Shaw & Blades-Influence (2007)

Jack Blades and Tommy Shaw are two illustrious American musicians with extensive careers as founding members of two of the most legendary and successful hard rock bands in the world: Night Ranger and Styx, respectively. In the early 1990s, both musicians took a break from their main bands and joined Ted Nugent and Michael Cartellone to form the supergroup Damn Yankees. With them, they released two commercially and artistically significant albums: "Damn Yankees" (1990) and "Don't Tread" (1992). After this project ended, the two musicians decided to continue as a duo and created the melodic rock band Shaw & Blades. In 1995, the duo released their debut album, "Hallucination", showcasing acoustic rock and impeccable harmonies, as demonstrated in tracks like the irresistible and outstanding "My Hallucination", "I'll Always Be With You", "Come to Be My Friend", "I Stumble In", and "How You Gonna Get Used to This". The album's subsequent success encouraged them to collaborate on a new record. However, contractual issues with their respective bands put the project on hold until twelve years later, when they reunited to record "Influence." This album is a collection of covers, all of them rock classics, which were among their early musical influences. Here the duo presents tracks of the caliber of Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sound Of Silence", Steely Dan's "Dirty Work", Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth", Emerson, Lake & Palmer's "Lucky Man", Seals and Crofts' "Summer Breeze", The Zombies' "Time of the Season", Yes' "Your Move", and The Mamas and The Papas' "California Dreamin' ", all performed with precision and refinement, featuring crystalline acoustic guitars, light percussion, subtle keyboards, and captivating vocals just the right ingredients for the album to be a huge success and become a little gem of melodic rock.

Keith Jarrett-The Köln Concert (1975)

Keith Jarrett is considered one of the greatest jazz pianists, dubbed by many critics the "Bach" of jazz, thanks to his exceptionally meticulous style of spontaneous instrumental solos. He began piano lessons at just two years old, and by seven he was already giving solo concerts. In 1962, at only 16, he gave a concert of more than two hours, composed entirely by himself. During the 1960s, he performed and collaborated with jazz greats such as Chet Baker, Art Blakey, Charlie Haden, Gary Burton, Miles Davis, and Charles Lloyd, among many others. In the early 1970s, Jarrett began to lean towards an acoustic style while continuing to diversify his creativity and explore avant-garde sounds. His album "Facing You" for ECM is an example of this decidedly minimalist period. He subsequently began a series of recitals for ECM, achieving great acclaim and increasing public interest. “The Köln Concert” captures the recital the pianist gave on January 24, 1975, at the Cologne Opera House, which was released later that year by ECM, the label headed by Manfred Eicher. It comprises 66 minutes of extended, intensely rhythmic improvisations with feverish and lyrical passages and a cathartic outpouring of emotion. The album achieved such renown that it remains the best-selling album of unaccompanied piano music to this day.

Kansas-Somewhere To Elsewhere (2000)

In 2000, after nearly 20 years apart, the original members of Kansas reunited to record a new album, much to the delight of their most devoted fans. A lot had changed since 1980's "Audio-Visions", which marked the end of a series of memorable works. While the band, with different lineups, released albums throughout the 1980s and 1990s, all of them were met with some rejection from a segment of their fanbase due to the different musical direction they had taken, moving away from their original progressive rock and American rock sound. Thus followed smaller albums like the mediocre “Vinyl Confessions” (1982) and “Drastic Measures” (1983), concept albums like the commendable “In the Spirit of Things” (1988), and forays into AOR and hard rock sounds such as “Power” (1986) and “Freaks of Nature” (1995). Throughout those years, the constant coming and going of new members was a defining characteristic of Kansas; among others, guitarist Steve Morse, singer John Elefante, violinist David Ragsdale, and bassist Billy Greer joined. It's no wonder, then, that the unprecedented anticipation surrounding the reunion of the band's most classic and successful lineup from Topeka was so high. This included guitarist and driving force Kerry Livgren, along with their longtime vocalist Steve Walsh, bassist Dave Hope, and violinist and singer Robbie Steinhardt. Also present were the only two members who had remained all these years: guitarist Rich Williams and drummer Phil Ehart, with the collaboration of another illustrious member, bassist Billy Greer. Focusing on "Somewhere to Elsewhere", the band attempts to recreate their classic 70s sound, harking back to their roots in their glory days, or at least momentarily. Not only did Kerry Livgren return to the fold as the author of all the material composed on this album and as the leading exponent of guitars and keyboards, but Robbie Steinhardt also solidified his return, resuming a crucial role in the band's new repertoire. Even Dave Hope took on his crucial role as bassist on a couple of tracks. However, it's Billy Greer who handles the majority of the guitar work on this album, even debuting as lead vocalist on "Look at the Time". It would be overly optimistic to claim that the band matches their best 70s recordings with this work; however, this is a brilliant recording that brings back the old vintage Kansas sound that we all thought was buried forever. The album begins with "Icarus II", which, despite references to the original "Icarus" theme from the 1975 album "Masque", is not a simple revision, but a new composition that, in addition to maintaining the epic feel of the previous one, is more introspective and melancholic, even in the heavy, swaying final interlude. The following tracks, “When The World Was Young” and “Grand Fun Alley”, are two powerful, melodic, and catchy rock songs, while “The Coming Dawn” is a beautiful symphonic mid-tempo piece that somehow evokes the classic “Dust in the Wind” from the late 70s. At this point, two tracks emerge that demonstrate the band's epic splendor: “Myriad”, a song that actually dates back to the band's early years but was never included on any of their albums, and “Distant Vision”, which equals the former in beauty, complexity, orchestral delicacy, and evocative passion, both under the influence of Livgren's strong Christian beliefs. In these two tracks, Walsh reminds us what a great vocalist he is and always has been, with those emotional tones that perfectly complement Livgren's intellectual insights. In contrast, the Beatles-esque tracks "Look at the Time" and "Byzantium" are the most extravagant cuts, departing somewhat from Kansas's usual sound, the latter with its exotic atmospheres inspired by Arabic and Turkish traditions. In "DST Blues," the band revels in a superb, catchy blues number, where Reinhardt's vocals and violin shine, while "Not Man Big" is the album's brilliant closer, a truly energetic finale to an album full of intense material, with diverse sonic nuances, resulting in a magnificent work both musically and lyrically.

