Ange-Au-Delá Du Délire (1974)

Ange are one of the most important and emblematic bands in French rock history. From the early 1970s until almost the present day, they have released around thirty albums, most of them focused on avant-garde rock. Formed in the late 1960s by brothers Christian and Francis Décamps, their first two albums showcased a subtle blend of psychedelic and experimental sounds, all underpinned by humorous and sarcastic lyrics. With their third release, "Au-Delà Du Délire", they reached their artistic pinnacle, crafting a work brimming with allusions to the darker side of early King Crimson and the theatricality of Peter Gabriel's Genesis. This album is built around Christian Décamps's dark and theatrical vocals, where exuberant orchestrations and ingenuity are subject to poetic narratives, constructing evocative canvases that oscillate between the pastoral and frenetic delirium. Terrifying tracks like the lyrically scandalous "Godevin Le Vilain" or the unsettling and aggressive "Les Longues Nuits d'Isaac" transport us to the musical journeys of the Crimson King. On the other hand, "Si J'Etis Le Messie", with its demonic lyrics, reveals his anticlerical thoughts, while the sweet "Exode" provides the album's most poignant moment. In all of them, the biting lyrics written by Christian Decamps blended sarcasm, irony, anger, and obvious insinuations against the Church establishment, a fact that would lead to heavy criticism from a large segment of the wealthy and conservative French society of the time. However, all this controversy only served to increase Ange's popularity, granting them significant artistic, media, and commercial credibility.

Uriah Heep-Firefly (1977)

By 1977, Uriah Heep had nine albums under their belt, having reached the pinnacle of success and fame. These nine albums spanned everything from hard rock to progressive rock, including more mainstream FM-oriented rock. After the underrated "High and Mighty", released a year earlier, Uriah Heep underwent its first lineup changes. First, their legendary vocalist David Byron was replaced by former Lucifer's Friend singer John Lawton, and second, John Wetton was replaced by bassist Trevor Bolder. While the change in bassist didn't represent a substantial shift, the change in vocalist did, as Bolder possessed a bluesier vocal range than his predecessor. The rest of the lineup remained comprised of the band's fundamental pillars: Ken Hensley (keyboards), Mick Box (guitars), and Lee Kerslake (drums). This restructuring would be reflected in a series of songs with a clear accent to less complex classic rock as demonstrated in the classic rock songs "Who Needs Me" and "Do You Know", the attractive blues "Rolling' On", the heavy hard rock of "The Hanging Tree" and "Been Away Too Long", the catchy melodies of "Wise Man" or the nods to the past with the more progressive "Sympathy" and "Firefly".

Canned Heat-Human Condition (1978)

Canned Heat experienced their golden age in the late 1960s and early 1970s, years in which they were one of the most formidable blues and boogie-rock bands in the world, leaving behind gems of the genre such as "Boogie With Canned Heat", "Living The Blues", "Hallelujah", "Future Blues" and "Historical Figures and Ancient Heads". Throughout the rest of the 1970s, Canned Heat suffered the consequences of the public's changing musical tastes, becoming unfairly relegated to the status of blues and rock revival legends. "Human Condition", released in 1978, is the tenth album by the Los Angeles band and would be Bob "The Bear" Hite's last major contribution as the frontman of Canned Heat, as he would die several years later from an overdose of a fatal combination of heroin and cocaine. On this album, guitarist Harvey Mandel appears as a guest musician, who, along with guitarists Mark Skyer and Chris Morgan, bassist Richard Hite, and legendary drummer Adolfo de la Parra, plus the powerful vocal skills of Bob Hite, created a repertoire full of biting blues and harmonic boogie rock; "Hot Money", "House Of Blue Lights", "Just Got to be There", "You Just Got to Rock", "Human Condition" or "Open Up Your Back Door".

Chirco-Visitation (1972)

There's no doubt that for every album reviewed from the obscure and forgotten bands of the '60s and '70s, there are hundreds upon hundreds (if not thousands) of albums and groups lost in the depths of time. This is one of those strange and obscure bands about which we can offer little information today. Hailing from Westchester, near New York, it was led by drummer Tony Chirco and backed by a dozen musicians, including vocalist Anvil Roth, guitarist John Naylor, drummer Ted MacKenzie, bassist Bruce Taylor, and keyboardist Steve Foote. Their only recording, made in a New York studio, is an ambitious and complex album, featuring a dynamic rhythm section with a touch of spirituality, fuzz guitar riffs, interesting arrangements, and a clever blend of rock passages and avant-garde sounds. However, despite the music containing characteristics of progressive rock, with its well-structured and conceptual themes, it never becomes pretentious, incorporating wind instruments that lend it certain jazzy textures and complexities. Ultimately, it's another one of those little gems lost in the vastness of rock music.