Peter Gabriel- III (1980)

After leaving Genesis, Peter Gabriel took several years off from the music world, seeking new horizons and inspiration to reignite his enthusiasm for his solo career. He opted for a style far removed from the progressive rock sound of his former band, exploring more experimental and creative sounds without sacrificing commercial appeal in his first four albums, all of which were essential to his public recognition and subsequent chart success. 

Peter Gabriel III, released in 1980, and as its name suggests, was his third album and the best of all the solo albums released by the members of Genesis. For this album, Gabriel collaborated with Phil Collins, Kate Bush, Robert Fripp, David Rhodes, Larry Fast, Paul Weller, Dick Morrissey, Tony Levin, Jerry Marotta, and others, and was produced by Steve Lillywhite. 

With this stellar lineup, Gabriel created his finest work, perfect from beginning to end, where everything from the haunting "Intruder" to the politically charged "Biko" are sublime and legendary creations. But Gabriel also knows how to move towards more melodic and commercial sounds, as in the impressive "I Don't Remember", "Games Without Frontiers", and "Not One Of Us", while the more experimental sounds of "No Self Control", the equally melancholic and epic "Family Snapshot", and the more conventional "And Through The Wire" make up a superb work of full compositional maturity from this brilliant, timeless musician.

Elton John-Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975)

In 1975, a triumphant and exuberant Elton John released his ninth album. By this point in his career, his hits were pouring in, achieving countless top ten hits on both sides of the Atlantic and selling millions of records worldwide. His creativity, alongside his inseparable collaborator Bernie Taupin, seemed boundless, and in fact, that same year, 1975, they released two albums: "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" and, a few months later, their tenth, "Rock of the Westies". Focusing on the former, Elton John created his most epic work, which, combined with its dynamic range of styles, resulted in an evocative, elegant, and captivating album. Attractive tracks such as the title track or “Tell Me When The Whistle Blows”, “Tower Of Babel”, “Someone Saved My Life Tonight” or the powerful “(Gotta Get A) Meal Ticket”, demonstrated the full compositional maturity of one of the best British duos of the seventies.

Jethro Tull-A (1980)

Conceived by Ian Anderson as a concept album exploring the turbulence and tensions of modern society, with the intention of releasing it as a solo project, the mere fact that it ended up being released as a Jethro Tull album condemned the band's thirteenth album, titled "A," to be highly controversial among their most purist fans and many critics of the time. Much of this controversy stemmed from the heavy use of synthesizers, courtesy of Eddie Jobson, and the synthpop-like sounds so fashionable in the 1980s. For this new venture, Anderson dispensed with much of Jethro Tull's classic lineup. With the exception of guitarist Martin Barre, keyboardists John Evan and David Palmer, bassist John Glascock, and drummer Barriemore Barlow were absent, replaced by the aforementioned Jobson, percussionist Mark Craney, and bassist Dave Pegg. However, despite the tremendous backlash it received from some fans, "A" is crafted in an experimental style, incorporating voice synthesizers and an interesting mix of avant-garde electronica, rock, folk, and even Eastern influences, as evidenced in the track "Uniform". The album's strength is clearly demonstrated in tracks like the funk-tinged rock song "Crossfire", the progressive electronic track "Fylingdale Flyer", and the mini-epic "Black Sunday", undoubtedly the album's most accomplished and progressive composition. The remaining tracks are considerably weaker, adhering to the typical pop-rock formula, though still undeniably talented, such as the sarcastic "Batteries Not Included", and the infectious blues-rock "4.W.D. (Low Ratio)". In short, “A” is one of the best examples of the evolution of progressive music in the 1980s, which marked the failure of many of the great bands of the 1970s who were unable to adapt to the new sounds and musical tastes of a new, more technological era.

Tangerine Dream-Encore (1977)

