Incredible Hog-Volume 1 (1973)

Incredible Hog was a short-lived British band that released only one album packed with heavy doses of blues rock in the early 1970s. Formed by guitarist and singer Ken Gordon, bassist Jim Holmes, and drummer Tony Awin, they managed to put out a solid record where bluesy influences and hard rock intertwine in intricate tracks like the superb "Lame", while the hypnotic "Execution" offers a respite from the breakneck pace that follows with powerful hard blues numbers like "Tadpole", "Another Time", and "Warning", before bringing the energy down a bit with the more subdued "Walk The Road" and "There's A Man". However, as we've mentioned countless times, this was another band that would pass without fanfare through the annals of rock, and which is now so highly regarded by fans eager to discover obscure groups with little media exposure but enormous talent.

Tony Williams-The Joy Of Flying (1979)

This album is the second solo effort from the great drummer Tony Williams since the release of "Spring" thirteen years earlier in 1966. This time, Williams presents a collection of jazz fusion, funk, and jazz-rock, continuing the various incarnations and experiments of the seven albums he had previously released with his Tony Williams Lifetime Band. Recorded with other jazz and rock luminaries such as Jan Hammer, Herbie Hancock, Randy Brecker, David Sanborn, Tom Scott, George Benson, Brian Auger, Ronnie Montrose, and Stanley Clarke, the repertoire is primarily composed of that joyful and dynamic jazz-rock with funk, rock, and more progressive passages. While in "Going Far" and "Hip Skip" the drummer continues down that funk path, in other tracks such as the jazz-rock "Open Fire", the smooth jazz "Tony", the avant-garde "Coming Back Home" or the experimental "Morgan's Motion", Williams stays within the canons of the genre, producing an excellent sampler of the best jazz rock of the late sixties, a very complicated time for musicians and artists of avant-garde and progressive sounds or jazz fusion.

The Ugly Guys-Still Twenty/Five In Your Head (1978)

Another forgotten southern and country rock band is The Ugly Guys, although unlike almost all others in the genre, they were British. Their beginnings date back to the early seventies when they were one of the most popular bands in the burgeoning pub rock scene of London and its surrounding areas. "Still Twenty-Five In Your Head" was the fifth release from these Brits, offering music that draws from the roots of folk, country, bluegrass, and American southern rock. Songs like "Where Did It All Go Wrong", "Rose Tattoo", "Late Great Golden State", and "White Line Fever" are all imbued with the dusty sounds of the South and so-called roots rock with a nostalgic flavor.

Rufus Zuphall-Phallobst (1971)

Another interesting work in the krautrock genre is "Phallobst", the second album by the German band Rufus Zuphall. This record alternates psychedelic influences from the American West Coast with progressive rock and folk. For this second release, the German band introduced two new members: bassist Manfred Spangenberg and a second guitarist, Thomas Kitte. Günter Krause (guitars, keyboards, and vocals), Udo Dahmen (drums), and Klaus Gülden (flute) remained the only founding members. With better production than their debut, this album is shorter and more progressive than its predecessor, driven by the guitars and Gülden's prominent flute playing. Tracks like "Closing Time", "Makröjel", "Wasted Land", "Portland Town" and "I'm On My Way" are part of a very commendable work that, without surpassing their debut album, effectively maintains a high level of musicality.

Jim Capaldi-Let The Thunder Cry (1981)

By now, it's hard to find someone who doesn't know Jim Capaldi, the legendary drummer of the iconic band Traffic, with whom he released such emblematic works as "Mr. Fantasy", "John Barleycorn Must Die", and "The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys", in addition to collaborating with other great artists like his former Traffic bandmate, Steve Winwood, and giants such as Eric Clapton and George Harrison, among others. His solo career began while he was still with Traffic with the album "Oh How We Danced", where he showcased his great talent as a composer and multi-instrumentalist, creating brilliant albums with superb compositions that, without adhering to a specific style, were always well-received by fans and critics alike. In 1981, his eighth album, "Let the Thunder Cry", was released, on which Capaldi enlisted the help of his former Traffic bandmates, Steve Winwood and Rebop Kwaku Baah, as well as Mel Collins and Andy Newmark, with Capaldi handling vocals, guitar, and production. An album that stands out for its exquisite production, where tracks like the opening and powerful “Let The Thunder Cry” contrast with the slow and brilliant ballads “Child In The Storm”, “Warm”, “Old Photographs” or “Bright Fighter”, while its melodic side can be found in the rhythmic “Favela Music”, “Only Love”, “Dreams Do Come True” or “We Don’t Need”, all of them with Capaldi’s captivating voice and irresistible choruses, making it an essential work in rock music.

