Keats-Keats (1984)

Keats was a side project of The Alan Parsons Project, which released an album in 1984 that went somewhat unnoticed for various reasons. Let's set the scene: in 1984, something quite unusual happened within The Alan Parsons Project. While they were recording the album "Ammonia Avenue", some of the musicians involved in that recording formed a side project and, practically at the same time, recorded two albums at Abbey Road Studios in London. One was the aforementioned "Ammonia Avenue", the seventh album by The Alan Parsons Project, and the other was the first and ultimately only album by Keats, the band these musicians had formed. These musicians were Ian Bairnson, Colin Blunstone, David Patton, and Stuart Elliott, who, along with contributions from Pete Bardens and Richard Cottle, recorded an album that Alan Parsons himself produced and which received invaluable assistance from Eric Woolfson. In other words, the entire Alan Parsons Project participated, but under the name Keats. However, the original idea to create a separate or parallel band, as we might call it, came from Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson, who wanted to give more prominence and greater recognition to the members who regularly recorded with the Alan Parsons Project. Even the name Keats was Woolfson's idea, taken from the English poet John Keats. The final result of this album, as is obvious, is synonymous with The Alan Parsons Project, with a series of tracks that could easily belong on any of his albums. It's an album with a typical 80s sound, imbued with the timelessness that Alan Parsons brings to his creations, and boasts enormous and exquisite quality. Tracks like "Heaven Knows", with the introduction by saxophonist Richard Cottle and Blunstone's melodic voice, transport us to magical moments like "I Robot" or "Pyramid". A similar effect occurs in tracks like "Tragedy" or "How Can You Walk Away". while AOR sounds in a more melodic Toto vein are present in "Walking On Ice" or "Turn Your Heart Around". In contrast, "Night Full Of Voices" is a superb mid-tempo track very close to "Eye Of The Sky", and in "Hollywood Heart", Blunstone's voice and the instrumental melody remind us of tracks like "Old and Wise".

Wishbone Ash-Number The Brave (1981)

In 1981, Wishbone Ash released their eleventh studio album, "Number the Brave", whose main novelty was the addition of John Wetton on bass. And although his contribution is noticeable in the vocal melodies and his powerful bass playing, he left the band shortly after recording to join a new lineup, Asia, alongside Steve Howe, Carl Palmer, and Geoff Downes. The rest of the band consisted of Andy Powell (guitar and lead vocals), Laurie Wisefield (guitar), and Steve Upton (drums), with additional musicians Claire Hammill on vocals and Gasper Lawal on percussion. On “Number The Brave”, the band opted for a frenetic album with powerful guitar riffs, featuring standout tracks like their cover of Rare Earth's "Get Ready", the melodic title track "Number The Brave", the rhythmic "Where Is The Love", the fast-paced "That's That", and the commendable "Rainstorm", "Underground", and "Kicks On The Street". However, poor reviews and limited commercial success led to Wishbone Ash's contract with MCA Records being terminated. Even so, as a farewell gesture, the label released the live album "Hot Ash" that same year, featuring a setlist based on some of the band's classics like "Blowin' Free" and "Goodbye Baby Hello Friend". But it was "Way Of The World", "No Easy Road", and "Bad Weather Blues" that truly made this live album appealing, primarily because these songs were not typically included in their concert setlists.

Refugee-Refugee (1974)

In the early 1970s, Keith Emerson left The Nice to form the first progressive rock supergroup, the legendary Emerson, Lake & Palmer. This move practically spelled the end for The Nice, who nevertheless managed to continue for a few years, releasing several albums consisting mainly of material they had composed in previous years. In 1973, two of its members, Lee Jackson and Brian Davidson, wanted to reform the band, recruiting a new keyboardist. This position went to the Swiss Patrick Moraz, who came from a band called Mainhorse. This virtuoso keyboardist, far from trying to emulate the instrumental pyrotechnics and post-romantic sounds of Keith Emerson, proved himself a virtuoso keyboardist with more versatile resources, oriented towards a more baroque and classical symphonic style. This new project, called Refugee, released their debut and ultimately only album in 1974. It showcased a solid progressive rock sound, with brilliant compositions and instrumentation, driven by Moraz's keyboards and supported by the powerful bass of Lee Jackson and the drumming of Brian Davison. From the opening track, "Papillon", a stunning display of Patrick Moraz's skills, to the epics "The Source" and "Credo", it's an outstanding work that rivals the masterpieces of ELP. However, a year later, history repeated itself. This time, Patrick Moraz left the band to join Yes, replacing Rick Wakeman, thus ending the adventure of this short-lived but formidable progressive rock band.