Tangerine Dream's career is divided into several periods. The first, known as "The Pink Years", was characterized by a sound clearly inspired by early Pink Floyd, with a distinctly psychedelic feel where keyboards and sound effects were the common denominator of their style. From this era, the albums "Alpha Centauri" (1971), "Zeit" (1972), and "Atem" (1973) stand out, all works brimming with an electronic, spacey symphony that even included some tribal elements and bordered on the progressive krautrock scene. The second stage, known as "The Virgin Years", spanning from 1974 to 1983, is considered the group's peak. This period marked a radical shift in Tangerine Dream's sound, returning to long suites but acquiring its own identity, making greater and more effective use of keyboards and synthesizers, and adopting a more accessible approach, though still remaining experimental. From this period stand out the monumental albums “Phaedra” (1974), “Rubycon” and “Ricochet”, both from 1975, “Stratosfear” (1976), “Encore” (1977), and “Force Majeure” (1979). During the second half of the seventies, Tangerine Dream's live concerts were unique and spectacular. Due to the limitations of analog equipment, the German trio improvised a new show each night, adopting the main features of long concerts where sequential fury supported the ferocity of the synthesizers, keyboards, and Mellotron, as well as Froese's rock-oriented guitar work. “Encore” is surely one of the best examples of this. “Encore” was Tangerine Dream's second live album. This time, it's a double album recorded during the band's North American tour, from March to April 1977. But unlike their previous live album, "Ricochet", which is technically a live recording without an audience, "Encore" features the audience's presence at certain moments, giving the recording a proper live feel. Composed of four long tracks, this double album begins with "Cherokee Lane", undoubtedly the most conservative of the four in terms of replicating their earlier work. Mellotrons are everywhere, creating that hauntingly beautiful and mystical mood. The following track, "Monolight", provides the most complex moment, weaving together major and minor keys with the main melody based on the mini-moogs. "Coldwater Canyon" is the title track where Edgar Froese shines. An intense, upbeat, and rocking suite, it showcases Froese in top form on electric guitar, displaying his skill and improvisational prowess. Even though it's an avant-garde track, it departs from the band's usual repertoire. The final track, "Desert Dream", encloses the album in a purely atmospheric style, moving from dark and experimental passages to beautiful and ethereal parts with tons of mellotrons and an oriental touch that fits the track's title, which ends reminiscent of the vaporous sounds of "Invisible Limits" from "Stratosfear".

Muddy Waters-The London Muddy Waters Sessions (1972)

To speak of Chicago blues is to speak of Muddy Waters, who, firmly rooted in the deep blues of the Mississippi Delta, always kept the essence of the genre alive through all the musical trends of his time, from rock and roll to the folk boom, passing through flower power, psychedelia, and the sounds of 1960s British pop. Born and raised in the Mississippi Delta in 1913, he began his career alongside bluesmen of the caliber of Son House and Robert Johnson in the mid-1930s. In 1947, he signed with the blues-focused label Chess Records, with whom he began recording alongside Little Walter, Jimmy Rogers, and Otis Spann. After an endless succession of singles and albums, he recorded "The London Muddy Waters Sessions" in 1972, with a number of highly acclaimed white musicians. These musicians included Rory Gallagher, Georgie Fame, Rick Grech, Steve Winwood, and Mitch Mitchell, among others. This legendary recording yielded some breathtaking blues sessions, such as Willie Dixon's versions of "Young Fashioned Ways", "Walkin' Blues", and "I'm Ready", and Big Bill Broonzy's "Key to the Highway". "The London Muddy Waters Sessions" is a landmark document of the blues and is considered one of the genre's high points.

The Pretty Things-S.F. Sorrow (1968)

The Pretty Things were one of the pioneering groups to develop the psychedelic sound in England in the early 1960s. In 1964, thanks to press articles highlighting their lysergic stage presence, they had the opportunity to enter the studio and record their first song, "Rosalyn", achieving meteoric success on the British charts. This placed them at the top of the British groups during those years of great beat music dominance. The Pretty Things revolved around their leader and vocalist, Phil May, supported by Dick Taylor (guitar), Wally Waller (bass), Twink (drums), and keyboardist Jon Povey. "Don't Bring Me Down", released a few months later, surpassed their debut album, reaching the top ten. From then on, their albums continued to perform well on the charts, and their fame gradually grew, although it remained largely confined to the UK, without much impact beyond the British Isles. After a string of successful singles and several albums that met with mediocre reception, in 1968 they released their masterpiece, "S.F. Sorrow", a pinnacle of psychedelia and, for many, the first rock opera in history. In "S.F. Sorrow", The Pretty Things narrate the life of Sebastian F. Sorrow, a fictional character created by guitarist Phil May. Structured as a cycle of songs, his life unfolds from birth to old age, encompassing love, wars, tragedies, and madness. The final result is a lysergic journey brimming with Eastern sounds, horn sections, mellotron, and a torrent of psychedelic pop-rock, all delivered with remarkable compositional and instrumental creativity. From here other bands borrowed this idea and would publish a series of works following a similar pattern, such as The Who and their rock opera "Tommy" or The Kinks and their "Arthur Or The Decline and Fall of the British Empire" both from a year later, among many others released in the subsequent decade of the 70s.

Dire Straits-Making Movies (1980)

Dire Straits' third album, "Making Movies", is the darkest and, at the same time, most reflective work of the band led by Mark Knopfler. With somewhat introspective ideas, they imbued the music with a series of astonishing nuances, making it clear that Knopfler himself, with his poignant sensitivity, could leave even the most discerning listener speechless with melodramatic themes. This is also the period in which Knopfler himself became a troubadour and novelist, and despite not being a great singer, he could suggest and express a great deal with his peculiar voice, with that laconic way of singing that, while he sang, told stories. 

