general public, though quite interesting for fans of classic progressive rock. Songs like the innovative "10538 Overture", the sweeping "The Battle Of Marston Moor (July 2nd, 1644)", the magnificent acoustic recital of "First Movement (Jumpin' Biz)", the pop inclination of "Mr. Radio", the symphony of "Queen of the Hours" or the progressive "Manhattan Rumble (49th Street Massacre)", make up a brilliant collection of compositions that are among the most unique and progressive in the entire long history of the Electric Light Orchestra.

Gordon Giltrap-The Peacock Party (1979)

Gordon Giltrap is one of the most renowned acoustic guitarists with a folk-rock style, and alongside contemporaries like Bert Jansch and John Renbourn, he is a legend in British folk music. Born in 1948 in Brenchley, Kent, England, he began his musical career in 1968, and under his own name or as part of notable collaborations, he has amassed a vast catalog of recordings. In the mid-1970s, Giltrap released his most acclaimed albums, which were also among the most progressive of his career: "Visionary" (1976), "Perilous Journey" (1977), and "Fear of the Dark" (1978), considered his progressive trilogy. In 1979 came "The Peacock Party", inspired by the works of artist and designer Alan Aldridge, known for his book "The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper Feast", which Roger Glover adapted into his own rock opera, discussed on this blog some time ago. Aldridge is also famous for his album covers for pop and rock music, such as Elton John's "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" and The Who's "A Quick One", and he was also responsible for the Hard Rock Cafe logo. By the time "The Peacock Party" was released, Giltrap's main challenge after the aforementioned trilogy was to live up to its success. Despite this, he continued to embrace the progressive and electric sounds that infused his songs, which had a distinctly acoustic folk character, following the path of musicians like Mike Oldfield and Anthony Phillips. An album that, with a certain jovial atmosphere and without abandoning traditional English music with subtle approaches to medieval sounds, achieves a fantastic work, starting with the ferocious "Headwind-The Eagle", where the band composed of Rod Edwards (keyboards), John Etheridge (electric guitar), John Gustafson (bass), and Ian Mosley (drums) brings us closer to the progressive jazz sounds of the era. In contrast, "Magpie Rag" is a cheerful, danceable composition; the captivating "Tailor Bird" is a beautiful song with countless arrangements; while the exciting "Black Rose-The Raven" comes to a singular life thanks to Giltrap's 12-string guitar and Rod Edwards' keyboards and flutes; or "Dodo Dreams", an anthological piece performed solo that crescendos with a basic structure of melodic chords before adding layers of elegant guitar lines, saxophone, and keyboards.

Electric Light Orchestra-Time (1981)

In 1981, Jeff Lynne once again demonstrated his immense creative talent, delivering another masterpiece of symphonic pop: Electric Light Orchestra's ninth album, "Time". Designed as a concept album, it contains some of the most powerful and impactful compositions of the group's entire career. The band at that time still consisted of the same members who had recorded the previous albums, "Discovery" and "Xanadu": Lynne himself (guitars, vocals, and keyboards), Kelly Groucutt (bass), Bev Bevan (drums), and Richard Tandy (keyboards and guitars). "Time" is a captivating concept album, very advanced for its time, based on a journey to the future. The enchanting orchestrations create a work brimming with great individual symphonic pop songs, but where they truly shine is in the final result as a whole an album that demands to be listened to as a complete and unified work. "Time" is an engaging concept album, very much ahead of its time, based on a journey to the future where the enchanting orchestrations create a work full of great individual symphonic pop songs. However, where they truly excel is in the final result as a whole, an album that demands to be listened to as a complete and unique piece. Vigorous and dynamic tracks like “Twilight”, “Yours Truly, 2095”, “Hold On Tight” and “From The End Of The World”, contrast with the beautiful melodies of “Ticket To The Moon” and “21st Century Man”, while the addictive “Rain Is Falling” and “The Way Life’s Meant To Be” make up a superb work where synthesizers take center stage, creating the perfect atmosphere to tell the story presented here.

