Gamma-Gamma 2 (1980)

Gamma was the second band led by guitarist Ronnie Montrose, following his first project, Montrose with whom he released a series of great works such as "Paper Money" (1973), "Warner Bros. Presents…Montrose" (1975), and "Jump It" (1976). After releasing his first solo album, "Open Fire", in 1978, he formed Gamma with Davey Pattison on vocals, Jim Alcivar on keyboards, Alan Fitzgerald on bass, and Skip Gillette on drums. With this lineup, he recorded the album "Gamma 1" (1979). A year later came "Gamma 2", which featured several changes from the previous lineup, with Denny Carmassi and Glenn Letsch replacing Gillette and Fitzgerald, respectively. "Gamma 2" would become a fundamental reference point for Ronnie Montrose's sound, confirming Davey Pattison as one of the best hard rock vocalists of the 1980s and showcasing a solid and powerful rhythm section with Carmassi and Letsch. The album features the opening track, "Mean Streak", a powerful hard rock number, followed by the frenetic rock of "Four Horsemen" and the AOR track "Dirty City". The rest of the album explores bluesy territory with powerful blues-rock tracks like the atmospheric and brilliant "Voyager", the hard blues of "Cat On a Leash", and the progressive blues of "Skin and Bone", while the heavy rock track "Mayday" showcases Montrose at his peak, demonstrating his superb technique on the six-string.

Warhorse-Warhorse (1970)

In 1969, Deep Purple released their third album, and almost immediately two of its members, Nicky Simper and Rod Evans, left the band at the express invitation of Ritchie Blackmore. From then on, both musicians would go their separate ways. Evans founded the band Captain Beyond, and Simper did the same with Warhorse. While Captain Beyond focused its style on progressive sounds, Warhorse continued with a hard rock style similar to Deep Purple. To found Warhorse, Nick Simper joined forces with singer Ashley Holt, guitarist Ged Peck, keyboardist Frank Wilson, and drummer Mac Poole. In 1970, Warhorse released their self-titled album on the Vertigo label, an excellent hard rock record driven by Wilson's Hammond organ, Peck's powerful guitar riffs, and Holt's squeaky vocals, with a style quite similar to Vanilla Fudge but without abandoning the Deep Purple sound. They were soon criticized for a lack of originality and for not trying to create their own sound, relying instead on overly obvious Deep Purple influences. Even so, this debut album contains outstanding moments such as the dynamic opening track "Vulture Blood", the epic "No Chance", the powerful "Burning", the heavy "Ritual", and the progressive hard rock tracks "Solitude" and "Woman of the Devil". Two years later came Warhorse's second and final album, "Red Sea", a less balanced record, though with some very noteworthy tracks like the superb heavy prog "Back in Time", the progressive "Mouthpiece", and the hard rock title track, "Red Sea". Some time later, Warhorse disbanded due to their limited success and recognition, an unfair end for a group that certainly had the skills and talent to achieve great things. However, their constant comparisons to such an iconic band as Deep Purple took their toll, ultimately leading them to fade into obscurity.

Janne Schaffer-Earmeal (1978)

Jane Schaffer is a Swedish guitarist known for his work in recording studios with artists such as ABBA and Bob Marley, and who has achieved a renowned solo career releasing a series of jazz-rock albums. Since his first album, "Janne Schaffer", released in 1973, this guitarist has crafted a fine blend of rock and jazz influences in all his releases, featuring captivating melodies, rich instrumentation, and a diverse range of styles from jazz fusion to soft rock. In 1978, he released his fourth full-length album, "Earmeal", which featured a stellar lineup of musicians, including the Porcaro brothers, all of whom have contributed to the band Toto at one time or another throughout the legendary Californian group's career. They are Jeff Porcaro on drums, Steve Porcaro on keyboards, and Joe Porcaro on percussion, along with other prominent musicians such as Brand X keyboardist Peter Robinson and renowned Swedish flautist Björn J:Son Lindh. "Earmeal" doesn't stray far from the jazz-rock fusion of more mainstream artists like Lee Ritenour or Larry Carlton, brimming with impressive guitar skills, atmospheric soundscapes, and an exquisite taste for catchy and brilliantly executed compositions.