David Bowie-Hunky Dory (1971)

David Bowie's third album arrived almost a year after "The Man Who Sold the World", the work that cemented the British musician's status as a glam rock megastar and where he once again displayed that sexually ambiguous image. This time, Bowie delights us with a work brimming with folk, pop, rock nuances and hints of cabaret music, an album that became a clear landmark in the history of pop-rock. Composed of enormous compositions such as the elaborately arranged and prodigious “Life On Mars”, the sentimental “Andy Warhol”, the cheerful pop “Kooks”, the glam rock “Queen Bitch”, the innocent and playful “Fill Your Heart”, and the energetic “Changes”, all of them demonstrated the enormous creative capacity of a genius like Bowie, as chameleon-like as he was prodigious, with an extraordinary personality. His greatness lay in combining such a multitude of styles in an astonishing way without ever becoming musically incoherent. For this third release, Bowie enlisted his right-hand man Mick Ronson on guitar, Rick Wakeman on keyboards, Trevol Bolder on bass, and drummer Mick Woodmansey, and under the supervision of producer Ken Scott, they created one of the fundamental albums in the Thin White Duke's career and one of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Eloy-Dawn (1976)

Once the tour following the album "The Power And The Passion" was over, the German band Eloy almost completely disbanded, leaving only their leader, guitarist Frank Bornemann, who soon set to work reorganizing a new lineup. To this end, he recruited keyboardist Detlev Schmidtchen, bassist Klaus-Peter Matziol, and drummer Jürgen Rosenthal, with whom he entered Tonstudio Nedeltschev in Cologne to record the group's next album. "Dawn" would be the title of this new album, the band's fifth chronologically, which creatively surpassed the excellent "The Power And The Passion", showcasing a new musical direction more focused on conventional progressive rock, abandoning the spacey hard rock of their previous releases. Here, the guitars and keyboards are more fused, the arrangements are carefully structured, and the long suites and improvisations of their earlier work almost completely disappear. However, all the album's compositions are quite complex, with preconceived ideas perfectly realized in impressive tracks. The poignant "The Sun Song", the majestic "The Dance in Doubt and Fear", and the progressive "The Midnight Fight/The Victory of Mental Force" are just a few examples of the masterful canvases of an admirable album, considered one of the masterpieces of European progressive rock of all time.

Raw Material-Time Is (1971)

Let's look at another of those strange and obscure bands from the late sixties, this time a British group called Raw Material. They had a little over two years of history, but during that time they released several very interesting albums within the nascent and early prog rock scene. Raw Material was founded in London in 1969, and its lineup consisted of guitarist Dave Green, drummer Paul Young, vocalist and wind instrument player Michael Fletcher, bassist Phil Gunn, and keyboardist Colin Catt. Under RCA's progressive label, Neon Records, they released their self-titled debut album in 1970. On it, the British band showcased a fascinating array of sonic diversity with elements of jazz, blues, and psychedelic music, all bathed in a dark and atmospheric backdrop, giving it an avant-garde sound. A year later came their second and final album, "Time Is", where they reinforced their progressive approach, with a style akin to what bands like Van Der Graaf Generator or early King Crimson were doing at the time, fused with elements of powerful rock related to their contemporaries Uriah Heep or the early Deep Purple. "Time Is" stands out for its enormous sonic diversity, ranging from heavy passages with powerful guitars, organ and synthesizer sounds, and wind instruments like the saxophone and flute, to more atmospheric and symphonic developments. Tracks like "Insolent Day", "Empty House", "Ice Queen", and "Awakening" completed an album that, while not a contemporary classic, contains a solid collection of tracks focused on early progressive rock. Unfortunately, it didn't achieve much further success due to its limited commercial impact, and Raw Material disbanded shortly after the release of this interesting album.

Joe Bonamassa-Dust Bowl (2011)

The ninth album from one of the great blues guitar talents of the 21st century. Recorded after his first tour with his side project, Black Country Communion, where he shared the stage with Glenn Hughes, Jason Bonham, and Derek Sherinian. On this album, “Dust Bowl”, Joe Bonamassa once again collaborated with producer Kevin Shirley, resulting in a superb work of powerful and forceful blues. The rhythmic “Slow Train” kicks off an album so overwhelming that it doesn't leave a second's respite, and then tracks like the rock song “Black Lung Heartache”, the splendid version of Free's “Heartbreaker”, with the estimable voice of Glenn Hughes, the introspective “The Meaning Of The Blues”, the rhythmic and cheerful “Tennessee Plates”, with John Hiatt on vocals, the rhythm and blues “You Better Watch Yourself”, a cover of the great Little Walter, the dark blues “The Last Matador of Bayone” or the immeasurable “Prisoner”, an amazing blues rock version of an old Barbra Streisand song.

