Freedom-Is More Than A Word (1972)

During much of the second half of the 1960s and the early 1970s, countless great bands emerged, barely managing to release one or two albums at most. These anonymous bands are often considered cult classics, boasting legions of collectors and fans today. They poured their hearts and souls into the few works they managed to release, only to vanish without a trace in most cases, but leaving behind recordings that are a fundamental part of rock music history. Freedom is one such band, formed by former Procol Harum members Bobby Harrison (drums and vocals) and Ray Royer (guitar), who, along with Peter Dennis (bass, keyboards, and vocals), Steve Jolly (guitar), and Roger Saunders (vocals, guitar, and keyboards), released three superb albums. "Is More Than A Word", their last and finest work, was released in 1972 on the Vertigo label. An album that boasts memorable moments like the blues-rock with a funk edge "Sweaty Feet", the expansive funky rock "Brainbox Jam", the powerful cover of Don Nix's "Going Down", the pastoral "Direction", and the complex "Ladybird". Freedom didn't achieve massive success at the time, but they offered psychedelic hard rock, and their first two albums garnered favorable reviews and comparisons to leading bands like Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and Cream. However, their style for this third album shifted towards funkier and blues-rock sounds, gaining depth with rich nuances and greater musical versatility, at the expense of their original sound, but with too much competition surrounding them in those magical musical years.

Paul McCartney-Ram (1971)

Paul McCartney's second album sparked some controversy among his most devoted fans, mainly because it was officially credited to Paul & Linda McCartney. This led many to initially wonder why a photographer with no musical background (Linda's profession, in addition to being the heiress to the Kodak fortune) was involved in recording an album with Paul. Many were immediately reminded of the disastrous recordings of his former bandmate John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono. But nothing could be further from the truth. On this album, the former Beatle demonstrated why he was the driving force behind the Liverpool group, creating a record that is a clear influence on many subsequent musical styles. For the recording, McCartney enlisted the help of prestigious session musicians such as guitarists Hugh McCracken and David Spinozza, and drummer Denny Seiwell, while Paul himself handled bass, vocals, keyboards, and rhythm guitars. For many, this release is clearly related to the sound of the album "Abbey Road", as is evident in the epic "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey", while the reminiscences of 1950s rock and roll are present in tracks like "Legs" and "Smile Away". On the other hand, the folk-infused "Ram On", the energetic "Monkberry Moon Delight", and the exquisite "The Back Seat of My Car" evoke the spirit of his main band's "White Album". Ultimately, with "Ram", Paul McCartney created a work that was both groundbreaking and influential, achieving multiple platinum records and considerable sales worldwide.

U.K.-U.K. (1978)

This short-lived supergroup was one of the last of the golden age of progressive rock in the 1970s, born from the dissolution of an original idea by John Wetton, Bill Bruford, and Rick Wakeman. However, Wakeman ultimately left the project, and his replacement was former Roxy Music keyboardist and violinist Eddie Jobson, with former Soft Machine and Gong guitarist Allan Holdsworth completing the lineup. With the definitive band in place, they entered the studio and recorded their self-titled debut album, "U.K." (1978), released on the E.G. label. This first album showcased a group of highly skilled musicians who fully lived up to the expectations of the time, displaying superb precision, great compositional inspiration, and an exceptionally high level of technical prowess. Tracks like the sweeping and Crimson-esque “In the Dead of Night”, the grandiose “Presto Vivace and Reprise”, the atmospheric “Thirty Years”, the brilliant progressive hard rock “Alaska” and the progressive jazz “Mental Medication”, made up a work that would go down in history as one of the most important of the progressive style of the late 70s.

Jackal-Awake (1973)

Jackal was a short-lived Canadian progressive rock band that released only one album in 1973, reminiscent of bands like Kansas, Warhorse, and even their compatriots Rush. Formed in the late 1960s in Toronto by brothers Chris and James Kellesis (keyboards and drums), along with singer Charlie Shannon and guitarist Dave Bernard, their sole recording was "Awake", released by the Periwinkle label in 1973, although it appears to have been recorded two years earlier in 1971. This album showcases a wide range of influences, from American progressive rock to early 1970s British symphonic rock, with elements of Southern rock and hints of American hard rock. These influences are perfectly reflected in the opening track of this album, "At The Station", a memorable exercise in progressive rock fused with southern hard rock, while "New Day Has Arisen" is a progressive hard rock track very much in the vein of what their British contemporaries Uriah Heep or Deep Purple were doing, or in "Awake", the most progressive piece with great interactions of the Hammond organ and Bernard's powerful guitars, supported by Shannon's excellent voice.

U2-The Joshua Tree (1987)

In 1987, the Irish band U2 released their fifth album, "The Joshua Tree", considered their masterpiece and their commercial peak, with over 14 million copies sold worldwide. While their previous album, "War", showcased their most energetic side and sharpened their lyrics, denouncing social and political issues, as evidenced in the well-known "Sunday Bloody Sunday", here they presented a repertoire of more refined and elegant songs, simultaneously darker and more accessible, incorporating subtle influences of American country and blues without losing sight of their unmistakable style. The entire album is immensely enjoyable; however, the first three songs are the record's high point. “Where The Streets Have No Name”, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” and “With or Without You”, which somehow overshadow other very high-level songs such as “Bullet The Blue Sky” or “In God’s Country”.

