Blood, Sweat and Tears-Blood, Sweat & Tears 3 (1970)

Almost two years after their historic and acclaimed second album, the American band Blood, Sweat & Tears recorded their next album, generically titled "Blood, Sweat & Tears 3". While considered one of their best albums, it didn't reach the commercial heights of its predecessor, despite reaching number one on the American and Canadian charts. If the band had previously showcased a solid jazz-rock sound with elements of soul, blues, and classical music, this third release features a style slightly more influenced by rhythm and blues, always under the umbrella of jazz and rock. As before, here too they flood their repertoire with covers adapted to their brass rock style, showcasing Clayton-Thomas's original and powerful voice, Steve Katz's effective guitar work, and the punchy horn section comprised of Dick Halligan, Fred Lipsius, Lew Soloff, Jerry Hyman, and Chuck Winfield, all anchored by the vigorous rhythm section of Bobby Colomby and Jim Fielder. This album contains anthems like "Hi De Ho", a Carole King cover featuring Clayton-Thomas delivering one of his finest performances; the improvised jam "Sympathy For The Devil" by The Rolling Stones; and the dynamic "40,000 Headmen" by Traffic. These, along with their own compositions, "The Battle" and "Lucretia MacEvil", and the magnificent "He's a Runner" (another cover, this time of Laura Nyro), are the highlights of this superb work.

Bob Dylan-Dylan (2007)

“Dylan” is the title of a triple compilation album by the legendary Bob Dylan, containing 51 of his tracks that summarize his music from 1962 to 2006. This box set includes 3 CDs that review the history of one of the greatest musicians in history, from his first album, generically titled “Bob Dylan” and released in 1962, to his last, “Modern Times”, released in 2006, passing through such emblematic albums as “Freewheelin’…”, “Highway 61 Revisited”, “Blonde on Blonde”, “Blood on the Tracks”, “Desire”, “Street Legal”, and “Basement Tapes”... and so on, up to 45 albums in 45 years of his career (including live recordings, rarities, compilations, and bootlegs), with more than 500 songs, all summarized in this anthology, edited with great care and in chronological order, and in which the musician's fans participated. He actively contributed to the selection of this impressive greatest hits collection. A selection of tracks encompassing all stages of his career, from the acoustic sound of his early days, through his electrification with folk rock, his time with The Band, his forays into country, his songs related to religion and spirituality, his bluesy period, and so on. Classics such as "Blowin' in the Wind", "Like a Rolling Stone", "Hurricane", "Changing the Guards", "Knockin' on Heaven's Door", and "Subterranean Homesick Blues", among many others, make up this majestic compilation, which is undoubtedly a true anthology.

Chuck Loeb-In A Heartbeat (2001)

Chuck Loeb's career was marked by his refined, elegant, and easy-listening brand of jazz fusion. His influences included the 1960s jazz of artists like Wes Montgomery and George Benson. After honing his guitar skills with musicians like Jim Hall, he worked alongside jazz greats such as Stan Getz and Ray Barreto. A member of legendary jazz-rock groups like Steps Ahead, Metro, and Fourplay, Loeb began his solo career in the late 1980s, releasing nearly twenty albums, some of them hugely popular, such as "The Music Inside" (1996), "Listen" (1999), and "In a Heartbeat" (2001). On this last album, Chuck Loeb showcases his elegant, relaxed guitar style in a series of songs that also demonstrate his remarkable skill with the six strings. Tracks like "North, South, East and Wes", "On and On", "Fire", and "Rhythm Ace/Funky Stuff", perfectly highlight the immense versatility of this renowned smooth jazz guitarist. Sadly, Chuck Loeb passed away in 2017 at the age of 61 from cancer.

Journey-Arrival (2001)

Following the release of Journey's reunion album "Trial By Fire" in 1996, lead singer Steve Perry refused to participate in the subsequent promotional tour, citing a supposed hip injury. The remaining members couldn't tolerate this further uncertainty from the singer and decided to replace him, ensuring his replacement sounded as similar to Perry as possible. Finally, two years later and after numerous auditions, they hired Steve Augeri as their new vocalist. Another member who left the band was drummer Steve Smith, who didn't want to continue without Perry. He was replaced by Deen Castronovo, who had previously worked with Nel Schon and Jonathan Cain in Bad English. Along with the fifth member (Ross Valory), they recorded and released the album "Arrival" in 2001, which also featured Jack Blades, who co-wrote some of the songs. In this new release, Augeri's voice stands out, strikingly similar to Perry's, though without quite capturing his charismatic emotional depth. "Arrival", like all Journey albums, follows the classic musical pattern of great soft rock, AOR, and melodic hard rock melodies, showcasing Neal Schon's superb guitar work, Cain's brilliant keyboard passages, and the irresistible, deeply emotive high-pitched vocals of whoever is behind the microphone. With a well-balanced repertoire, the album ranges from classic hard rock tracks like "Higher Place", "Signs of Life", and "To Be Alive Again", to irresistible melodic mid-tempo numbers like "Live and Breathe", "Loved By You", and "Kiss Me Softly", and more complex pieces such as the bluesy rock of "Livin' To Do" and the epic "World Gone Wild".