UFO-Force It (1975)

"Force It" is the fourth release from the British band UFO, a much harder and more forceful album than its predecessor, "Phenomenon" (1974), which featured a somewhat excessive use of acoustic guitars, despite also including some of their immortal heavy rock anthems, "Doctor Doctor" and "Rock Bottom". For "Force It", they enlisted the production of Ten Years After bassist Leo Lyons and keyboardist Chick Churchill, who also contributed Hammond organ to the melodic "Out In The Street". With Michael Schenker now fully integrated into the band, he creates dizzying melodic riffs with his powerful guitar, perfectly complemented by the power and delicate vocals of the immeasurable Phil Moog. Packed with energetic hard rock, this album solidified UFO's musical identity, as demonstrated by the vigorous tracks "Let It Roll", "Shoot Shoot", "Love Lost Love", and "Mother Mary". "Too Much of Nothing" and "Dance Your Life Away", while the atmospheric "Between The Walls", integrated into the middle part of the dominant "This Kids", adds the psychedelic note to this legendary album.

UFO-The Wild, The Willing and the Innocent (1981)

At the start of the 1980s, the British band UFO faced a new era without their lead guitarist Michael Schenker, and a year later without their keyboardist Paul Raymond. They began this new chapter with their ninth release, "The Wild, The Willing and The Innocent". To replace both musicians, they recruited guitarist Paul Chapman and keyboardist Neil Carter, with the lineup completed by the usual members Phil Moog (vocals), Andy Parker (drums), and Pete Way (bass). While this new release didn't quite surpass the brilliant and classic works of "Phenomenon", "Force It", and "Lights Out", they still managed to create a very respectable and commendable album, showcasing Chapman's consummate talent on the guitar and a series of songs that relied more heavily than usual on Phil Moog's sensational vocals. Solid and compelling songs like "Making Movies", direct and forceful rock like "Chains Chains" and "Long Home", approaches to light and commercial rock with "It's Killing Me", or the melodic song that gives the album its title, are more than enough guarantees to consider this work as one of their best works.

UFO-Mechanix (1982)

This is another classic UFO album, a record that showcases the band's unmistakable hard rock, but this time seasoned with infectious melodies and elegant arrangements courtesy of keyboardist Neil Carter. Carter, along with guitarist Paul Chapman and bassist Pete Way, are the musicians most heavily involved in the composition of most of the album's tracks. Pure hard rock anthems like "Dreaming", "Something' Else", "The Writer", "We Belong to the Night", and "All for You" alternate with intense, powerful songs like "Terri" and "Back Into My Life". In short, with this album, the London band's tenth, they delivered another memorable release, further cementing their magnificent career and confirming their status as one of the leading hard rock bands in the world.

UFO-UFO (1970)

In 1968 Pete Way (bass), Mick Bolton (guitar) and Tic Torrazo (drums) formed the "Hocus Pocus" group, then enter Phil Mogg (vocals) and Andy Parker (drums) and the band was renamed "UFO". In 1970 they recorded their first album, "UFO", and 72 come "UFO 2" and "UFO Live", these three albums were remarkably successful in countries like Japan, Germany or France.
Then Mick Bolton left the band and after trying several guitarists (Larry Wallis and Bernie Marsden), replaces a very young Michael Schenker would mark the band's sound in the coming years. In 74 released "Phenomenon" and a year later they are joined by Paul Chapman (guitar) leaving the group before the publication of "Force It" (1975). For the recording of their sixth album, "No Heavy Petting" (1976), joins the group Danny Peyronnel (keyboards, guitar) who was replaced by Paul Raymond for recording "Lights Out" (1977). This training would publish "Obsession" (1978) and the magnificent "Strangers in the Night" (1979). Michael Schenker decided to fly solo and left the group and was replaced by Paul Chapman with that record "No Place to Run" (1980). The changes are happening and Paul Raymond left the band and was replaced by John Sloman and later by Neil Carter. In 81 came "The Wild, the Willing and the Innocent" and a year later "Mechanix". In 82 Pete Way left the band and was replaced by Billy Sheehan place with which released "Making Contact" (1983) but sales are not appropriate and decide to separate.
Some time later the band would return to relive a second youth with very good albums like Walk On Water, Covenant and The Visitor among others ...
In this first album of UFO clearly noticed its roots blues mixed with psychedelia and experimentation, the road to the hard rock was still to come. The production is not very good because they counted as few resources but we can appreciate a superb Pete Way on bass. In the recording are two versions, "Who Do You Love" by Willie Dixon and "C'mon Everybody" Eddie Cochran it would be a remarkable success in Japan. Other outstanding issues would "Unidentified Flying Object", "Boogie" or "Follow you Home".