Kansas-Two for the Show (1978)

At the time, "Two for the Show" appeared on the summit of the band both artistically and commercially, with two previous studio albums ("Leftoverture" and "Point of Know Return") that had been put in the big time business leagues and a fan base that seemed to extend to infinity. The multisport playing fields, stadiums and great theaters since early 1977 eventually led them in 1978 to give mega-concert that lasted 2 ½ hours and more. This album draws from several concerts of his tour tripartite developed from 1977 to 1978, but it shows a very fluid feeling in listening. 
KANSAS shown here all facets of their musical offerings with full brightness equally distributed in all of them: the predominant symphonic pomposity, heavy moments full of sophistication, elements blues-country-bluegrass to call the homeland, quirky moments which emerge solo acoustic guitar, piano or drum set ... everything is there embodied with vigor. The booklet contains copious photos (including a Steve Walsh dancing to Jim Morrison to woo the girls wildly public, and also to a Robby Steinhardt staring at nothing while mentally in their internal line impredibles images violin ... !) and historical comments, apart from the transcription of the dedication to the young fan who lost his sight in a serious car accident after a concert of this tour. The fact that the dual guitars and keyboards (depending on the role of Livgren in the given time) are split in different audio channels helps enjoy and understand the intelligence poured instrumental band interactions. Of course, it also helps to enhance the work of Steinhardt, who starred on numerous occasions since his role as violinist. 
The CD1 contains the definitive versions of 'Icarus', 'Portrait (He Knew)', 'Mysteries and Mayhem' (more frenetic than usual), 'Journey from Mariabronn' and 'Magnum Opus'; very loyal to study 'Paradox' and 'The Wall' versions; forcibly cut a version of 'Song for America'; and finally, the omission of 'Closet Chronicles', one of the most impressive pieces of "Point of Know Return" and one of the absolute peaks of "Two for the Show" on vinyl. But this specific omission is resolved gloriously on CD2, which contains a total of 11 bonus tracks. But not with the recovered 'Closet Chronicles' which begins on CD2, but with 'Hopelessly Human', which opened the concert portion of the first half of this hyper-tour. This expanded version begins with a brief ethereal prelude, followed by the first 16 bars of 'Incomudro', then give way to the song itself. 'Child of Innocence' and 'Belexes' transport us to times of commercial glory KANSAS: 'Child' is preceded by a great jam in key R'n'B, while 'Belexes' is executed "a mile a minute "so the extra speed being subtracted drama but it compensates with more explosiveness. "Cheyenne Anthem" has the peculiarity that filled more spaces dual violin and synthesizers in playful interlude, which translates into an exciting enhancement orchestral dimension. 'Lonely Street', 'Down the Road' and 'Bringing It Back' show us openly or excuses, the provincial facet KANSAS: 'Lonely Street' shows us a brilliantly Walsh thanatic immersed in the pain of the protagonist and destructive (a cowboy who longs seedy with his own hands to avenge the death of his prostitute girlfriend), while 'Bringing It Home' keeps drawing Steinhardt Arabian silhouettes with his violin, sometimes accompanied by the powerful guitar Williams. With this version I prefer definitely convinced that this song is more in the group that the original author JJ Cale (as with Hendrix and "All Along the Watchtower 'composed by Dylan). 
'Miracles Out of Nowhere' is certainly one of the most beautiful and immersive compositions Livgren: This version includes an organ solo by Walsh, where stylized baroque-ploys and pieces hard rock blues type alternating Jon Lord. Demos also mention the new arrangements of multiple keyboards that recall the colorful contrapuntal interlude to take advantage of the constraints themselves alive.And what a tremendous drummer Phil Ehart is! - The only 5 ½ minutes produced here shows bare the influences of Barriemore Barlow and Carl Palmer, alongside their particular dynamism. This only leads to an electrifying version of 'The Spider', one of the most labyrinthine compositions that were never conceived in the world of KANSAS. Notice that the fade-out edition was heading towards emergency bass riff for 'Portrait': this should not have been re-edited it to better advantage following sequence Jerk? Quite possibly ... but it is what it is and what there is already great.

Genesis-We Can´t Dance (1991)

Strictly speaking, this was Genesis's last album, and the last with Phil Collins at the helm, even though six years later they released the unforgettable "Calling All Stations" under the band's name essentially a solo project by Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks with singer Ray Wilson. Released during the height of Phil Collins's solo career, it serves as a fitting epitaph for what is considered one of the most iconic progressive rock bands of all time. Much more focused on progressive sounds than the previous, more commercially oriented "Invisible Touch", this new recording saw the trio (Collins, Rutherford, and Banks) concentrate on songs with more socially conscious lyrics (social commentary and existentialism, among other recurring themes, are addressed here, with some sarcastic and humorous songs on very hot topics of the time) and more complex instrumentation. However, tracks like "Jesus He Knows Me", "Tell Me Why", and "Hold On My Heart" were clearly written for radio, yet they retained their excellent musicianship. On the other hand, the funk-rock track "I Can't Dance" is the kind of song that would fit perfectly on any of Phil Collins' albums due to its simplicity and infectious rhythm. On the more complex side, there are tracks like "Driving The Last Spike", "Dreaming While You Sleep", "No Son Of Mine", "Way Of The World", and "Fading Lights," all of which showcase their brilliant progressive side.