ZZ Top-Degüello (1979)

ZZ Top enjoyed a prestigious status for five decades while maintaining an unchanged lineup. As true musicians with Southern roots, they were unbeatable, showcasing everything from Texas blues to Southern rock, rock and roll, boogie rock, and even the more mainstream sounds they offered in the 1980s. This powerful trio, composed of Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, and Frank Beard, was always characterized by its humorous lyrics and clear innuendo, as well as its odes to motorcycles and groupies, all seasoned with its hard-hitting, dusty style. Some of their songs, such as "Tush", "Jailhouse Rock", and "La Grange", from their early albums, are considered classics of American rock. In 1979, with their album "Degüello", they achieved their first platinum record, thanks to a work that balanced their blues and boogie rock style from their early releases with the hard rock sounds that would become their hallmark. Even so, this sixth album still has remnants of the recent past such as the southern boogie "Cheap Sunglasses", the gritty blues of "Fool For Your Stockings" or the bluesy version they make of the original Robert Johnson song "Dust My Broom", the rhythm and blues "She's Loves My Automobile" or the rock and roll "Hi Fi-Mama", while "Esther Be The One" and "Manic Mechanic", already hint at where the musical paths will go in their next years, evolving towards a more hard & heavy rock musical development.

Steve Hillage-Fish Rising (1975)

Steve Hillage released his first album when he was still belonging to the Gong band, so he surrounded himself with his colleagues to record this album, which is considered one of the best works of space rock.
In addition to Hillage, his colleagues Pierre Moerlen, Tim Blake, Mike Howlett, Miquette Giraudy and Didier Malherbe participated in the recording, in addition to the former members of National Health and Hatfield and The North; Dave Stewart and former Henry Cow member Lindsay Cooper.
In this first album Hillage develops a repertoire of long songs, most of them instrumental and complex.
In many ways and of course it sounds like the characteristic classic Gong label, like the suite "The Salmon Song", or the free jazz fusion "Fish", and there are even approaches to the King Crimson sound in the song "Meditation Of The Snake" .
"Fish Rising" is an album of exquisite musical genius and the ultimate springboard for Steve Hillage who would later leave his mother band to pursue his own solo career.

Gentle Giant-In A Glass House (1973)

Gentle Giant's fifth album marked a turning point for the band. Phil Shulman left, taking his extraordinary voice and wind instruments with him, and from that moment on, his two brothers, Derek and Ray Shulman, along with the rest of the members, would noticeably change the band's distinctive style. "In A Glass House" is often considered by many to be their definitive work, as well as Gentle Giant's greatest commercial success and one of the cornerstones of progressive rock. While it's impossible to definitively choose which Gentle Giant album is the best among so many impeccable ones, it's also true that this is one of their most consistent and mature works. It also drew criticism from their more purist fans for its subtle shift towards more accessible territory (or at least more accessible than their previous albums). From the opening and dynamic "The Runaway" to the superb "Way of Life", passing through the hypnotic "Experience" and the sublime progressive "In a Glass House", this album strictly adheres to the same musical line as all their previous albums, but it does show a less prominent presence of acoustic instruments, undoubtedly one of the consequences of Phil Shulman's departure. Similarly, this fifth album would lay the groundwork for subsequent releases, with a gradual decrease in the aforementioned acoustic instruments and a more conventional sound (as conventional as we can consider the complex and arranged music of this band). Interestingly, this was the only Gentle Giant album not officially released in the United States at the time of its initial release, due to contractual issues with the band's European label (WWA Records) and the North American distributor (Columbia Records). Therefore, when it was officially released in 1978, it had already become one of the best-selling import albums in America.

After All-After All (1969)

This Florida band is another clear example of a short-lived group about which very little information is available. Formed in 1969, it was the product of the efforts of four experienced musicians, all of whom came from different bands in the Tallahassee area music scene. These four musicians were drummer Mike Ellerbee, keyboardist Alan Oro, bassist Bill Moon, and guitarist Charles Short. This band would only record one album, the self-titled "After All", released that same year, 1969. The style of "After All" is basically jazz-rock with progressive touches, mixing a wide variety of sounds: rock, pop, blues, psychedelic heavy metal, and Latin sounds. The album contains some very good moments, somewhat risky due to the ambitious mix they bring to their music, achieving the typical post-psychedelic sound of the era, which at times gives way to more progressive sounds. That variety and eclecticism are present in the funk track "Let It Fly", the jazzy "Blues Satin" and "Nothing Left To Do", and the progressive "Intangible She". Another highlight is the superb production of this LP, with its excellent sound quality, which has not required remastering in subsequent CD editions.