Burning Tree-Burning Tree (1990)

Led by guitarist Marc Ford, Burning Tree was a short-lived power trio that released a superb hard rock album in the 1990s, drawing inspiration from bands like Cream and The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Formed in the late 1980s, the lineup was completed by drummer Doni Gray and bassist Mark Dutton. Their only release, which came out in 1990 on the Epic label, is a clear demonstration of powerful hard rock with early 1970s psychedelic touches. Tracks like "Wings, Blues and High Heeled Shoes", "Fly On", "Mistreated Lover", "Masquerade", and "Last Laugh" showcase Marc Ford's vintage guitar talent. The album's positive reception from critics and fans opened doors for Marc Ford, leading to a call-up to the Black Crowes, another important and successful hard rock band of the 1990s.

David Bowie-The Man Who Sold The World (1970)

David Bowie's third album marked, among other things, the beginning of his glam rock journey, although it is also, to some extent, one of his most intense works, imbuing his music with a powerful hard rock sound, a style that was the pinnacle of rock music at the time. On this new album, the Thin White Duke began to gravitate towards the sounds that would forever elevate him in the following years, as would soon be proven with the iconic "Ziggy Stardust". To begin with, "The Man Who Sold the World" already features several future members of Spiders and Mars: guitarist Mick Ronson and bassist, arranger, and producer Tony Visconti, both of whom would be fundamental to this release. Released by Mercury Records in the United States, it came out near the end of 1970, while RCA Records released it in the United Kingdom (and subsequently worldwide) six months later in April 1971. The album opens with a powerful "The Width Of A Circle", a titanic, nearly nine-minute track of mighty rock, where Ronson showcases his six-string prowess. In a similar vein are the frenetic "Black Country Rock" and the orchestral and melodic "All The Madmen". "Saviour Machine", on the other hand, is a strange piece somewhere between gothic and psychedelic, while "She Shook Me Cold" is the rare exception, a chaotic, odd instrumental that might seem like it was recorded as filler to pad out the album's runtime. The final two tracks are the enchanting "The Man Who Sold The World" and the powerful "The Supermen". This third album became one of David Bowie's best works and the prelude to his most musically creative works such as the aforementioned "Ziggy Stardust" or the fantastic "Aladdin Sane", "Hunky Dory" and "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders of Mars".

Charlie Haden Quartet West-Sophisticated Ladies (2010)

Considered one of the most respected bassists and composers in modern jazz, Charlie Haden began to rise to prominence in the late 1950s as a member of saxophonist Ornette Coleman's quartet. Born in Iowa in 1937, his first forays into music were as a country singer. Around that time, Haden contracted polio, a disease that affected his vocal cords, rendering him completely unable to sing. His passion for music led him to play the double bass, developing an interest in jazz, a style that would define his entire subsequent recording and artistic career. He moved to Los Angeles and joined Ornette Coleman's quartet, a leading exponent of what became known as free jazz, and later, the trio of Keith Jarrett, pianist Hampton Hawes, and saxophonist Art Pepper. Haden also achieved great renown alongside pianists Kenny Barron and Hank Jones. From then on, his collaborations with Paul Motian, Keith Jarrett, Alice Coltrane, Carla Bley, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, John Scofield, Don Cherry, and Pat Metheny were frequent. In 2010, Haden released "Sophisticated Ladies", accompanied by a quartet consisting of Ernie Watts (saxophone), Alan Broadbent (piano), and Rodney Green (drums). This album contains some of the most iconic jazz songs of the past decades, written by legendary composers such as Duke Ellington, Gordon Jenkins, Benny Harris, Johnny Mercer, and Hank Jones, and performed by some of the finest singers of recent years. Exceptional performances in the voices of Norah Jones ("Ill Wind"), Cassandra Wilson ("My Love And I"), Melody Gardot ("If I'm Lucky"), Diana Krall ("Goodbye"), Charlie Haden's own wife, Ruth Cameron ("Let's Call It A Day") or soprano Renée Fleming ("I Love Like This").

