Santana-Amigos (1976)

In the mid-seventies, Carlos Santana was determined to move away from the jazz-rock and fusion elements of his early albums and delve into more mainstream sounds. This trend was already evident on his seventh studio album, "Amigos", released in 1976, where the guitarist offered a blend of Latin rock, funk, soul, and R&B. Here, percussion once again takes center stage, the instrumentals are simpler with a solid rock foundation, and his guitar is more prominent than on his two previous albums ("Welcome" and "Borboletta"). Most of the vocal tracks showcase this new musical direction toward more commercial appeal. Retaining some of the pillars of his band, such as Armando Peraza, Greg Walker, Leon Chancler, David Brown, and Tom Coster, this release features several of his best-known compositions, including the instrumental "Europa (Earth's Cry Heaven's Smile)", with one of his most memorable solos, and the Latin-infused "Dance, Sister Dance". Among the rest, the funky tracks "Let Me" and "Tell Me, Are You Tired" stand out, as well as the jazz rock "Take Me With You", the latter clearly in tune with the 1970 album "Abraxas", the flamenco-Latin feel of "Gitano", and the elaborate jazz-based funk "Let It Shine".

The Hooters-Nervous Night (1985)

"Nervous Night", the second release from the American band The Hooters, is not only one of the most acclaimed albums of the 1980s, but also the one that definitively established this excellent band's status. While their debut, "Amore", released several years earlier on an independent label, failed to achieve mainstream or commercial success, with "Nervous Night", released on Columbia Records, this Philadelphia-based band crafted one of the most relaxed and carefree albums of 1985, thanks to a repertoire of songs that blended new wave, folk, melodic rock, and reggae. The lineup consisted of Eric Bazilian (guitar, keyboards, mandolin, saxophone, and vocals), Rob Hyman (keyboards and vocals), Andy King (bass), John Lilley (guitar), and David Uosikkinen (drums). The enthusiastic vocals of Bazilian and Hyman, along with the occasional use of instruments like mandolins, give them that distinctive sound, as demonstrated by pop-rock tracks like "And We Danced" and "Day By Day", the powerful rock song "All You Zombies", the dramatic "Where Do The Children Go", the melodic "Don't Take My Car Out Tonight", and the carefree "Hanging On A Heartbeat". The album's exceptional quality, coupled with two million copies sold in the North American market, cemented their status as one of the classic American pop-rock bands of the 1980s.

Spirit Of John Morgan-Spirit Of John Morgan (1969)

Spirit of John Morgan was a short-lived blues-rock band that released only three albums between the late sixties and early seventies. The lineup consisted of organist and vocalist John Morgan, guitarist Don Whitaker, bassist Phil Shutt, and drummer Mick Walker. Their origins date back to 1968 when they secured a contract with Carnaby Records, a subsidiary of British Columbia Records, and a year later released their self-titled debut album. In this first work, the fusion of different styles is more than evident, encompassing psychedelic sounds, folk, blues, and progressive elements. The opening track, "Orpheus and None For Ye", showcases their psychedelic side with organ and dark sounds reminiscent of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown. Meanwhile, the progressive blues track "I Want You", the dynamic instrumental "The Yodel", and the superb blues-rock "Yorkshire Blues" make for a consistent and highly accomplished album. The subsequent album, "Age Machine" (1970), despite containing certain elements of progressive avant-garde, was more oriented towards predictable folk and pop sounds. A year later, John Morgan recorded the album "Kaleidoscope", with a more pop-oriented sound that went completely unnoticed.