Eric Clapton & B.B.King-Riding With The King (2000)

Eric Clapton's passion for the blues dates back to his years with John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers, continuing through his time with the legendary Cream, Blind Faith, and Derek and The Dominos, in addition to his countless collaborations and contributions to his solo albums. While in previous works like the formidable "From The Cradle", Clapton had delved deeply into the roots of the blues, with "Riding With the King", the British guitarist demonstrates his respect and fascination for the genre by recording this album with the admired B.B. King. Besides these two geniuses, the album features collaborations with prestigious musicians such as guitarists Andy Fairweather Low, Jimmie Vaughan, and Doyle Bramhall, keyboardist Joe Sample, bassist Nathan East, and drummer Steve Gadd. In this superb album, Clapton and King manage to blend together perfectly, as could not be otherwise, to give us delightful pieces such as "Come Rain Or Come Shine", "Ten Long Years", "Key to the Highway", "When My Heart Beats Like a Hammer" or "Three O'Clock Blues", achieving with all of them an exquisite album of the best blues, crafted by two of the greatest guitarists in history.

Rik Emmett-RES9 (2016)

"RES9" is the title of the thirteenth studio album by former Triumph guitarist Rik Emmett. By this point, Emmett had long since moved beyond the hard rock style with progressive elements that characterized his work with his original band in the 1970s and his early solo releases in the 1990s. In these later works, the Canadian prefers to focus on classic rock and blues rock, with an intense sound full of elegant and sophisticated arrangements. Backed by a band comprised of Dave Dunlop, Steve Skingley, Paul Delong, and featuring guest appearances by Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson and Dream Theater singer James LaBrie, the album offers energetic compositions such as the blistering tracks "Stand Still" and "End of the Line", the mid-tempo "I Sing", and the bluesy "When You Were My Baby" and "The Ghost of Shadow Town".

Touch-Touch (1969)

Touch were one of the first American progressive and avant-garde rock bands, but they have remained unjustly buried and forgotten under the shadow of so many other, more media-savvy contemporary groups. Founded by former Kingsmen member Don Gallucci, famous for his timeless guitar riff in the 1963 song "Louie Louie", and former members of Don & The Goodtimes, Jeff Hawks (vocals) and Joey Newman (guitar), they wanted to move away from the limitations of typical 1960s pop songs and delve into more daring and avant-garde compositions. As a result of this union, Touch was born. With the addition of bassist Bruce Hauser and drummer John Bordorano, they recorded a self-titled album between late 1967 and early 1968. This, their only released album, would be highly praised by legendary figures such as Jimi Hendrix, Jon Anderson (singer of Yes), and Kansas guitarist Kerry Livgren, all of whom stated that it was one of their main influences early in their careers. Composed of an amalgamation of sounds that ranged from psychedelic rock to rather pretentious progressive rock, with hints of carefree pop but also a touch of self-indulgence, it is a historical sonic document that, although it may sound somewhat primitive today, contains great performances and commendable arrangements concepts that would later be reflected in the releases of many British progressive rock bands and underground sounds.

