Asia-Alpha (1983)

A year after their extraordinary debut, the supergroup Asia released their second full-length album, "Alpha". Composed almost entirely of shorter compositions, this album, unlike its predecessor which combined elements of progressive rock with appealing soft rock melodies, focuses on a more commercial and accessible sound, showcasing a melodic rock style very close to AOR. This would be the second album with the classic lineup of John Wetton (bass and vocals), Steve Howe (guitars and vocals), Geoff Downes (keyboards and vocals), and Carl Palmer (drums). Twenty-five years would pass before another album from this same lineup ("Phoenix" 2008). With a more corporate and commercial tone, the band faced an album that would be partly weighed down by the enormous success of their debut despite containing an interesting amalgam of excellent songs such as the catchy "Don't Cry", "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes", "The Heat Goes On", "Eye To Eye", "Midnight Sun" or "True Colors", while the only remnant of the sounds of the progressive past is found in the brilliant "Open Your Eyes".

Flower Travellin´Band-Make Up (1973)

"Make Up" was the fourth album by the Japanese band Flower Travellin' Band, a double LP recorded due to contractual obligations with Atlantic Records. However, by the time they entered the recording studio, the band, led by percussionist Akira Yamanaka, didn't have enough material to fill all four sides of the double record. As a result, some of the tracks included here are live recordings and other takes that had been discarded from their previous albums. This hodgepodge of material gives the album a certain incoherence, despite containing memorable moments of great psychedelic hard rock and space rock. It begins with the vigorous, driving exercises in heavy rock, propelled by Nobuyuki Shinohara's Hammond organ and Hideki Ishima's lysergic and visceral guitar. Along this path are tracks like "All The Days", "Make Up", and "Slowly But Surely", which contrast with the more subdued "Shadows Of Lost Days", "After the Concert", and "Broken Strings". But it's the epic live recording of "Hiroshima" that best showcases Flower Travellin' Band's crushing hard rock during twenty-five chaotic and visceral minutes, where there's even time for a powerful drum solo by percussionists Akira Yamanaka and Joji Wada.

The Oscar Peterson Trio-Night Train (1963)

Canadian Oscar Peterson is one of the legends of modern music. He managed to bring jazz to a wider audience like almost no one else, thanks to his remarkable ability to musically synthesize a style that had previously been reserved for a select and small public. Born in Montreal in 1925, he was already a talented child playing piano and trumpet at just five years old. Thanks to his classical music studies, young Oscar showed a keen interest in swing, bebop, and boogie-woogie. Influenced by the great Art Tatum, by the late 1940s he was already a renowned musician thanks to his impressive technique and improvisational skills on the piano. During those years, he released his first recordings on labels like Victor Records, and collaborated with jazz legends such as Louis Armstrong, Stan Getz, Joe Pass, Count Basie, and Ella Fitzgerald, among many others. During the 1950s, his trios were among the most sought-after and famous groups in the jazz world, and it was precisely the trio he formed with Ray Brown (bass) and Thigpen (drums) that recorded one of the most emblematic albums of modern jazz: "Night Train", released in 1963 on the Verve label. This recording showcases Peterson's captivating playing style, revealing him at the height of his career as an absolutely masterful pianist. Pieces like the bebop "Bag's Groove", the leisurely "Night Train", the rhythmic "C-Jam Blues", the heartfelt "I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)", and the bluesy "Band Call",  reflect the excellence of the Oscar Peterson Trio on an album considered one of the masterpieces of jazz of all time.

Asia-Aura (2001)

Five years after their sixth studio album ("Arena" 1996), Asia reappeared with "Aura" in 2001, a work that showcased their more melodic side, almost entirely moving away from the progressive sounds that had appeared here and there in all their previous works. For this new release, the duo, composed of John Payne (bass, guitars, and vocals) and Geoff Downes (keyboards), enlisted a large number of supporting musicians who helped create the album, including Steve Howe, Tony Levin, Simon Phillips, Chris Slade, Pat Thrall, Ian Crichton, Vinnie Colaiuta, and Elliott Randall, among others. In addition, former 10cc member Graham Gouldman collaborated on the composition of some of the tracks included here. Replete with captivating melodic atmospheres, the album features uplifting soft rock tracks such as "Awake", "Ready to Go Home", "Wherever You Are", "Forgive Me", "Kings of the Day", and "The Last Time". The work of guitarists Howe, Thrall, and Randall, Payne's evocative vocals and catchy choruses, along with Downes' grandiose and symphonic keyboards, guides them along the paths of sophisticated, high-octane rock that is truly appealing. Meanwhile, the jazz-rock track "Free" and the instrumental "Aura" add a progressive touch to this magnificent work from one of the most iconic bands in melodic rock.

Hiro Yanagida-Milk Time (1970)

This is one of the seminal and most celebrated albums of Japanese psychedelic rock. Created by keyboardist Hiro Yanagida, a legendary figure in Japanese hippie and lysergic culture, it features guitarist Kimio Mizutani, percussionist Hiro Tsunoda, electric violinist Hiroki Tamaki, bassist Keiju Ishikawa, and flautist Nozomi Nakatani. Together, they crafted an album brimming with raw guitar passages, organ, and energetic drumming. The lysergic, acid-tinged rock is contrasted by the understated flute, which brings calm and clarity to the frenzy with its marvelous interludes. This psychedelic style also evokes free jazz, funky rhythms, and even German krautrock. Ultimately, it's a brutal album of heavy, powerful rock improvisations with jazz and avant-garde influences.