Indian Summer-Indian Summer (1971)

This is one of the hidden gems of English proto-progressive rock, a spectacular and magnificent work that was the sole legacy of the British band Indian Summer. Formed in Coventry in 1968 by drummer Paul Hooper and singer/keyboardist Bob Jackson, both musicians had already played in various Coventry bands such as The Rochester Beaks and This That And The Other. The band was completed by guitarist Roy Butterfield and bassist Alan Hatton. Indian Summer initially opted to be a cover band, but this trend was short-lived, as the talent of its members soon led them to create their own music. In the midst of a period of great creativity, guitarist Butterfield left the band and was replaced by Steve Cottrell just as they were discovered by talent scout Jim Simpson, a renowned promoter who at the time was managing bands such as Earth, who would soon become Black Sabbath. After several lineup changes, they signed with Vertigo Records and entered Trident Studios in London to record their first album in 1971. This self-titled debut featured Hooper and Jackson, along with new members Colin Williams on guitar and Malcolm Harker on bass. The album is packed with rhythmic sounds and expansive musical passages, emphasizing keyboards and guitars, and possessing a certain dark atmosphere. The opening track, "God Is The Dog", stands out as a superb composition that highlights Bon Jackson's deep vocals and organ sounds, while progressive passages like the excellent "From The Film Of The Same Name", "Black Sunshine", and "Half Changed Again" are on par with any of the leading bands of the era. The rest of the album is of exceptional quality, achieving sublime moments of great symphonic rock. The band's limited commercial success led to its dissolution, with each member pursuing different solo projects or focusing on other professional matters.

It Bites-Once Around The World (1988)

This is one of the bands that best knew how to fuse a wide variety of styles such as pop, neo-progressive, hard rock, and even the new age sounds so prevalent in the 1980s. It Bites was formed in the early 1980s in the town of Egremont, UK, by vocalist and guitarist Francis Dunnery, bassist Dick Nolan, drummer Bob Dalton, and keyboardist John Beck. In 1986, under the Virgin label, they released their debut album, "The Big Lad In The Windmill", which showcased their nascent style of refined art-pop with elaborate keyboard arrangements and a touch of symphonic rock, as demonstrated in tracks like "I Got You Eating Out Of My Hand". Two years later, their progressive approach was further strengthened with their second album, and ultimately their most acclaimed work among fans of the genre, "Once Around The World", a more mature and balanced effort with melodic rock, moments of crystalline pop, and neo-progressive elements. The superb keyboard and guitar instrumentations, although far removed from the complexities of their contemporaries Marillion, IQ or Pendragon, are elegantly structured especially in the suite "Once Around The World".

The Bellamy Brothers-Let Your Love Flow (1976)

The Bellamy Brothers are one of the longest-running, most acclaimed, and most successful duos in American country music, achieving numerous worldwide hits in the 1970s and 80s with songs like "Let Your Love Flow" and "If I Said You Have a Beautiful Body, Would You Hold It Against Me?" Formed by brothers David Milton and Homer Howard Bellamy, their beginnings date back to the late 1960s in their native Florida, where they performed at various concerts at the University of Florida. For several years, they split their time between Atlanta and Los Angeles, where they were signed by Curb Records. With Curb Records, they recorded several singles and their first album, which included the hit "Let Your Love Flow" (1976). This song climbed to the undisputed number one spot on the American pop and country charts, in addition to achieving considerable success in a dozen countries around the world. From here on, the duo's career skyrocketed, achieving 10 hits at the top of the charts and fifty more in the top 100 of the Billboard country and pop charts. Among them are "Bird Dog" (1978), "You Ain't Just Whistlin' Dixie" (1979), "Sugar Daddy" (1980), "Dancing Cowboys" (1980), "Do You Love as Good as You Look" (1981), "For all the Wrong Reasons" (1982), "Redneck Girl" (1982), "When I'm Away from You" (1983), “I Need More of You”, “Hold Hippie” (1985), “Too Much Is Not Enough” (1986), “Kids of the Baby Boom”, “Crazy from the Heart” (1987) or “Big Love” (1989). Throughout those years, their world tours included Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Oceania, and Africa, in addition to the United States and Canada. By 2019, they had released more than 50 albums, earning numerous accolades, including Grammy nominations, a Billboard nomination for Top Country Duo, and induction into the Florida Country Music Hall of Fame and the Country Music Association of America Hall of Fame.

Dixie Dregs-What If (1978)

Influenced by bands like Return to Forever and the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Dixie Dregs was one of the most interesting bands to combine jazz-rock with progressive sounds and country with elements of cutting-edge classical music. Formed in 1970 in Georgia by guitarist Steve Morse and bassist Andy West, it wasn't until the middle of that decade that they released their first album, "The Great Spectacular" (1976), which already showcased their skillful blend of styles. "What If", their third album, was released in 1978, and here the band ventured even further into harder territory with hints of hard rock, while maintaining their original style of progressive rock, jazz fusion, and influences from traditional American music. For this album, in addition to Morse and West, the band included Allen Sloan on violin, Rod Morgenstein on drums, and Mark Parrish on keyboards. Tracks like the huge “Take It Off The Top”, “Ice Cakes” or “Night Meets Light” placed Dixie Dregs at the forefront of progressive jazz rock in the late 1970s.