The first song to emerge from this album is none other than “Tunnel of Love”, a spectacular eight-minute track and perhaps the best composition of Knopfler's entire career. It's also one of the most monumental songs in rock music, eight minutes brimming with evocative instrumental passages, tempo changes, and a catchy, agile melody, all bathed in Knopfler's voice, which envelops and envelops every phrase. Yet, beneath it all lies a great deal of irony about relationships and passion. 

The fragile and innocent “Romeo and Juliet” is both captivating and sweet. 

The following track, “Skateaway”, seems to lessen the emotional weight of the previous two with its direct and somewhat carefree sound. Halfway through the album comes another highlight with the catchy and infectious "Expresso Love", a clear statement of intent from Mark Knopfler foreshadowing what would come a few years later with his acclaimed "Brothers in Arms". Following the folk-tinged, Dylan-esque "Hand in Hand", comes "Solid Rock", where the band abandons their typically British reserve and restraint to unleash a powerful track very much in the arena-rock vein. The album concludes with the melancholic and tranquil "Les Boys", which brings to a close an album that outsold its predecessor, "Communiqué", achieving half a dozen platinum records, although still falling short of the commercial impact of their enormous and superb 1978 debut.

Genesis-Foxtrot (1972)

Genesis truly impressive levels elevate his bombast, complexity and expressiveness with this album, pulling the sleeve of one of the best albums of all time, only surpassed by his successor "Selling England by the Pound". The Lp was really significant and instrumental progressive rock as a genre, is also one of the greatest landmarks. The final maturity as musicians did not reach it without further with "Selling England By The Pound", reaffirms for me and with this album, which serves as a harbinger for the next. Like its predecessor, this is a disc with halftime and stops, but the difference is that here everything is clean and memorable, the amazing star complex issues contrasts perfectly with the irresistible short pieces and delicate in their path in half.
The band further increases its share of theatricality and leads to a level that goes beyond the music, translating this into his live, because with the launch of this board Peter Gabriel was starting out on stage dressed facing numerous multifaceted characters and interspersed even within the same subject in one of the cases, such as in "Supper's Ready", as if the deployment of mastery and brilliance that transmitted aurally with that court was not already too dazzling alone.
The curtain rises the wonderful "Watcher of the Skies", a topic with a lot of potential, announcing the opening of the play with a mellotron gives supreme airs. The song is the most robust and accurate, with bitter dark overtones, but sublime.
"Time Table" is even better, a love song for his pace and excellent and outstanding performance of Peter Gabriel, showing off and excelling in a dramatic and poignant at the same time. The chorus is the best and it's hard not to try to corearlo. The passages of Tony Banks on keyboards shine.
The thing going to become more intense with "Get Em Out by Friday", curious song that allows Gabriel exhibit their wild and crazy side. Abrupt changes considerably with advancing the theme and instrumental arrangements more complex than capable of misleading anyone in this magnificent piece without waste.
Returns the delicacy and beauty in the melodies with "Can-Utility and the Coastliners", a knot of instruments that together form an impenetrable fortress, recreating an atmosphere masterful. Tony Banks returns to capture bright and moderate rhythms Steve Hackett has its fleeting moments.
There comes a time more intimate, delicate disc: "Horizons", a tune that was unlikely to Genesis and a considerable simplicity and brevity yet achieved its goal: Wrap and make the listener to travel to the state of deep relaxation. Fulfilling a role Fluff basically the same as in the "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath", this issue is a real pleasure to hear, as if the music we coined.
The end is evident and to close the masterpiece we have which is nothing more and nothing less than the best song of Genesis, the vast, unique and brilliant "Supper's Ready", an epic piece tinged apocalyptic reflected concerns love and that nothing else can do justice to itself and its grandeur. Praise fall short for this 23-minute suite of enormous complexity where the band reaches the summit and take off in a true journey of sensations and feelings crossed that allows all members of the band shine on his own. The impressive and legendary number moves us restless, makes us laugh, feel euphoria and excitement and even gets to hypnotize all in a flurry of greatness stamped rhythms deployed in a few less than half an hour. Peter Gabriel gets us more than ever and recites some of his most memorable and iconic verses: And it's hello babe with your guardian eyes so blue, Hey my babe do not you know our love is true, A FLOWER?. The issue is so complex and has so much to make juice that is almost impossible to adequately summarize its contents, you can only say that it is extremely emotional, intense, outrageous, energetic and magical.
This is one of the greatest songs of all time, no more.
"Foxtrot" is one of the largest samples of progressive rock, and its closure can always leave the stamp of quality. This was truly committed Genesis music and with intentions of passing something really big. A timeless gem but simply unrepeatable.