Spooky Tooth-The Mirror (1974)

The origins of this important British blues-rock band with progressive influences date back to late 1964, when a band called The V.I.P.'s released several singles with little success. These singles paved the way for Spooky Tooth, specifically for a group called Art, who released the album "Supernatural Fairy Tales" (1967). Just a year later, singer Mike Harrison, keyboardist and vocalist Gary Wright, guitarist Luther Grosvenor, bassist Greg Ridley, and drummer Mike Kellie officially formed Spooky Tooth, releasing their first album, "It's All About a Roundabout" (1968), on the Island label. On this first album, the psychedelic influences of their predecessor, Art, are quite evident, but the blues-rock sound that would later become the band's hallmark is also timidly emerging. The album alternated between covers and original songs, but it ultimately met with little fanfare. The same could not be said for their second album, the magnificent "Spooky Two" (1969), which managed to carve out a place for itself on the British and American charts, thanks in part to tracks like "Evil Woman" and "Waitin' For The Wind". After the album, Greg Ridley left the group to join Humble Pie. With a new bassist, Andy Leigh, they released "Ceremony" (1970), which, due to the shift towards a more electronic sound, suffered a monumental failure and precipitated the general exodus of almost all the band members. From this point on, Luther Grosvenor joined Stealers Wheels and Gary Wright founded Wonderwheel. In the middle of that same year, the group reformed with the addition of some members of Joe Cocker's Grease Band, such as Chris Stantion, Henry McCulloch, and Alan Spenner, but they were unable to revive the group's career with the recording of the album "The Last Puff" (1970). This latest failure led to the band's disbandment in late 1970. But three years later, Spooky Tooth resurfaced with a harder rock sound. The return of keyboardist Gary Wright and Mike Harrison, along with new members like singer Mike Patto, guitarist Mick Jones, drummer Bryson Graham, and bassist Ian Herbert, seemed to breathe new life into the group. With this lineup, they released the albums "You Broke My Heart So I Busted Your Jaw" (1973) and "Witness" (1973), achieving respectable sales and even better reviews, marking the band's peak period. On "The Mirror" (1974), the group recruited new members, including former Van Der Graaf Generator bassist Keith Ellis. However, despite containing strong tracks like "Kyle", "Fantasy Satisfier", "The Mirror", and "The Hoofer", it failed to achieve the desired success. In 1974 the band officially broke up, although this didn't prevent the occasional reunions with some of the original members. A year later, Island Records released the compilation album "The Best Of" (1976). Subsequently, some of the members went on to join bands such as Foreigner (Mick Jones) and The Alvin Lee Band (Bryson Graham).

Manfred Mann´s Earth Band-Angel Station (1979)

As we've mentioned before, the 1980s marked a turning point for all those bands that had achieved creative and commercial success during the 1970s. Manfred Mann's Earth Band was no exception, adapting to the changing times while preserving their original musical philosophy. It was in this context that the band, led by keyboardist Manfred Mann, released their ninth album, "Angel Station" (a title referencing a London Underground station). Mann, along with Chris Thompson (vocals), Geoff Britton (drums), Pat King (bass), and Steve Waller (guitar), created a solid work that displayed certain new wave influences and commercial sounds within their usual progressive framework. That commercial appeal is evident in the opening track, "Don't Kill It Carol", a thunderous classic rock song driven by bass, guitar, and keyboards. Another rock classic appears in their version of Bob Dylan's "You Angel You", which showcases the band's knack for performing such successful covers. On the other hand, the hypnotic and sublime "Angels at My Gate", the bluesy "Belle of the Earth", the sarcastic "Resurrection", the epic and iconic "Waiting for the Rain", and the somber "Hollywood Town" complete an album that is as enjoyable as it is commendable, at a time in history when artists had to tread carefully to avoid musical bankruptcy.

Aragorn-The Suite (1973)

Aragorn's short career lasted only a few months, just enough time to record an album that was initially released in a limited edition of fifty copies, until many years later it was rediscovered and reissued on CD. This Australian band was led by a talented classically trained musician named Oleg Dietrich, who in 1967 had begun composing a work called "The Suite", influenced by the book "The Lord of the Rings". Years later, he finished most of the composition and formed a band called Aragorn to record and officially release it. With a fully established lineup, they recorded "The Suite", a record that draws directly from the roots of British progressive rock with echoes of medieval folk and jazz. The work displays great intensity, with a sober and complex composition, featuring dense passages in a series of fluid, separate pieces that result in a hidden masterpiece of progressive rock.

Premiata Forneria Marconi-Jet Lag (1977)

With their eighth album, "Jet Lag", the Italian band Premiata Forneria Marconi forged a new musical path, abandoning their poetic lyrics and singing in English without the involvement of lyricist Peter Sinfield, who had translated the albums "Per Un Amico" (released as "Photos of Ghosts") and "L'Isola Di Niente" (released as "The World Became the World"), both for the English-speaking market. This time, the band focused primarily on the ambitious North American market, producing a work closer to the jazz fusion/rock style so popular in the late seventies. The interplay of the rhythm section, composed of Franz Di Cioccio and bassist Jan Patrick Djivas, is truly electrifying and complex, while the absence of the usual horn section, due to Mauro Pagani's departure, is compensated for by Gregory Bloch's excellent violin. Special mention must be made of Franco Mussida's guitar, displaying an unusual intensity with dizzying riffs reminiscent of hard rock. From the incredible title track, a superb progressive jazz-rock composition, to the pastoral and instrumental "Peninsula", the Italian band delves into and finds an unclassifiable sound within progressive rock, always remaining true to the essential Italian progressive approach. The vocals perfectly complement the overall musical philosophy, and while they don't quite reach the eloquence of their emblematic works, they still retain moments of grandeur. The rest of the repertoire consists of pieces that navigate between pure progressive rock ("Traveler"), highly talented instrumental exercises ("Meridiani"), and avant-garde explorations like the energetic "Left-Handed Theory". Without a doubt, "Jet Lag" is another essential work from Premiata Forneria Marconi, despite the substantial stylistic shift from their initial sound.

The Next Morning-The Next Morning (1971)

The Next Morning was a short-lived American band founded in New York City by Trinidadian guitarist Scipio Sargeant, who had emigrated to the Big Apple in the late 1960s. Once settled in the city, he formed a close friendship with guitarist Bert Bailey, and together they decided to create a band in the style of the Jimi Hendrix Experience's hard rock and psychedelic, acid blues rock. To this end, they recruited drummer Herb Bailey, organist Earl Arthur, and singer Lou Phillips. After a series of concerts in various New York venues, the band garnered significant media attention and was signed to a subsidiary of Rhino Records. With the support of this label, they recorded their first and only album at Electric Lady Studios in New York City. The final result of this album is a clear example of Jimi Hendrix's tremendous influence on the band, who, driven by a dizzying and strident organ and fuzz guitars, left a repertoire full of psychedelic and hard rock sounds, with hints of funk and soul as demonstrated in the tracks "Jam Of Love", "Life Is Love", "The Next Morning", "Changes of the Mind" or "Back to the Stone".