Bad Company-Run With The Pack (1976)

Bad Company's third album, released in 1976, is a truly prodigious classic rock album. While it doesn't include radio hits like "Can't Get Enough" or "Good Lovin' Gone Bad" from their first two albums, it's a subtle fusion of funk, blues rock, and British rhythm and blues. Recorded at the Rolling Stones' Mobile Studios in a medieval castle outside Provence, France, it was produced by the band's singer, Paul Rodgers, resulting in an excellent, precise, and crystal-clear production. Songs like the energetic "Live For The Music" give way to the intense "Honey Child", a powerful track driven by Mick Ralphs' guitar riffs. The arrogant rock and roll "Sweet Lil' Sister", the audacious "Live For The Music", the bluesy "Simple Man" or the southern-flavored R&B ballad "Love Me Somebody", make up an admirable work that, like the two previous releases, would achieve platinum status in the North American market and gold in the British market.

Atlas-Blå Vardag (1979)

Another interesting Swedish band was Atlas, who, with only one album released, achieved cult status within the European progressive rock scene. Founded in Malmö in 1974, their lineup consisted of keyboardists Björn Ekborn and Erik Björn Nielsen, Micke Pinotti on drums, Uffe Hedlund on bass, and Janne Persson on guitar. Their style was primarily focused on a meticulously crafted symphonic rock with elements of fusion and expansive instrumental passages, featuring numerous interplay between guitars and keyboards. To some extent, they drew on the progressive influences of the British band Genesis, the Canterbury sound of Camel, and the understated style of their compatriot Bo Hanson. Their only album, "Blå Vardag", released in 1979 by the Swedish label Bellatrix, was highly praised by critics and well-received by the progressive rock community. The entire album is remarkable, but it is undoubtedly the expansive "På Gata" that best encapsulates the band's excellence with an exquisite exercise in bizarre progressive rock, featuring layers of mellotrons, synthesizers, organ, and piano, with dense yet subtle sounds interwoven with energetic guitars. The remaining tracks maintain a very similar style, with echoes of jazz-rock at various points and some bucolic, pastoral sounds, always bathed in torrential curtains of keyboards and guitars.

Extreme-Extreme II Pornograffitti (1990)

In the late 1980s, Extreme emerged in Boston, a band that would become fundamental to hard rock in the years to come. These were years in which the genre was experiencing a creative crisis, to the detriment of alternative rock, thrash metal, grunge, and the experimental sounds of many bands exploring all kinds of fusion and blending them with rock. Formed around the core of virtuoso guitarist Nuno Bettencourt and the brilliant vocalist Gary Cherone, who, along with bassist Paul Mangone and drummer Paul Geary, had to compete on a stage packed with top-tier bands such as Warrant, Poison, Cinderella, Guns N' Roses, Skid Row, Metallica, Mötley Crüe, and Twisted Sister, among many others. Amidst this whirlwind of mainstream bands and their successful albums, Extreme released their debut album in 1989, showcasing enviable instrumental technique, plenty of feeling, a carefree rock sound, and clear funk influences. A year later, they released "Pornograffitti", confirming their metal-funk leanings and their ferocious hard rock with a multitude of influences. Tracks like the furious "Get the Funk Out" and "Li'l Jack Horny" featured a horn section, significantly enriching their sound, while others like the catchy "Decadence Dance" and the southern-tinged "Hole Hearted" demonstrated the diversity of their style. However, it was the tender ballad "More Than Words" that propelled the album to number ten on the Billboard charts, earning it multiple platinum records and achieving sales exceeding three million copies worldwide.

Kenny Burrell-Midnight Blue (1963)

Kenny Burrell is one of the most important figures in jazz, an enormously versatile musician, considered one of the greatest guitarists of the genre and an icon of the Blue Note label. He has left behind essential works, both in his solo career and as a musician for other jazz artists. From a very young age in the 1950s, he recorded his first albums, showcasing his most notable influences, ranging from Charlie Haden to Django Reinhardt, and including one of his idols, West Montgomery. In the early 1960s, he recorded one of his most remarkable albums, this time focused on the blues, where he was accompanied by saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, percussionist Ray Barretto, bassist Major Holley, and drummer Bill English. The album "Midnight Blues", released on the Blue Note label, is an exquisite journey through the relaxed sounds of blues and jazz, showcasing Burrell's dazzling guitar technique and the brilliance of the rest of the band, especially Turrentine's saxophone. Lustful tracks like "Chitlins con Carne", the pleasurable "Mule", the melancholic "Soul Lament", and the exuberant "Midnight Blue", demonstrate Burrell's impeccable guitar mastery on an album as masterful as it is essential to the history of jazz.