The Small Faces-Ogdens´Nut Gone Flake (1968)

One of the quintessential mod groups was Small Faces, who, with four extraordinary albums, firmly established their influence and were the only band to challenge the kings of the genre, The Who. Formed in the mid-1960s, it all began when guitarist Steve Marriott, who already had the experience of releasing the commercially unsuccessful track "Give Her My Regards", met bassist Ronnie Lane by chance in a music shop. Their shared musical tastes soon inspired them to form a band, recruiting drummer Kenny Jones and keyboardist Jimmy Winston. Taking advantage of Winston's influence (his parents owned a famous pub), they rehearsed and played their first gigs there. Shortly after, in the summer of 1965, Decca produced their single "Whatcha Gonna Do About It", which became a significant hit on the British charts. However, it was their next single, "Sha La La La Lee", that would propel them to the top of the charts. Before this, Winston left the group and was replaced by Ian McLagan, a keyboardist with greater technical skill. With a string of more good songs charting, the group immersed themselves in early 1966 in recording their self-titled debut album, "Small Faces", which contained the aforementioned hits, as well as others like the bluesy "You Need Loving" and their cover of Sam Cooke's "Shake". By this point, the group had achieved the perfect balance, particularly with the Marriott-Lane duo, and the results were reflected in their numerous concerts throughout Great Britain. This was a time of heightened mod fervor, so it was no surprise that the group consistently sold out venues. A series of great songs, such as "All or Nothing", "My Mind's Eye", and "I Can't Make It", foreshadowed their second album, "From the Beginning" (1967). That same year, the track "Itchycoo Park" became the English response to the hippie utopias of American music arriving in Europe. Another album, also titled "Small Faces" (1967), preceded their masterpiece, "Ogdens Nut Gon Flake" (1968), a work heavily influenced by The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", but far more psychedelic, experimental, and conceptual. However, it was precisely this last album that marked the beginning of the Small Faces' final mod phase, as they disbanded a few months later, but not before releasing some excellent tracks like "The Universal", "The Journey", and "Afterglow (of Your Love)". Shortly after, Jones and Lane recruited Rod Stewart and Ron Wood to form The Faces, a band with mixed success due in part to Stewart's lack of interest, as he had begun his solo career. Nevertheless, they achieved a number one hit with the album "Ooh La La" (1973). Marriott, meanwhile, embarked on a new adventure with his band Humble Pie, which would achieve great success in the following years. Years later, in the mid-seventies, Small Faces were revived by Jones, McLagan, and Marriott, who, along with bassist Ricky Willis, formerly of Peter Frampton's band, recorded two albums with little impact: "Playmates" (1977) and "78 In the Shade" (1978).

Glass Hammer-The Inconsolable Secret (2005)

Fueled by a fascination with fantasy literature (Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and John Krakauer), which its leaders Steve Babb and Fred Schendel profess, the American band Glass Hammer has been reflecting a clear influence of 70s progressive rock in their albums for over ten years. Both musicians play a wide range of instruments, although Babb primarily handles keyboards and bass, while Schendel plays guitar and drums. While both are also vocalists, the singing duties are generally entrusted to different singers who have participated on all their albums. In 2005, Glass Hammer released their eighth album, "The Inconsolable Secret", which, in addition to their core members, featured vocalists Walter Moore and Susie Bogdanowicz, drummer Matt Mendians, and some twenty backing vocalists, guitarists, and string and wind instrumentalists. With its structured development, the band displays a remarkable balance between complexity and accessibility in this new release, where the vocals blend seamlessly into the virtuosic instrumental framework of its members. The progressive epic "The Knight of the North", the intrepid "Long and Long Ago", the medieval "Morrigan's Song", the dark "Walking Toward Doom", and the grandiose "Having Caught a Glimpse" showcase the magnificence and grandeur of this astonishing American band.

Heads In The Sky-Heads In The Sky (1981)

Despite being recorded in 1981, Heads in the Sky's self-titled album sounds more like it was created ten years earlier than it was recorded at the time, due to the lush Mellotron sounds, guitar arpeggios, and dynamic instrumental passages, all influenced by the Canterbury sound, space rock, and early 70s art rock. Heads in the Sky emerged from Canada in the late seventies, driven by multi-instrumentalist Russ Walter, who, along with several other musicians such as Steve Webster, John Cheesman, Dave Norris, and Martin Springett, released a mini-LP in 1979 titled "Poetry & Science". Two years later, with a now established band consisting of Larry Stanley (piano), Chris McKim (Mellotron), Ken Miskov (bass), plus former members Webster (cello), Fielding (drums), and Walker (guitars, keyboards, flutes, etc.), they undertook the recording of their first full-length album, which would ultimately be the last recording by this magnificent band. Echoes of Pink Floyd's more ambient side, the sound of Canterbury progressive jazz, forays into neo-progressive rock, and glimpses of classic symphonic rock parameters are what this forgotten but excellent album of the best art rock of the early 1980s offers. 

Tangerine Dream-Thief (1981)

Throughout their career, the German band Tangerine Dream also composed film scores, which musically remained true to the electronic and spacey style of their official albums. Having already composed the soundtrack for William Friedkin's 1977 film "Sorcerer", a remake of the French horror film originally titled "Le Salaire de la Peur", they returned to filmmaking four years later with "Thief", a Michael Mann feature film about a safecracker played by James Caan. The film blends mystery, elegant action sequences, and a realistic and existential narrative of suspense. In this work, Edgar Froese, Chris Franke, and Johannes Schmoelling created a repertoire that can easily be considered another organic album within their extensive discography. Replete with atmospheric synthesizer and keyboard sounds, sequenced rhythms, melodramatic and somber passages, and stunning electric guitar solos courtesy of Froese, the music perfectly encapsulates the film's plot. Tracks like the Pink Floyd esque "Dr. Destructo", the ethereal "Diamond Diary", the emphatic "Scrapyrad" and "Igeneous", and the glorious "Beach Theme" and "Confrontation" reflect and further enhance this splendid cinematic experience.

Nazareth-Rampant (1974)

The Scottish band Nazareth's continuous tours across the United States, promoting their early albums, clearly influenced the sound of their fifth album, "Rampant". In addition to various allusions to American life and culture, the album also reflected their musical roots. Recorded in Switzerland during the first months of 1974, this fifth release saw the band comprised of Dan McCafferty (vocals), Pete Agnew (bass, guitars, and vocals), Manny Charlton (guitar), and Darrell Sweet (drums) craft a work that, while showcasing their characteristic laid-back and versatile rock, leaned towards Southern rock sounds and the acoustic style typical of American rock. These American influences appear in the Southern rock track "Silver Dollar Forger", the atmospheric folk-rock song "Sunshine", and the infectious "Shanghai'd in Shanghai". On the other hand, their signature sound is present in the rock and roll anthem "Glad When You're Gone", the heavy "Loved and Lost", the intense "Light My Way" and the galloping "Jet Lag". As was customary on all their previous albums, this one also includes a cover of a song by a band other than themselves, this time the classic by The Yardbirds, "Shape of Things", reimagined here in a powerful hard rock style. With a gold record and excellent sales worldwide, this album confirmed Nazareth as one of the most popular and successful hard rock and classic rock bands of the 1970s.