Gentle Giant-Three Friends (1972)

"Three Friends" was the first of two albums Gentle Giant released in 1972 (the second being "Octopus", released eight months later). This new release, the British band's third chronologically and their first to be released commercially in the United States, is a concept album about the anxieties and bitterness of three childhood friends. Unlike their previous experimental and dark album ("Acquiring the Taste" from 1971), here they express their more rock-oriented side, abandoning medieval and complex sounds and showcasing distorted and aggressive guitars and a powerful Hammond organ throughout. The captivating opening track, the catchy "Prologue", displays this energetic facet, though dominated by keyboards that are well supported by excellent bass lines. The stellar "Working All Day", on the other hand, is driven by the dazzling saxophone of Philip Shulman, which interacts brilliantly with Kerry Minnear's ethereal keyboards. On the other hand, the melancholic "Peel the Paint" (where Ray Shulman's violin takes center stage) transports us through delightful musical passages with a touch of madness. This track contrasts sharply with the rhythmic, hard-rock-influenced "Three Friends", the beautiful "Schooldays" with its complex vocal patterns and powerful percussion, and the dense, dissonant "Mister Class and Quality". From this point on, Gentle Giant specialized in crafting works that revolved around a concept, as would be the case with "In A Glass House" (1973), "The Power and The Glory" (1974), and "Interview" (1976).

Nazareth-Exercises (1972)

Nazareth's second album is a rare bird within their extensive discography, a record that departed from the interesting hard rock sound of their 1971 debut, "Nazareth". However, that first album suffered from a lack of stylistic cohesion, a fact that was understandable and normal for a new band. This second album, titled "Exercises", appeared in mid-1972, and on it, the band comprised of Dan McCafferty (vocals), Pete Agnew (bass), Manny Charlton (guitar), and Darrell Sweet (drums), changed direction, focusing on acoustic and orchestral sounds with dark and acerbic lyrics. Right from the start, the band displays this trend with the symphonic "I Will Not Be Led", featuring a clear and obsessive allusion to the manipulation of religious sects. Following a similar pattern are "Sad Song" and "1692 (Glen Coe Massacre)", which also showcase orchestral instrumentation, but the former in a more melancholic tone and the latter in a more dramatic one. On the other hand, the more subdued, acoustic sounds arrive with the folk tracks "Cat's Eye, Apple Pie", "In My Time", "Fool About You", and "Madelaine", while the bluesy "Woke Up This Morning" and the dynamic soft rock "Called Her Name" are the most energetic moments on the entire album. This radical musical shift led to bewilderment and rejection from a large portion of their fans, which is why, with subsequent releases, the band would significantly harden their style, moving towards classic hard rock.

Jefferson Starship-Red Octopus (1975)

Jefferson Starship's second album, "Red Octopus", will forever be remembered for one of the most iconic songs in American rock: "Miracles", This hit propelled the album to multiple platinum records and became the biggest commercial success of any of the Airplane incarnations (Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, and Hot Tuna). "Red Octopus" was the second release from this new incarnation of the band, following "Dragon Fly" (1974). This album moved somewhat away from the psychedelic sounds of the original band, focusing more on mainstream rock. On this second release, Airplane's founding guitarist, Marty Balin, officially became a member of Starship and composed the brilliant ballad "Miracles", in addition to co-writing five of the album's ten songs. At that time, Jefferson Starship consisted of eight members in total, including Grace Slick (vocals), David Freiberg (keyboards), and Paul Kantner (guitar), all of whom shared vocal duties, plus contributions from guitarist Craig Chaquico, violinist Papa John Creach, bassist Pete Sears, and drummer John Barbata. However, this superb second LP didn't just rely on the excellence of the aforementioned "Miracles". It featured everything from reinterpretations of the classic Airplane sound with a funky flavor, such as "Git Fiddler", to accessible pop-rock tracks like "Sandalphon" and "Play On Love", as well as excellent melodic rock compositions like "Fast Buck Freddie" and "Tumblin' ",  and energetic songs like the rock anthems "Sweeter Than Honey" and "I Want To See Another World".

