Stray-Saturday Morning Pictures (1972)

Stray were a legendary British hard rock band from the early 1970s. Formed in the mid-1960s in London by singer and guitarist Steve Gadd, who, along with bassist Gary Giles, drummer Ritchie Cole, and guitarist Del Bromham, earned respect within the London blues rock scene. Thanks to their incendiary live shows, they secured a contract with Transatlantic Records, with whom they released their self-titled debut in 1970, an exuberant, guitar-driven album with progressive influences. On "Suicide", released a year later, they achieved better production, and although it lacked the raw power of their first work, they created a formidable progressive hard rock album brimming with the sounds of the Mellotron and Hammond organ. On "Saturday Morning Pictures" (1972), the album we're discussing here, the band placed much greater emphasis on composition and arrangements, with a more prominent role for synthesizers, resulting in their most progressive and melodic work. Tracks like the ambitious "Move That Wigwam", the shimmering hard rock "Our Song" and "Leave It Out", the melodic "Queen of the Sea", and the complex "How Could I Forget You" brought their first era to a close with a superb album of great British hard rock.

Frank Zappa-Sheik Yerbouti (1979)

In 1977, Frank Zappa ended his time with Warner, becoming a free agent and soon after founding his own label, Zappa Records. "Sheik Yerbouti", the first album released under his own label, almost perfectly encapsulates the endless sonic experimentation that characterizes Zappa's career. Beneath his typical sarcasm, his songs brimming with obscenities, and his politically incorrect observations, Zappa showcased his most accessible and commercial side with this double album (if his music can even be called that). The repertoire consists of tracks recorded live during the late seventies, but overdubbed in the studio with various effects and vocal lines, creating one of the best live albums of the era. Except, of course, that it's not a live album in the conventional sense. Here appear almost all of Zappa's musical facets, ranging from the obscene rock comedy "I Have Been In You", the doo-wop-acid rock blues "Broken Hearts Are For Assholes", the jazz funk "City Of Tiny Lites", the psychedelic prog "Yo' Mama", the jam rock "Rat Tomago", or the satirical pop rock "Jones Crusher". Backed by an impressive roster of renowned musicians including Adrian Belew (guitar, vocals), Terry Bozzio (drums), Napoleon Murphy Brock (saxophone, vocals), and a host of top performers from the past and present of The Mothers of Invention, "Sheik Yerbouti" became Zappa's best-selling album, with over two million copies sold—an unprecedented feat for an anti-commercial, nonconformist, and anti-establishment musician who proclaimed his weariness with most of the sanctimonious, garbage music heard on radio and TV, which is still more clearly in force today than ever before.

Ultra-Ultra (1975)

Ultra is considered an institution in San Antonio, Texas. Their explosive blend of Southern rock and hard rock propelled them to legendary status in those Texan lands. Formed in the mid-70s, their lineup consisted of guitarists Galen Niles and Larry McGuffin, vocalist Don Evans, drummer Tom Schleuning, and bassist Scott Stephens. For years, this group built a strong reputation as the opening act for many iconic bands performing in San Antonio and throughout Texas. In 1975, they recorded a five-track mini-LP showcasing their powerful hard rock, replete with magnificent twin-guitar riffs with that gritty sound and extended, outstanding solos, backed by a devastating rhythm section and an energetic, powerful voice. Unfortunately, they barely had the opportunity to officially record a full-length album, beyond this promotional mini-album with a limited run and little promotional impact, mainly due to the enormous amount of competition within the southern rock genre at that time. Years later, Monster & Rockadrome Records did them justice by reissuing this mini-LP on CD, plus additional songs the band had recorded for a later album that was never released. The original mini-album featured outstanding tracks, including "Mustants", "Android", "Battery", "Ten Years Since", and "Lamp Black, White Flight", all excellent examples of their extraordinary Texas hard rock.

Mostly Autumn-For All We Shared (1998)

From the ashes of a Pink Floyd cover band, Mostly Autumn emerged in the mid-90s, an eclectic group drawing on a wide range of influences, from Irish folk to melodic rock, hard rock, and progressive rock. Hailing from the British city of York, the band's driving force is guitarist and singer Bryan Josh, who, along with singer and acoustic guitarist Heather Findlay, guitarist Liam Davison, drummer Allan Scott, bassist Stuart Carver, keyboardist Iain Jennings, violinist Bob Faulds, and traditional instrumentalist Kev Gibbons, released their debut album in 1998. This first release showcases a rich fusion of avant-garde elements influenced by Pink Floyd and Jethro Tull, framed by Celtic atmospheres and Heather Findlay's sensual vocals. Replete with melancholic and pastoral songs, creating challenging musical environments with large doses of folk, where violins, flutes, bagpipes and other traditional instruments are the perfect counterpoint to the electrifying guitars and the subtle structures of symphonic rock.

Rush-Power Windows (1985)

"Power Windows" would prove to be one of Rush's best albums of the 1980s, highly praised by both critics and fans, and also their first collaboration with producer Peter Collins. Released in 1985, and perhaps influenced by this, the album incorporates more keyboards and synthesizers into their signature sound. Furthermore, Neil Peart adds an electronic drum kit to his usual percussion setup, opening up new possibilities in his work, and this is noticeable throughout the album. But it's most apparent at the end, in the rhythm of the fantastic "Mystic Rhythms", where one wonders if this man is truly human. The answer comes when you see him perform the song live, perfectly reproducing the percussion sequence the original album version. However, one might still wish for a greater presence of Alex Lifeson and his guitars. His contribution remains merely a token presence, not only because of his infrequent appearances on the album, but also because when he does appear, it's by giving his guitar a sound that bears no resemblance to a conventional rock guitar. The album opens with "Big Money" and "Grand Designs", and from that point on, the quality of the songs gradually and spectacularly improves with "Manhattan Project", about the project that led to the first atomic bomb, and "Marathon", about this superhuman race against oneself. The album continues with "Territories", which addresses the problems that nationalism brings to humanity, and with "Middletown Dreams", a continuation of the themes of "Subdivisions", exploring the human being trapped in an oppressive reality and routine, and their attempt to escape, even if only through dreams. The album closes with "Emotion Detector", which deals with the difficulties of living in society and relating to others naturally, and with the aforementioned "Mystic Rhythms".

Jethro Tull-The Broadsword and The Beast (1982)

Framing in the most techno era of the band, which included in addition to this "The Broadsword and the Beast", the album "A" and the later "Under Wraps", it would be a work where the wise mix of hard rock with the sounds of very avant-garde synthesizers, a risky but effective gamble by Ian Anderson.
Without being a concept album to use, the theme of the album leads us to Viking mythologies and Tolkien's tales with acoustic guitars and flutes taking a leading role, combining commerciality with the quality of the songs introduced here.
From the vigorous "Beastie" to the epic "Broadsword", passing through superb songs like "Pussy Willow", the intense "Clasp" or the extravagant "Watching Me Watching You" show an album as forceful as it is commercial that, however, was something despised by his most purist fans.

Jefferson Airplane-After Bathing at Baxter's (1967)

The third album of the Jefferson Airplane would mean their most psychedelic work, where they did a great exercise in reflection compared to their enormous and superb "Surrealistic Pillow", without giving the least importance to the fact that it meant a less commercial album.
An album that is full of complex themes and a great diversity of nuances, with melodies that contain a series of diverse and in some cases chaotic sounds.
As proof of this is "The Ballad Of You & Me  Pooneil" which is the perfect demonstration of how surprising this complex but great album is.