Blue Oyster Cult-Fire Of Unknown Origin (1981)

After the mediocre album "Mirrors", Blue Oyster Cult needed to revive their career, a trajectory that had elevated them to the pantheon of rock music with superb hard rock and psychedelic albums in the first half of the 70s. To this end, they set to work and decided that their next projects would feature Martin Birch, who would take the reins of production and push them back to the level they deserved. "Cultosaurus Erectus", released in 1980, recaptured some of that essence with an impeccable sound where the instrumental passages once again became the band's main attraction. But it was with their next album, "Fire Of Unknown Origin", that they would definitively rise from the ashes with a masterful record, where keyboards take center stage to create a dark yet highly effective atmosphere. Fans received this album with great enthusiasm thanks to tracks like the melodic "Burnin' For You" or "Joan Crawford", the rhythmic "Veteran of Psychic Wars", the frenetic "After Dark", the hard rock "Heavy Metal: The Black and Silver" or the old-school "Sole Survivor", songs with which they returned to the sounds they left behind with the album "Spectre" and expressed their intentions about the path to follow.

Vangelis-Voices (1995)

In the 1990s, Vangelis finally abandoned the experimentation he had displayed in his work during the 1970s and 80s, years in which his symphonic avant-garde style permeated most of his compositions. At this point, the Greek musician based his style on ethereal music, built on more grandiose chords, with superb orchestral arrangements and lyrical choirs, which, far from being pretentious, are simply the result of his many years of continuous experimentation. With his twenty-seventh album, Vangelis takes a further step, giving the human voice a prominence never before seen. Navigating between melodic sounds and soothing new-age music, Vangelis presents a series of atmospheric and fluid pieces, with beautifully haunting lines and an omnipresent mysticism. This time, he enlists the collaboration of various voices, including Caroline Lavelle, Stina Nordenstam, the Athens Opera Chorus, and singer Paul Young. Pompous pieces like "Voices" contrast with the ethereal atmospheres of the Celtic "Come To Me", the beautiful melody of "Ask The Mountains", the evocative "Losing Sleep (Still My Heart)", the paradisiacal "Prelude", and the spacey "Dream In An Open Place".

Johnny Winter-Johnny Winter (1969)

In the late sixties, guitarist Johnny Winter definitively joined the small group of white musicians who were driving the electric blues movement. Names like Mike Bloomfield, Canned Heat, John Mayall, and Al Kooper, among others, had already begun to master the restricted core of blues as Black music and started to popularize it among a massive white audience. Johnny Winter, for his part, had been in San Francisco for some time, where he had collaborated with Janis Joplin and Quicksilver Messenger Service, but his stay there was short-lived. His desire to evolve led him to New York, where he met Jimi Hendrix himself, who secured him a lucrative contract with Columbia Records. All of this culminated in Johnny Winter's debut album, recorded in Nashville and titled "Johnny Winter" (1969). On this first album, the guitarist collaborated with his brother Edgar and the legendary bluesmen Willie Dixon and Sharkey Horton. Here, the guitarist presented his credentials at the peak of his talent, unleashing a torrent of energy and performing both his own compositions interspersed with covers. The visceral blues-rock track "I'm Yours and I'm Hers" is a declaration of intent and a masterpiece of slide guitar, while other songs like the raw hard rock blues "Leland Mississippi Blues" contrast with the acoustic blues of "Dallas". Among the standout covers are B.B. King's "Be Careful With a Fool", which Winter transforms into a powerful and carefree blues, Ray Charles' rhythm and blues ballad "I'll Drown in My Tears", and his brilliant rendition of the traditional rural blues "Good Morning, Little Schoolgirl". This debut album by Johnny Winter is undoubtedly his masterpiece, the work that would forever cement his place as one of the greatest bluesmen in the history of the genre.