Styx-The Grand Illusion (1977)

If there's one band that perfectly captured the theatricality of rock, it was undoubtedly the American group Styx. In their early days, they focused on a progressive rock style rooted in American music. As the years went by, Styx evolved their style, moving towards a less bombastic and more catchy sound, bordering on adult-oriented rock, but maintaining their complex and theatrical compositions. Albums like "The Serpent Is Rising", "Man of Miracles", "Equinox", "Crystal Ball", "The Grand Illusion", "Pieces of Eight", "Cornerstone", and "Paradise Theater" are considered essential works of American rock. In 1977, Styx were at the peak of their career, and that year they released their seventh album, "The Grand Illusion", which would become one of their greatest creative and commercial achievements. This excellent work fused classic rock and art rock, achieving triple platinum status for over three million copies sold in the North American market. Styx's appeal in this release lies in its great sonic diversity, where, under a wide range of styles and musical influences, the album spans from vigorous and powerful sounds like "Miss America" ​​to canvases of progressive dynamism like "Superstars", passing through the instrumental complexities of "The Grand Illusion", the melodic rock of "Come Sail Away", epic progressive pieces like "Castle Walls", and compelling hard rock like "Man in the Wilderness".

Goblin-Roller (1976)

Goblin was an Italian band that oriented its music mainly to horror movie soundtracks with dark, intriguing and progressive sounds, but also released some albums outside the film industry.
Formed in Rome in 1972 during their career they have been dissolved several times and reunited in the last 40 years.
His first and most classical formation was comprised of the guitarist Massimo Morante, the keyboardist Claudio Simonetti, the bassist Fabio Pignatelli and the drummer Walter Martino, however throughout his long career there have been innumerable line-up changes to the point that they have There have been records that have been recorded by totally different lineups. His first job was for the soundtrack of the 1975 movie "Profondo Rosso", a short job, barely 30 minutes, but where the gloomy sounds full of organs are already sensed with an approach to jazz sounds, atmospheric passages and great moments of guitars, bass and drums.
“Roller” released a year later was already a conventional album without the pressure of a Dario Argento behind it, and it showed a progressive style influenced by the British bands of the genre. Pink Floydian atmospheres, sounds in the vein of Mike Oldfield's “Tubular Bells”, long spacious passages with funk and rock tones, all with great instrumental performances by the band's musicians. Turned into a cult album for progressive fans, Goblin has continued to release both film-directed discs and mainstream parallel works, reaching his late twenties all these years.

Can-Future Days (1973)

"Future Days" is the fourth studio album by the German band Can, released in mid-1973. This album perfectly exemplifies Can's sound, with its unique and ambient style of percussive, dreamlike, and relaxing passages. In those years, many called it music for the mind and meditative music, full of hypnotic and intoxicating sounds. Can's lineup for this fourth release consisted of Damo Suzuki (vocals and percussion), Michael Karoli (guitar and violin), Irmin Schmidt (acoustic keyboards and synthesizers), Holger Czukay (bass), and Jaki Liebezeit (drums). Although the entire album is imbued with dreamy vocals, hypnotic rhythms, and organic music, there are also some chaotic moments, such as in the second half of the title track, while other pieces like "Spray" approach space rock with rich electronic textures that blend with the strange sounds of the guitars. The heavy, funky track "Moonshake", on the other hand, is an experimental piece with a steady rhythm driven by bass and drums. However, it's the suite "Bel Air" that's the album's high point, an ambitious piece that could be described as "organic and ambient progressive funk". In it, the musical energy builds within a calm and hypnotic atmosphere, shifting moods and filled with improvised and haunting passages. With this work, Can demonstrated their mastery of innovation and experimentation, creating one of the essential krautrock albums.

Delaney & Bonnie-Delaney & Bonnie & Friends On Tour with Eric Clapton (1970)

Delaney & Bonnie went on to have one of the most exciting careers in rock. Their powerful sound led some of the best musicians of their time to join them for one of the most spectacular tours of 1970. This duo was formed in the mid-60s by Delaney Bramlett and Bonnie Lynn, who had already gained experience playing with Albert King and Fontella Bass. The duo, who were also married, released their first album in 1968 on Stax Records with Booker T and the MG's as their backing band. A change of record label led them to form a new backing band called Friends; this included Leon Russell, Rita Coolidge, Duane Allman, Jerry McGee, Bobby Whitlock, and Jim Keltner, among other prominent musicians from the California rock scene. This impressive lineup of collaborators alone explains the enormous success of the album "Accept No Substitute - The Original Delaney & Bonnie", released in 1969. This album quickly became a seminal anthology of soul, blues, gospel, and country, brimming with courage and nostalgia. Widely acclaimed by critics and audiences alike, the duo soon enlisted three new collaborators: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Dave Mason. The culmination of this remarkable reunion was a triumphant European tour, captured on the live album "Delaney & Bonnie & Friends On Tour" in 1970. Following the tour, all the musicians returned to their individual pursuits, and the duo continued their career with a few less significant albums until their final split in 1973.