Miles Davis-Nefertiti (1968)

Just as he had done nine years earlier with the acclaimed "Kind of Blue", in 1968 Miles Davis once again gave us another seminal work of jazz, this time featuring, as before, a stellar lineup of musicians in his Quintet. On this occasion, the American trumpeter was joined by the keyboard wizard of fusion and jazz-rock, Herbie Hancock, drummer Tony Williams, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, and bassist Ron Carter. Comprised of extraordinary musical creativity, this was Miles' last great "classic" jazz album before he gradually shifted towards rock and more avant-garde and experimental sounds. However, many remnants of the hard bop of the previous decade can still be heard here, but in more acoustic tones and harmonic melodies ("Nefertiti" and "Fall"), dynamic free jazz ("Hand Jive" and "Madness"), or compositions with clear accents to standard hard bop ("Riot" and "Pinocchio"). From here, Miles Davis would choose the electronic side of jazz with psychedelic elements, wisely fusing rock and jazz, starting with the next "Miles in The Sky" (1968) and continuing with two of the masterpieces in the history of the genre, "In A Silent Way" (1969) and "Bitches Brew" (1970). 

King Curtis-Live At Fillmore West (1971)

Despite his short career, King Curtis was one of the most impressive saxophonists in American jazz. He played with iconic groups like Lionel Hampton's orchestra and was a major influence on the careers of Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, and Otis Redding, among other prominent soul artists. His style, steeped in blues, rhythm and blues, and gospel, made him a versatile musician who moved brilliantly through the purest sounds of jazz, funk, and blues. Considered today one of the quintessential cult jazz performers, he left behind some of the most fundamental works of African American music, such as his magnificent live album "King Curtis Live at Fillmore West", recorded in early 1971 with his band His Soul Inc. A few months after this recording, King Curtis was murdered under mysterious circumstances after a heated argument with a man who was loitering near his Manhattan apartment late at night.

Bob Dylan-Planet Waves (1974)

1974 was the year of the most spectacular, anticipated, and talked-about comeback in modern music history: Bob Dylan's. If it's difficult to study and analyze the reasons that might drive a great artist to remain out of the public eye for eight years (except for sporadic appearances), it's even more challenging to decipher the reasons for his return. Nostalgia? A desire to regain his leading role? The egocentric sense typical of great divas? Money? Dylan's withdrawal following his accident in mid-1966 has been studied in previous years. Bob's charisma, never inclined to explain or justify his actions, lends itself to all sorts of interpretations; therefore, the 1974 tour generated a flood of commentary, which he allowed to continue without offering any explanations. Dylan scholars reached complex but logical conclusions. Bob Dylan had been sending money to Israel under his father Abraham Zimmerman's name. His Semitic sensibilities, his Jewish roots, seemed more than enough to justify such an act. When the Arab-Israeli War broke out in October 1973, the Jewish people once again rallied around "their" cause. The need for money to finance a war, however short and triumphant it might be, as in this case, was urgent. When Bob Dylan announced his return to the road on December 12th, with a tour of twenty-one cities in the United States, the shock of the event was compounded by the prevailing political climate. The $350 million in profits was a significant sum, both for Dylan and for any cause. Leaving aside the political factor, Bob would generate a wave of news between the end of 1973 and the beginning of 1974. Dylan left his record company, CBS, and David Geffen (named "executive of the year") signed him to his label, Asylum Records. CBS's "Revenge" consisted of quickly releasing a self-titled album, "Dylan", featuring outtakes from other albums. Despite this, the LP went gold. Meanwhile, Dylan was recording his new album, "Planet Waves", with The Band. Released three years after his previous album, "New Morning", it was recorded in the studio as a cohesive work (Dylan had released a "Greatest Hits" LP and the soundtrack to the film "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid" during that period). Later in 1974, another LP, a double live recording from the "Before the Flood" tour, was released. However, in August 1974, Bob claimed he had made a mistake signing with Asylum Records, prompting CBS to quickly make him an offer, which he accepted. Bob was returning "home" with another contract and more millions. The negotiations between 1972 and 1973, which had given the impression of a Dylan overly concerned with money, and the two sudden changes, from CBS to Asylum and from Asylum back to CBS, brought Dylan's likely motives for money back into the spotlight. Throughout the tour that began in January 1974, there was speculation that the money Americans paid to see him wasn't being used to buy bullets used to kill Arabs at the hands of Jews in the Far East. These claims were never confirmed. And in the end, the only certainty was the enormous success of Bob Dylan on that triumphant tour.