Gryphon-Red Queen To Gryphon Three (1974)

Gryphon are another of those great bands unknown to the general public. Their style fused different genres such as folk, Baroque and Renaissance music, avant-garde and medieval elements, and progressive rock. Their career was forged throughout much of the 1970s with five interesting albums, with "Red Queen To Gryphon Three" being their most celebrated work. Formed in London in the early 1970s by Richard Harvey (keyboards and flute) and Brian Gulland (bassoon), both students at the Royal Academy of Music, they shared a passion for Baroque sounds, traditional English folk, and a modern vision of Renaissance music. In 1973, guitarist Graeme Taylor and singer/drummer David Oberle joined the band, and with them, they recorded their self-titled debut acoustic album. A year later, bassist Philip Nestor joined the band, participating in the recording of "Midnight Mushrooms", an album featuring a greater number of original compositions and a clear inclination towards purer rock sounds. 1974 saw the release of the album we're discussing, "Red Queen to Gryphon Three", a concept album about the game of chess, inspired by typical classical music suites. A highly complex work, with a high level of song structure, constant changes of rhythm, and consisting of four extensive pieces performed impeccably. Medieval, folk, and Renaissance influences are all present, interpreted through flutes, bassoon, piano, organ, synthesizers, electric and acoustic guitars, and various percussion instruments. This is definitely a classic progressive rock album, where all the content is superb from beginning to end, with no single composition standing out above the rest.

Horslips-The Book Of Invasions-A Celtic Symphony (1976)

The Horslips are considered the greatest Irish progressive folk band, as well as the most acclaimed, and at their peak, they had the largest national following, surpassing other Irish legends like Van Morrison, Rory Gallagher, and Thin Lizzy. Musically related to other contemporary bands such as Jethro Tull, Fairport Convention, and Steelye Span, they coined the term "Celtic rock" like no other, basing their sound on Celtic mysticism mixed with hard rock. During the 1970s, they recorded a dozen studio albums and several live albums, with their first six releases being the most acclaimed of their entire career. Formed in the early 1970s by Barry Devlin (bass and vocals), Sean Fean (guitar), Eamonn Carr (drums), Charles O'Connor (violin, mandolin, and vocals), and Jim Lockhart (flute and keyboards), they released their first album in 1972, "Happy To Meet, Sorry To Part", which brought them considerable recognition. In the following years, they released a series of high-quality albums, such as the brilliant "The Táin" (1973), "Dancehall Sweethearts" (1974), "The Unfortunate Cup Of Tea" (1975), "The Man Who Built America" ​​(1978), and the one we're discussing here, "The Book Of Invasions - A Celtic Symphony". Like almost all their albums, this one is conceived as a concept album based on legendary stories from Ireland, Irish mythology, and pre-Christian pagan times. A work that is imbued, as could not be otherwise, with Celtic sounds like the opening track "Daybreak", while the more conventional rock-oriented tracks appear in "The Power and The Glory", accentuating its melodic folk rock sounds in the superb "Warm Sweet Breath Love" and "The Rocks Remain", without neglecting its approaches to progressive folk with the incredible "Ride To Hell".

Bill Bruford-One Of A Kind (1979)

Bill Bruford's track record in the 1970s was impressive; drums of the mythical Yes, King Crimson and U.K., playing on a dozen albums, in addition to having participated in albums by Rick Wakeman, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Roy Harper or Albsolute Elsewhere among others.
Even so he had time to publish several solo albums, "One Of A Kind" released in 1979 was his second work where he had the collaborations of Allan Holdsworth, Dave Stewart and Jeff Berlin.
The talent of all these musicians, the variable melodies and keyboard solos of Dave Stewart, together with the sensational guitar of Holdsworth well supported by the rhythm section of Bruford and Berlin make up a collection of progressive pieces seasoned with a lot of jazz experimentation, with a magnificent result between jazz rock and progressive rock.

Kiss-Rock And Roll Over (1976)

Kiss's fifth album is one of their most acclaimed releases among their millions of fans. Recorded at the Star Theatre in New York City during September and October of 1976, the venue was chosen because the band wanted to capture a live sound, especially Peter Criss's drumming. However, Criss wasn't satisfied with the initial takes, so he decided to record all the drum parts in a separate, enclosed room, communicating with the rest of the band and the sound and production engineers via video conference. The album features heavy hard rock saturated with memorable guitar riffs and suggestive lyrics. Songs like "Calling Dr. Love", "Ladies Room", "Love 'Em and Leave 'Em", "Baby Driver", "I Want You", "Hard Luck Woman", and "Take Me" are all classics for the band. The album would achieve double platinum status and its cover would become one of the band's iconic images, printed on millions of posters and t-shirts around the world.

