Chicago-V (1972)

By 1972, Chicago had released three double albums and a quadruple live album, all of them number one on the American charts, and all this in just three years since the band's formation in 1969. For their fourth album, they decided to abandon the double LP format and focus on a single LP. In addition, they opted to shorten the long improvisational tracks and extended suites, replacing them with shorter pieces, always within Chicago's unmistakable style of jazz and rock. Here too, Robert Lamm took a much more prominent role in the songwriting, composing eight of the album's ten tracks, while Terry Kath and James Pankow shared the remaining two. Another significant change is the inclusion of tracks geared towards the more commercial sounds that would become their hallmark in subsequent years, with a soft rock style like "Dialoque (Part I)", while Pankow's "Now That You've Gone" continues the band's previous work. Other tracks in this jazz-rock vein include "A Hit By Varèse", "Saturday In The Park", and "State Of The Union". Meanwhile, the velvety "All Is Well" and "Goodbye" showcase the group's melodic side. "Alma Mater", Terry Kath's only composition, is a powerful gospel piece featuring the driving horn sounds so characteristic of their early albums. With this fourth release, Chicago returned to the top of the Billboard charts, earning several platinum records for their enormous sales.

U2-War (1983)

As the title of this album perfectly suggests, "War" is the most aggressive and visceral album by the Irish band U2. On this third album, the band led by Bono and The Edge even reveals their most politically engaged side. Raw and furious rock is reaffirmed here amidst a repertoire steeped in feeling and emotion, with The Edge unleashing his tremendous riffs and guitar solos, and Bono delivering immeasurable and sublime vocals. The terrifying and intense "Sunday Bloody Sunday" recounts that fateful Sunday, January 30, 1972, when British soldiers opened fire on an unarmed crowd protesting in Derry, resulting in fourteen deaths and many more injuries. In contrast to this powerful song is the melodic "New Year's Day", another of U2's great tracks. Among the rest, highlights include the experimental "The Refugee", the energetic "Like A Song...", and the arena rock "Two Hearts Beat As One".

Gentle Giant-Gentle Giant (1970)

Although not among the most well-known progressive rock bands in the media, Gentle Giant are considered one of the top 10 British symphonic rock bands of all time. They expanded the instrumental possibilities of the genre, combining avant-garde and progressive elements through their explorations of hard rock, jazz, folk, baroque, psychedelic, and blues music. This band never shied away from incorporating multiple exotic instruments, irregular rhythms, abrupt dynamic shifts, and creating sonically rich and captivating atmospheres. Their debut album is considered an extraordinary and original work, where hard rock sets the trend by breaking established boundaries. Virtually all of its members are multi-instrumentalists, a fact that greatly enriches their musical palette, encompassing everything from electric and acoustic guitars to cellos, violins, saxophones, trumpets, keyboards, percussion, and expansive vocal sections with multi-layered harmonies. The style of this astonishing debut is a fascinating fusion of blues and hard rock, jazz rhythms, medieval and classical chamber music, and psychedelia, all within a clever formula of cutting-edge classic rock. However, this was their most accessible album; from this point onward, the complexities and sophisticated musical structures would be reflected in Gentle Giant's subsequent albums.

Hunger-Strickly From Hunger (1968)

Hunger were an excellent psychedelic rock band, reminiscent of The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, and Strawberry Alarm O'Clock, who had their moment of glory in the Californian scene of the late 1960s. They originated in Portland, Oregon, in the mid-sixties and moved to Los Angeles towards the end of the decade, where they began to gain a strong reputation within the burgeoning West Coast hippie psychedelic scene. During this time, they opened for Cream, Frank Zappa, and The Byrds. In 1968, they released their only album, "Strictly From Hunger", where their long instrumental breaks, driven by organ sounds and penetrating guitar lines, gave them a style very similar to Jim Morrison's band. Good examples of this influence are tracks like "She Let Him Continue", a psychedelic rock song with various sound effects, the instrumental "Portland", and the sinister "Colors". In "Strictly From Hunger", you can hear elements of almost every genre (jazz, blues, pop, rhythm & blues), interwoven in each song, though you should listen closely to savor the nuances of each one. Every song serves as an excellent example of the cross-pollination of genres. Hunger were much more than just a psychedelic rock band; they were destined for stardom had fate not intervened with a series of unfortunate events, such as the theft of all their equipment on several occasions, among other unfortunate incidents that might have made them a major band, as respected and influential as their West Coast contemporaries.