Pete Brown And Piblokto!-Things May Come And Things May Go, But The Art School Dance Goes On Forever (1970)

This is one of the best examples of the creative spirit of 1960s music. Peter Brown is known for being a frequent collaborator of Jack Bruce, with whom he co-wrote great songs like "White Room" and "I Feel Free" by Cream. Brown was also famous as a highly creative poet in the British beat scene and one of the most important figures in the European music business for years. After leaving his first band, The Battered Ornaments, due to disagreements with another giant of the British rock scene, Chris Speeding, he formed Piblokto! in 1970. Their first album has one of the longest titles in rock history: "Things May Come And Things May Go, But The Art School Dance Goes On Forever." His band consisted of Rob Tait on drums, Roger Bunn on bass, Dave Thompson on keyboards and saxophone, and Jim Mullen on guitar, while Peter Brown took the lead as vocalist. Brown's ease with language and his ingenious, surreal imagery inspire a collection of songs that navigate between jazz and rock, rhythm and blues and pop melodies, all enriched by his poetic lyrics. This album is considered one of the best of the British underground progressive rock era.

Steps Ahead-Magnetic (1986)

This is another gem of the jazz fusion genre, created by one of the most famous jazz-rock groups of the 1980s, a band that masterfully combined the fundamentals of jazz with R&B and other musical genres, driven by the massive use of electronic instruments. In this fourth release, in addition to band leader Mike Mainieri (vibraphone), the lineup includes Michael Brecker (saxophone), Peter Erskine (drums), Chuck Loeb (guitar), Hiram Bullock (guitar), and Victor Bailey (bass), among other important American jazz-rock musicians such as singer Dianne Reeves and percussionist Joe Chambers. Despite the rejection from jazz purists, due to the wide fusion of styles in this work, where fusion completely dominates every groove of the record, the instrumental skills of Michael Brecker, the precision of Mike Mainieri, and the talent of musicians like Chuck Loeb and Victor Bailey are also noteworthy. Tracks like "Cajun", "Beirut", "Trains", "Magnetic Love" or the magnificent version of Duke Ellington's classic "In A Sentimental Mood", make up one of the most enjoyable jazz fusion albums of the eighties.

Michael Landau-Tales From The Bulge (1989)

Michael Landau is a guitarist known for his numerous collaborations as a session musician on many albums by pop and rock giants worldwide. Landau was born and raised in Los Angeles. He grew up listening to the music of The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Cream, and The Band. His grandfather, Ernani Bernardi, played alto saxophone during the swing era with the Dorsey Brothers and Benny Goodman. He began playing guitar at the age of 11 and soon developed a strong interest in jazz and jazz-rock, citing Weather Report, Pat Martino, and Jaco Pastorius as some of his early influences. In the mid-1970s, Michael moved to Louisiana to study and play rhythm and blues. He later toured the West Coast with The Robben Ford Band, which included Jimmy Haslip and Russell Ferrante. At 19, he joined Boz Scaggs for a world tour, and at 20, he began recording and doing studio sessions with Steve Lukather, Jeff Porcaro, and Danny Kortchmar. Later collaborations included Pink Floyd, Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, B.B. King, James Taylor, Ray Charles, and Rod Stewart, among many others. In 1989, he released his first solo album, "Tales from the Bulge", an entirely instrumental album initially released only in Japan and the USA. This work featured the invaluable contributions of renowned musicians such as Wayne Shorter, Vinnie Colaiuta, Carlos Vega, Steve Lukather, and Jimmy Johnson. In 1990, he formed the blues-rock band Burning Water, releasing four solid albums under that name. Around this time, he began working regularly with James Taylor. Later, in 1993, he was awarded Guitarist of the Year by "Guitar Player Magazine". The following year he formed The Raging Honkies, a power trio with Teddy Landau and Abe Laboriel Jr. Together they recorded two albums. In 2001, he released a double live album and a studio album, "The Star Spangled Banner", on his own label, Inconscient Records. He continues to tour with his own group, as well as with Robben Ford, The Jazz Ministry, and even James Taylor. His latest album, "The Michael Landau Group Live", was released in late 2006.