Iron Maiden-Rock In Rio (2002)

In 2002, Iron Maiden headlined the Rock in Rio festival in Brazil once again, having participated in the memorable first festival in 1985, alongside other legendary bands such as Queen, AC/DC, Scorpions, Yes, Rod Stewart, and Ozzy Osbourne. From that year onward, Iron Maiden performed regularly in Brazil before audiences exceeding 250,000 people. The Brazilian public's devotion to the British band has always been unwavering, a relationship that has remained constant for the last four decades. And the best way to thank them for that enthusiasm and loyalty was the release of the live album "Rock in Rio", which captures the band's performance at that second festival before nearly 300,000 people. The repertoire included in this live performance features a majority of songs from the album "Brave New World", including the terrifying "The Ghost of Navigator" and the exciting "Blood Brothers", as well as classic Iron Maiden anthems such as "2 Minutes to Midnight", "Iron Maiden", "The Trooper", "Sanctuary" and "The Number Of The Beast", the epic "Hallowed Be Thy Name" and the energetic "Run to the Hills".

Ten Years After-A Space In Time (1971)

Following memorable performances at the Woodstock and Isle of Wight Festivals, Ten Years After had released the splendid albums "Cricklewood Green" and "Watt," which featured iconic songs such as "Sugar the Road", "Love Like a Man", "I'm Comin' Home", and "My Baby Left Me". Months after "Watt" came "Space in Time", an album that reflected a less intense rock sound and a greater use of acoustic elements, with a clear commercial and accessible orientation. An album almost entirely filled with acoustic guitar-driven tracks, as demonstrated by the melodic "Here They Come", "I'd Love to Change the World", "I've Been There Too", "Once There Was a Time", and "Let the Sky", while also showcasing their signature power with the blues-rock anthem "One of These Days", the rock and roll number "Baby Won't You Let Me Rock 'n' Roll You", psychedelic songs like the orchestrated "Over the Hill", and even a jazzy "Uncle Jam". In short, with this sixth album, Alvin Lee and his band displayed their eclecticism and enormous stylistic range, producing one of their most versatile works.

Ozzy Osbourne-Diary Of A Madman (1981)

In the early 1980s, singer Ozzy Osbourne announced his solo career after being kicked out of Black Sabbath in 1979 due to his drug and alcohol abuse. At the time, many doubted the viability of his future career, so when he released his impressive debut album, "Blizzard of Ozz", the controversial singer proved to the world that he was still one of the greatest frontmen in the history of heavy metal. A year later, he not only created another immortal album of the genre but also cemented Randy Rhoads' status as one of the best guitarists in metal. "Diary of a Madman" is packed with metal classics such as "Over the Mountain", "Flying High Again", "You Can't Kill Rock and Roll", "Believer", and the title track itself. In all of them, Ozzy's charismatic voice combined with Rhoads' pyrotechnic skill on the six strings, fusing the heavy metal of early Black Sabbath with the neoclassical tricks that Ritchie Blackmore developed with Deep Purple and Rainbow, make this album an absolute masterpiece of heavy metal.

Egg-Egg (1970)

Egg are one of the most influential avant-garde bands of the Canterbury sound. With three splendid albums released between 1970 and 1974, they are considered a cult band in the annals of rock music. Their style, oriented towards so-called nonsense music, is represented in the emblematic "Symphony No. 2" from their self-titled album, the breathtaking jazz-rock "Long Piece No. 3" from their second album, "The Polite Force", and the ironically galloping "Germ Patrol" and the thrilling "Enneagram" from their third and final album, "The Civil Surface". For many, Egg, composed of Dave Stewart (organ and keyboards), Mont Campbell (bass and vocals), and Clive Book (drums), represent the maturity and sophistication that many less talented, though far more commercially successful, contemporary bands lacked. In all of them are present the elements of classical music driven by organ arrangements and a sober jazz structure, which led them to create three masterpieces of germinal progressive rock.