SBB-Wolanie or Brzek Szkla (1978)

Founded in the early 1970s in Poland, they were originally called the Silesian Blues Band and later shortened to the name SBB.
Its founder and leader Jósef Skrzek had a classical musical background, which undoubtedly gave him the symphonic feel of the band.
During the 70's, SBB were the most important band in Poland and today they are viewed with great respect by today's bands.
"Wolanie or Brzek Szkla" was the fourth work of this band, published in 1978, it is the most electronic album of the group, which would benefit from the experimentation that the band had done in previous years, in addition to the impressive set of synthesizers and other instruments electronics, allowing them to create intricate arrangements and intelligent atmospheres with lavish instrumentation.
The eclectic mix of symphonic and spatial influences, spiced with jazz sounds make this work one of the best of this magnificent band unknown to the general public.

Boston-Corporate America (2002)

It took eight long years for Tom Scholz to resurrect the legendary Boston with a new album, following their previous release, "Walk On". Behind them lay their spectacular first four albums, two of which, "Boston" (1976) and "Don't Look Back" (1978), are considered masterpieces of melodic rock. For this fifth album, original vocalist Brad Delp returned after his absence on "Walk On". Also featured was Fran Cosmo, vocalist on that album, who remained an official member of the band, contributing backing vocals and lead vocals on some tracks. Scholz had also added guitarist Kimberly Dahme and guitarist Anthony Cosmo, while Gary Phil (guitar and keyboards), David Sikes (bass), and Curly Smith (drums) completed the core Boston lineup. This new album, titled “Corporate America,” largely showcases Boston's unmistakable classic style, but with a sound geared towards commercial hard rock, where melodic guitars and addictive, irresistible vocals are the common denominator of the repertoire. The album opens with “I Had A Good Time”, the song that undoubtedly sounds most like classic Boston, with a style similar to “I Think I Like It” from “Third Stage”, featuring amazing guitar work that became one of their most frequently performed live tracks from then on. With the following track, “Stare Out Your Window”, the band slows things down, with an acoustic style somewhere between country rock and southern sounds. Meanwhile, “Corporate America” is the darkest and most sinister track on the album, with excellent guitar harmonies reminiscent of the magnificent “Higher Power” from years past. “With You”, on the other hand, is the counterpoint to this last track, a velvety ballad where Kimberly shows her skills as a good country-rock singer. The rest follows a similar line to the first tracks of the album, starting with the old-fashioned “Someone”, a clear nod to the past, or the spectacular “Turn It Off,” to end with the mid-tempo “Cryin’ ”, “Didn’t Mean To Fall In Love”, and “Livin’ For You”. These tracks, although maintaining a very acceptable level, detract somewhat from the final cohesion of an album that, despite this, keeps the Boston feeling very much alive, many years after their enormous and anthological debut.

Vanilla Fudge-Near The Beginning (1969)

Vanilla Fudge is a somewhat forgotten band outside the United States, where they are revered and recognized as an institution in American musical culture. They were also considered one of the most powerful, influential, and innovative groups of the 1960s. Their captivating progressive blend of rock, soul, and psychedelia is so intense and heavy that even today it's difficult for those unfamiliar with these sounds to appreciate. In fact, iconic bands like Uriah Heep, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, and Yes, among many others, cited them as a major source of inspiration early in their careers. This spectacular band, formed by Carmine Appice (drums and vocals), Vince Martell (guitar and vocals), Mark Stein (keyboards and vocals), and Tim Bogert (bass), was one of the most acclaimed and successful bands of the late 1960s, unanimously praised by their millions of fans and the world press. In 1969, they released their fourth album, "Near the Beginning", where their style was even more deeply infused with rock, blues, avant-garde elements, soul, and hints of gospel, in addition to the grand instrumental improvisations they added to their songs. The tracks featured excellent wah-wah guitars, a powerful Hammond organ, soaring vocals, and a driving, crushing rhythm section. Replete with rhythmic moments boasting a splendid and overwhelming dynamic, this album includes everything from vigorous covers of classics by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood to epic tour de force tracks like the apotheosis of "Break Song", the culmination of one of the most intense and sweeping albums in the history of American rock.