Help Yourself-Beware The Shadow (1972)

Help Yourself (known as The Helps) was a British band with a sound close to psychedelic country. They recorded four albums in the early 1970s: "Help Yourself" (1971), "Strange Affair" (1972), "Beware the Shadow" (1972), and "The Return of Ken Whaley" (1973). For many, their third album, "Beware the Shadow", was the high point of the group's career, and it is widely admired by progressive and psychedelic music fans around the world. Help Yourself consisted of Malcolm Morley (guitar, keyboards, and vocals), Dave Charles (drums and vocals), Ken Whaley (bass), and Richard Treece (guitar, harmonica, and vocals). Listening to "Beware The Shadow", you might think these Brits are actually an American Southern rock band, and indeed, from the opening track "Alabama Lady", they sound like one, with clear influences from The Allman Brothers Band and other contemporary bands from the Southern states. In contrast, there's the sublime and psychedelic "Reaffirmation", a twelve-minute jam session in the purest Grateful Dead style. The blues-rock track "American Mother" continues to reaffirm that typical American sound, as does the folk-rock "Passing Through". However, the brief and carefree "Calapso", the Beatlesque "She's My Girl", and the frivolous country-rock "Molly Bake Bean" lack the creativity and vigor of the previous tracks. In short, these Brits have left us with "Beware The Shadow", an interesting collection of brilliant folk, blues-rock, and psychedelic tracks, with a decidedly American sound.

Van Der Graaf Generator-The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome (1977)

The departure of Hugo Banton's timeless organ and the diminished role of David Jackson's saxophone led to a profound shift in Van Der Graaf Generator's musical structures. This compelled their leader, Peter Hammill, to rework his original musical approach for the band's eighth album, "The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome", released in 1977. This album would ultimately serve as VDGG's epilogue until their return 28 years later with "Present". Abandoning the dark, lengthy compositions and the vast, chaotic musical intricacies of their earlier work, the band here strived for shorter pieces, though nonetheless of immense complexity. Guy Evans' drums, along with Nic Potter's bass, are the driving force of an album that, together with Jackson's fleeting appearance and Graham Smith's feverish violin, strikes us as the least conventional and epic work in their entire discography released in the 1970s. Tracks like the uncertain "Lizard Play" or the resilient "The Habit of the Broken Heart" offer unchallenging developments, while the Floydian "The Siren Song" or the hypnotic "The Last Frame" stand out as the album's highlights. However, we still find glimpses of their past with the frenetic "Cat's Eye/Yellow Fever (Running)", the psychedelic "Chemical World", and the intense "The Sphinx in the Face" and its closing track, "The Sphinix Returns".

The Allman Brothers Band-Idlewild South (1970)

On their second album, The Allman Brothers Band embraced a more complex and sophisticated style, a clear foreshadowing of what the band would do in the following years. The masterful fusion of blues, rock, and funk is reinforced on "Idlewild South" by a country essence, as demonstrated in the wonderful and enthusiastic "Revival", the magnificent bluesy "Please Call Home", and the folk-rock "Midnight Rider", which contrast with the powerful bluesy "Don't Keep Me Wonderin' " and "Leave My Blues At Home". We mustn't forget the incendiary version of Willie Dixon's classic "Hoochie Coochie Man", while "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed", is the band's classic tour de force, where each member has their moment of brilliance with guitar, percussion, and organ solos, making it the high point of another masterpiece from the Jacksonville-based group.

Spyro Gyra-Alternating Currents (1985)

"Alternating Currents" is one of the essential albums by the jazz fusion and smooth jazz group Spyro Gyra. Released in 1985, it was the ninth album by the Buffalo, New York-based group and the first to feature only the core lineup, without any backing musicians or guest collaborators. At that time, the band consisted of Jay Beckenstein, Tom Schuman, Julio Fernández, Dave Samuels, Gerardo Vélez, Kim Stone, and Richie Morales. Recorded at Bear Tracks Studios in New York during the first months of 1985, the group ventured into jazz-rock territory on this album without abandoning their signature jazz fusion sound. Among their repertoire of nine tracks, the excellent "Shakedown", "Alternating Current", "PG", "Heartbeat", "Mardi Gras" and "Sunflurry" stand out. In all of these songs, the band achieves an exquisite sound, particularly highlighting the contributions of Jay Beckenstein on saxophone, Tom Schuman on keyboards, and Julio Fernández on guitar. "Alternating Currents" would eventually reach number 41 on the Billboard R&B Albums chart and number 3 on the Jazz Albums chart.