Jethro Tull-Heavy Horses (1978)

Following the formula of their previous album, "Songs From The Wood", Jethro Tull presented their eleventh album, "Heavy Horses", in which medieval British folk influences form the cornerstone of this release. This time, Ian Anderson emphasizes the unsustainable encroachment of urbanization into rural areas and its subsequent impact on wildlife and the countryside. This rural setting is reflected in music brimming with acoustic guitars courtesy of Martin Barre and Anderson, violins and orchestral arrangements by Darryl Way and David Palmer, and Ian Anderson's unmistakable flute. These structures underpin songs like "...And The Mouse Police Never Sleeps", "Acres Wild", "Moths", "One Brown House", and "Weathercock". However, they don't entirely abandon rock, featuring more sophisticated and energetic tracks such as the edgy "No Lubally", the semi-funky "Journeyman", and the progressive folk title track. "Heavy Horses" provided the best epilogue to a series of albums ("Minstrell In The Gallery", "Too Old To Rock'n'Roll; Too Young To Die!" and "Songs From the Wood"), where acoustic sounds and progressive folk had subtly replaced the energetic folk rock and progressive rock of "Aqualung", "Thick As A Brick", "A Passion Play" and "War Child".

Man-Be Good To Yourself At Least Once A Day (1972)

Man are undoubtedly the quintessential Welsh band. Despite their frequent lineup changes, they achieved legendary status thanks to a series of albums that resembled their American contemporaries, the Grateful Dead and Quicksilver Messenger Service, due to their long, improvised suites with riffs and extended guitar solos, their psychedelic style, and their influences from country rock and blues. In 1972, Man consisted of guitarists and vocalists Micky Jones and Clive John, keyboardist Phil Ryan, bassist Will Youatt, and drummer Terry Williams. With this lineup, they entered Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, Wales, to record their fifth album, "Be Good to Yourself at Least Once a Day". Featuring only four lengthy tracks ranging from eight to twelve minutes, this new release continues to showcase their experimental psychedelic side while achieving a greater balance between all the aforementioned styles. The relentless "C'Mon" opens this album, a true epic with doses of space rock, a shimmering Hammond organ, and explosive guitar improvisations. The instrumental "Keep on Crinting" moves between gentle country passages, the thick sounds of psychedelia, and subtle jazz touches. The astonishing acid rock track "Bananas" is another highlight, a classic from these Welsh musicians, straddling psychedelic rock and krautrock with a steady rhythm and excellent instrumental interplay. The album closes with the bluesy boogie "Life on the Road", where monumental instrumental passages and the two ingenious guitarists take center stage amidst the vocal sections.

Them-Them Featuring Van Morrison (1973)

Them was one of the most influential groups of the mid-1960s, creators of one of the genre's most famous hits, "Gloria", a true classic for many years and through countless versions by numerous artists and groups. Formed in Belfast in 1963, their original lineup consisted of Van Morrison on vocals, Billy Harrison on guitar, Alan Henderson on bass, Patrick McCauley on organ, and Ronnie Millinc on drums. Later, the group underwent several lineup changes without any impact on the band's quality, which was based almost exclusively on Van Morrison's overwhelming personality. In 1964, the group moved to London, and their first albums created a powerful climax around Morrison's personality and his almost soulful voice. "Baby Please Don't Go" and "Here Comes the Night", songs written by Bert Berns (author of other hits like "Shout" and "Hang on Sloopy"), catapulted them to stardom, but their biggest hit would be the aforementioned "Gloria", a number one hit in 1965 and one of the great songs of the 1960s. In 1965, they released their first album under the Decca label, "The Angry Young Them", which included the aforementioned "Gloria" and "Mystic Eyes", both written by Morrison, as well as covers of R&B classics. Them would go on to record many other brilliant tracks such as "Call My Name", "Here Comes the Night", "It's All Over Now", and "Baby Blue", among others. A year later came their second album, "Them Again", but in 1967, with only two albums recorded, Van Morrison disbanded the group to pursue a solo career. From then on, he became one of the most important figures in rock and blues worldwide, with a career that kept him out of the mainstream charts but placed him among the best solo artists of all time. In 1973, the compilation album "Them Featuring Van Morrison" was released, featuring the group's best songs.

Strawbs-Grave New World (1972)

Strawbs were one of the most original British bands due to their constant evolution, fusing English folk and progressive rock. Founded by guitarist and singer Dave Cousins ​​in the mid-1960s, they had to wait until almost the end of that decade to release their self-titled debut album. A year later, the addition of keyboardist Rick Wakeman gave them a more avant-garde style, steering their music towards symphonic rock, as demonstrated on "Dragonfly" (1970) and with greater emphasis on the following album, "From the Witchwood" (1971). However, after this latter release, Wakeman decided to join Yes and left Strawbs, being replaced by keyboardist Blue Weaver. Weaver, along with drummer Richard Hudson, bassist John Ford, guitarists Dave Cousins ​​and Tony Hooper, and with arrangements and production by Tony Visconti, recorded Strawbs' fourth album. In this release, the band presents a concept album about the life of man, from birth to death. "Grave New World", a title that references the novel by Aldous Huxley, contains everything from pleasant melodies, along with ironic and biting lyrics in the glorious "Benedictus", to psychedelic forays in "Queen Of Dreams", passing through the energetic guitars of "Heavy Disguise", the symphonic ballad "Flower and the Young Man", and the vigorous progressive rock of "Tomorrow", all interspersed with the folk interludes "On Growing Older" and "Ah Me, Ah My".

The Pretty Things-Savage Eye (1975)

In 1973, Led Zeppelin, along with their manager Peter Grant, founded their own record label, Swan Song Records, signing some of the most popular bands of the 1970s, such as Bad Company and The Pretty Things, who released several albums under their auspices. Focusing on the latter, The Pretty Things had maintained a very stable career since the mid-1960s with a style that navigated between psychedelic pop and proto-progressive rock. Albums like "S.F. Sorrow" (1968) and "Parachute" (1970) are considered two of the great masterpieces of the era. Even after their heyday, they continued to release commendable works focused on classic rock, such as "Freeway Madness" (1972), "Silk Torpedo" (1974), and the album we're discussing today, "Savage Eye", released in 1975 and, like the previous album, published under the aforementioned Swan Song Records. In this release, the band, comprised of Phil May (vocals), Jack Green (bass, vocals, and guitars), Peter Tolson (guitars and bass), Gordon Edwards (guitars, keyboards, and vocals), John Povey (keyboards), and Skip Alan (drums), focused on a repertoire primarily oriented towards conventional rock and the typical rock 'n' roll of the 1970s. Tracks like the monolithic, Zeppelin-esque "Under the Volcano", or the melancholic folk-pop-rock "Sad Eye", along with the grandiose "My Song", are more than enough to qualify this as a magnificent album. The rest, while not reaching the heights of the previous tracks, maintains a high level of compositional and instrumental quality, as demonstrated by the upbeat rock 'n' roll "It Isn't Rock 'n' Roll", the energetic rock of "I'm Keeping", and the relaxed pop-rock of "It's Been So Long".