Crawler-Crawler (1977)

On March 19, 1976, Paul Kossoff died of pulmonary edema on a red-eye flight in the United States. He was traveling from Los Angeles to New York to prepare for his band Back Street Crawler's tour with AC/DC, scheduled to begin on April 25. For many at the time, this event foreshadowed the end of Back Street Crawler. However, against all odds, the remaining members John "Rabbit" Bundrick, Tony Braunagel, Terry Wilson, and Terry Wilson-Slesser decided to continue without their leader, but wanted to do so under a different name. But before they could do so, they faced pressure from Ahmet Ertegun, president of Atlantic Records, with whom Back Street Crawler had a contract, to continue under his label. Ertegun even suggested guitarist Mick Taylor as Paul Kossoff's replacement. Taylor, who had left the Rolling Stones at that time, vehemently opposed the idea of ​​replacing a deceased musician. He was neither seduced nor amused by the prospect. Another who flatly refused was former Fleetwood Mac guitarist Peter Green, who argued that he wasn't ready to return to the stage after years away from the band. After several more rejections, the band unilaterally chose former If guitarist Geoff Whitehorn. However, this decision was not accepted by Atlantic Records, which abruptly terminated its agreement with the band, arguing that they were legally contracted to Paul Kossoff. Shortly afterward, thanks to an executive at Swan Song Records, owned by Led Zeppelin, they signed with Epic Records and decided to shorten the band's name to Crawler. In their early days, to gain experience, the band undertook an extensive tour of the United Kingdom, followed by the recording of their first album, "Crawler" (1977), which was very well received in the United States, thanks in part to the track "Stone Cold Sober", which had a huge impact on American FM radio stations. From then on, the band focused on the American market and released their second album, "Snake, Rattle & Roll", which was followed by an extensive tour of the United States alongside bands such as Foreigner, Cheap Trick, Kansas, and Robin Trower. At the end of the tour, the band dissolved, partly due to the departure of John "Rabbit" Bundrick, who was hired by The Who to play on their world tour promoting the album "Who Are You". Although they only released two superb albums, their first is undoubtedly their best work, a true classic of hard rock and blues rock. Highlights included the melodic "Without You Babe", the boogie "Sold On Down The Line", the dramatic "You Are My Saviour", the robust "Pastime Dreamer", and the irresistible "Stone Cold Sober", with its Latin-tinged sound reminiscent of the best of Santana. With this album, the band proved they could still make great rock without Kossoff. While the new guitarist, Whitehorn, didn't possess Kossoff's guitar prowess, he brought a great feeling to the band's style, displaying considerable talent and playing both rock and blues. This was further enhanced by Wilson-Slesser's brilliant vocals and the excellent instrumental work of the rest of the band.

UFO-Obsession (1978)

In 1978, Michael Schenker was on the verge of leaving UFO, intending to launch his own solo career. It's no surprise, then, that the British band's seventh album is marked by the disinterest of their excellent guitarist. This disinterest is reflected in his minimal contribution to the album's compositions, where, for the first time, he only participated in less than half of the tracks. However, it is his compositions that are the best songs on the album, all of them UFO classics, such as the powerful hard rock anthems "Only You Can Rock Me", "Pack It Up (And Go)", and "Hot 'n' Ready", along with the melodic "Born to Lose", "Lookin' Out for No. 1", and the pastoral "Arbory ​​Hill". The rest, despite their unquestionable quality, somewhat diminish the final result of an album that could have been much more brilliant than it was, but even so, the mid-tempo AOR “Ain’t No Baby” or the attractive “One More for the Rodeo”, composed by the duo Pete Way and Phil Moog, obtained the necessary status to continue in the game and remain at the top of hard rock and heavy metal in the late 70s.