Red Dirt-Red Dirt (1970)

Red Dirt was a British band formed in the late 1960s in Yorkshire, northeast England. They built a strong reputation for their spectacular concerts in clubs and pubs across the north of the country during 1969 and 1970. The band consisted of guitarist Kenny Giles, drummer Steve Jackson, bassist Kenny Giles, and the powerful vocals of Dave Richardson. Thanks to their success and the popularity of these concerts, they attracted the attention of various record labels, eventually signing a contract with the independent label Morgan Bluetown. With Morgan, they recorded their only album, which was distributed nationally by Fontana Records, albeit in a rather limited way and with minimal advertising. This single album was recorded at Morgan's London studios, where they spent twelve uninterrupted hours completing the recording and mixing. Composed of a series of songs focused on blues rock with hints of The Doors and The Magic Band, as can be heard in "Death Letter", "In The Morning", and "Problems", while the more rural sounds of Mississippi Delta blues are present in "Song For Pauline". On the other hand, "Ten Seconds To Go" and "Death Of A Dream" showcase a heavy blues rock side, and this dark album ends with the Hendrix-esque "Maybe I'm Right" and the boogie-rock track "I've Been Down So Long". Some time later, after finishing a tour across Great Britain supporting Mott The Hoople, the band returned to the recording studio for a second album that was never officially released and was later included as bonus tracks in a 2010 reissue of their only album on CD and vinyl. This single release is another of those LPs coveted by collectors, some of whom have paid small fortunes for an original copy of this obscure and lost Red Dirt record.

Mandrill-Just Outside Of Town (1973)

This album was the fourth by the African-American band Mandrill, their second release in 1973, and it continued their exploration of ethnic sounds adorned with funk, jazz, rhythm and blues, and Latin rhythms, styles they had already experimented with on their previous album, "Composite Truth". The album features an exciting mix of sounds driven by the horn section, as evidenced in the energetic funk track "Mango Meat". The fusion with exotic ethnic music is evident in "Never Die", the Caribbean-infused "Fat City Strut", and the melodic jazz-rock of "Africus Restrospectus". Other highlights include the jazzy "Love Song" and the Mediterranean-tinged instrumental "Aspiration Flame". While creatively a step below their earlier releases, this record remains a consistent and quite solid effort.

Toto-Isolation (1984)

In 1984, Toto returned with their fifth album, "Isolation", a work that already showed signs of a certain lack of creativity compared to their previous, multi-platinum recordings. To begin with, the band debuted a new singer, Fergie Frederiksen, who replaced Bobby Kimball, and a new bassist, David Hungate, who replaced Mike Porcaro. This brought the group's family dynamic to three brothers (four if we count Joe Porcaro, who appears here as a guest) as permanent members of Toto. The rest of the lineup remained Steve Lukather (guitars and vocals), David Paich (keyboards), Steve Porcaro (keyboards), and Jeff Porcaro (drums). These changes would result in a substantial shift in the band's characteristic style, steering their sound towards a much harder and more energetic direction. This shift is clearly evident in tracks like the opening "Carmen" and subsequent songs such as "Lion", "Angel Don't Cry", "Change of Heart", and "Isolation", which nevertheless retain the melodic elements so characteristic of the Californian band. On the other hand, the addictive and catchy "Stranger in Town" (which would become the album's hit) and "Holyanna," along with "Endless" and "How Does It Feel", are the tracks that most closely resemble Toto's usual and irresistible style.

UFO-Phenomenon (1974)