Charlie Byrd-Brazilian Byrd, Music Of Antonio Carlos Jobim (1965)

Charlie Byrd is one of the legendary jazz guitarists who, throughout his long career, explored countless styles ranging from bossa nova and Latin jazz to swing. In 1965, he conquered the charts and the hearts of millions around the world with one of his most emblematic works, "Brazilian Byrd", a collection of immortal songs by the Brazilian artist Antonio Carlos Jobim. Iconic tracks such as "Jazz 'n' Samba (Só Danço Samba)", "Corcovado", "Samba Do Avião (Jet Song)", "The Girl from Ipanema", and "Dindi" are beautifully framed by captivating arrangements courtesy of Tommy Newson. In all of them, the sound of jazz in the style of bossa nova and lounge music is brilliantly layered with a dreamy trumpet, Byrd's melodic guitar, and the accompaniment of a string, brass, and wind orchestra.

Screaming Trees-Sweet Oblivion (1992)

Rooted in the grunge sound of the late eighties, Screaming Trees had a difficult start. Their musical vision wasn't always understood by a large part of the general public, and it wasn't until well into the following decade that they began to gain recognition from both the public and specialized critics. "Sweet Oblivion" was their definitive breakthrough, where they definitively left behind their dense, dark rock with psychedelic touches and garage sound, moving towards a hard rock typical of the seventies. This album contains a very attractive collection of tracks such as the superb "Shadow Of The Season", "More Or Less", "No One Knows", "Nearly Lost You", and "Butterfly", together forming their best work, which paved the way for them on the North American charts, reaching a surprising fourth place on the Billboard charts and selling over three hundred thousand copies in the American market alone.

Unicorn-Blue Pine Trees (1974)

With a harmonious blend of folk and country rock, Unicorn was an excellent band that, in 1974, gained the approval of guitarist David Gilmour (Pink Floyd), who went on to produce their second album and even play sporadically on it and their next recording. This British group had been performing for several years under different names (The Senders, The Pink Bears, and The Late Edition) before settling on Unicorn. Signed to Transatlantic Records, they released their debut album, "Uphill All the Way", showcasing their distinctive style, which drew influences from American bands like America, Poco, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. A style heavily influenced by American musical roots, blended with the pastoral sounds of British folk, and complemented by harmonious vocals and refined melodies, made "Blue Pine Trees" and its follow-up, "Too Many Crooks", two little gems of the American country/folk rock genre that sadly went unnoticed. This second album features beautiful folk melodies such as "Autumn Wine," "Just Wanna Hold You", "The Farmer", "The Ballad of John and Julie", and "Blue Pine Trees", tracks that perfectly counterpoint the rhythmic country rock songs "Holland", "Nightingale Crescent", "In The Gym", "Volcano" and "Rat Race".

Odin-Odin (1972)

Odin were another of those fantastic, short-lived bands that, with only one album released, have become cult progressive rock acts. Founded in the early seventies, these Brits created an admirable work on their sole album, focused on progressive hard rock with influences from the late sixties psychedelic movement. However, since their base of operations was in Germany, they were categorized within the krautrock movement, also due to their avant-garde style driven by heavy guitars and the prominent Hammond organ. The band consisted of keyboardist and vocalist Jeff Beer, guitarist and vocalist Rob Terstall, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Stuart Fordham. Signed to Vertigo Records, they released their only album in 1972, revealing a style closer to the progressive hard rock of British bands like Deep Purple and Quatermass. The masterful organ and guitar lines predominate in songs like "Life Is Only", while the jazzy "Tribute to Frank", an ode to Frank Zappa, becomes the most hypnotic track on the album. This vein is further enhanced by the atmospheric "Eucalyptus", which leads into a thrilling, progressive cover of Quatermass's "Gemini". The album concludes with the serene folk "Be The Man You Are" and the heavy, dark, psychedelic "Clown". Without a doubt, this album is one of the lesser-known gems of British progressive rock, mistakenly categorized within the German krautrock movement.