After two experimental albums brimming with psychedelic sounds infused with blues and hard rock, UFO had to reconsider their musical direction given the limited commercial success of both records. It was just after the release of their second album, "UFO 2: Flying", and while touring Germany, that vocalist Phil Moog, drummer Andy Parker, and bassist Pete Way were struck by the talent of a young guitarist named Michael Schenker. At the time, Schenker was playing with the up-and-coming band Scorpions, who had already released their debut album, "Lonesome Crow", which had established them as one of the most promising acts in the new wave of European hard rock. In a bizarre turn of events, Michael Schenker ended up joining the British group, replacing guitarist Bernie Marsden, who was temporarily filling in for Mick Bolton, who had left the band shortly before the aforementioned tour. With this new lineup, UFO recorded their third album during the final months of 1973 and the beginning of 1974 at Morgan Studios in London, produced by Ten Years After bassist Leo Lyons. It was released in March of that year by Chrysalis Records. On this third release, the band moved away from the heavy blues and space rock of their previous two albums, focusing their sound on Schenker's guitar prowess and brilliant hard rock songs. The album contains some of the tracks that would later become UFO anthems, such as the infectious "Doctor Doctor" and the powerful "Rock Bottom". In addition to these two formidable pieces, it also featured the energetic and psychedelic "Space Child", the hard-hitting rocker "Oh My", the complex "Built For Comfort", and the rhythmic "Too Young To Know". With “Phenomenon”, UFO ushered in a new era with a more carefree and intense style, as well as being more effective and dynamic, which would bring them many years of success with albums that would go on to enrich some of the golden pages of hard rock and heavy metal.

Asia-Aria (1994)

In 1994, Asia, led by Geoff Downes and John Payne, confirmed the melodic hard rock trend of their previous work with the release of their fifth album, "Aria", undoubtedly their heaviest and most energetic release to date. Although little remained of the early Asia sound, Downes' keyboards still possessed enough character to give this new release the band's signature sound. In addition to Payne (bass, guitars, and vocals) and Downes (keyboards), the band included drummer Michael Sturgis and guitarist Al Pitrelli, the latter undoubtedly the main architect of the album's power and vigor. Featuring another spectacular cover designed by Roger Dean, "Aria" showcases a range of tracks, from vintage pieces with the unmistakable sound of their early work, such as "Sad Situation", to energetic rock anthems like "Anytime", "Military Man", "Don't Cut The Wire", "Are You Big Enough?" and "Remembrance Day", thunderous ballads like "Feels Like Love", and tentative forays into progressive rock with "Desire" and the title track. While "Aria" doesn't quite surpass the creativity of their "classic" albums, it remains one of the most coherent and solid works in the legendary British band's discography.

Iron Maiden-Brave New World (2000)

In 2000, the classic Iron Maiden lineup returned, joined by Janick Gears, who had already played on the previous four albums. This marked the return of Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith, and also the return of the best progressive and epic heavy metal so characteristic of the British band. From the addictive "Wicker Man", with its captivating triple-guitar riffs and irresistible vocal choruses, to the epic "The Thin Line Between Love and Hate", the sextet of Bruce Dickinson, Adrian Smith, Janick Gears, Steve Harris, Nicko McBrain, and Dave Murray created another tremendous heavy metal album, a true masterpiece composed of fantastic songs with intricate instrumental arrangements and sublime progressive elements. In addition to the aforementioned songs, other highlights include the hard rock anthem "The Fallen Angel", the inspired "Ghost of the Navigator", the irresistible and memorable "Blood Brothers", the epic "The Nomad", and the sophisticated "Dream of Mirrors". With this twelfth album, Iron Maiden once again reached the pinnacle of their long career, evolving and progressing beyond their punk and metal roots, crafting another of their finest achievements within progressive heavy metal.

Someones Band-Someones Band (1970)

Someones Band is another of those strange bands that emerged in the late sixties with little impact beyond the release of a single album and little else. This one, however, is even stranger due to its unique and unusual history. Formed from an advertisement in Melody Marker, they recorded their only album in a single night session with an unknown independent producer and released it under the Decca Records label in a limited edition. This ephemeral group consisted of vocalist and percussionist Cecil James, drummer Woody Martin, guitarists John Coxen and Melvin Buckley, and bassist Terry Powney. Their sole album is a magnificent collection of progressive blues tracks, with hints of country and psychedelic sounds. Tracks like the opening “Country Ride”, a psychedelic blast complete with a drum solo, the progressive blues “How It Began”, the hypnotic “Blues For Brother E”, the psychedelic blues “Fourth I Wanna Go Where I Belong”, the country-tinged “Manhunt”, and the jazzy “Give It To You”, demonstrate that, despite not showcasing anything extraordinary or exceptional a common theme in many albums and groups of that era it is the sum of their entire repertoire that makes them unique and enduring. This magnificent collection of progressive blues rock from these Londoners has become another of those rare and coveted LPs for music lovers and fans of obscure bands from the 60s and 70s.