Led Zeppelin-Coda (1982)

Once Led Zeppelin officially disbanded following John Bonham's death, Atlantic Records demanded that the remaining members deliver a new album to fulfill their contract with the label. Therefore, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones opted to revisit various tracks that had been rejected and left off their official albums. To begin, Page chose three songs that had been left off their last album, "In Through the Out Door", ironically considered the weakest work in their entire discography. These tracks were the powerful "Ozone Baby", the dynamic "Darlene", and the frenetic "Wearing and Tearing", which are certainly every bit as good as the ones included on the original album. In fact, many fans wondered why none of these superb songs ended up on that album, as some of them are far superior to the officially released versions. There's also room for some outtakes from their first and seminal album, such as the intense cover of Otis Rush's "I Can't Quit You Baby", while "Bonzo's Montreux" is a nod to the late drummer, a showcase of John's devastating instrumental prowess with the drumsticks. The folky "Poor Tom", recorded during the "Led Zeppelin III" sessions, strikes us as the weakest and most predictable track on the entire album. The energetic "Walter's Walk", originally rejected from "Houses of the Holy", along with another cover, this time of the legendary Ben E. King's "We're Gonna Groove", are two of the highlights of an album that, for many, was simply a formality, a kind of epitaph to appease the record label's desires, more interested in new material than in an album full of scraps that, in the hands of any other band, could have amounted to a minor masterpiece.

The Eagles-Desperado (1973)

For their second album, The Eagles' then-members (Bernie Leadon, Don Henley, Glenn Frey, and Randy Meisner) decided to take things a step further, crafting a concept album about the outlaws and gunmen of the Old West. To do this, the band drew inspiration from old American stories recounting the experiences of outlaws captured and killed in the 1890s. The result was "Desperado", the album where they best showcase their country roots with absolute clarity. From the title track, one of their most emblematic songs, a velvety country ballad, to the aggressive "Out of Control", The Eagles demonstrate their diverse range of sounds and intensities with an admirable and surprising work. But the album isn't just about these two songs; it also features outstanding tracks like the elegant "Tequila Sunrise", the spirited "Out Man", the heartfelt "Saturday Night", and the folk-infused "Twenty One" and "Certain Kind of Fool". Although the album was initially met with some lukewarm reception from fans, it gradually achieved well-deserved success, earning several platinum records and attaining cult status as one of the Californian group's best works and a true gem of American country music.

The Eagles-Eagles (1972)

The Eagles' beginnings were, to say the least, curious. They started in 1971 when producer John Boylan was looking for a backing band for country singer Linda Ronstadt. Almost overnight, Boylan assembled a group of folk and country musicians from the American West Coast. These musicians were Don Henley, Randy Meisner, Bernie Leadon, and Glenn Frey. Glenn Frey had been in a band called Longbranch Pennywhistle with Jackson Browne and J.D. Souther, who would later play a very important role in the Eagles. Don Henley, for his part, had been in a jazz band called Felicity, while Bernie Leadon was a member of several of the most important country bands of the late 1960s, such as The Flying Burrito Brothers and Dillard & Clark, with whom he recorded the albums "The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard & Clark" (1968) and "Through the Morning, Through the Night" (1969). Randy Meisner, for his part, belonged to Poco, with whom he recorded their first and fantastic album, "Picking Up the Pieces", in addition to playing in Ricky Nelson's band, with whom he also recorded several albums. Once in the recording studios for what would be Ronstadt's third album, producer Boylan began to realize that these four musicians had enough talent to start a joint career as an independent group. And so, on Boylan's own advice, they were approached by David Geffen, who had founded the Asylum label dedicated exclusively to country and folk-rock artists. He offered them a contract, and they recorded their first album at Olympia Studios in London, self-titled "Eagles" (1972), which they also named the group. It was produced by Glyn Johns, who would also produce the band's next album. The Eagles' mix of styles on this debut album ranged from soul influences to country and roots folk, but with a marked rock accent a sound that would be the group's constant in all their subsequent work. The album contains Jackson Browne's "Take It Easy", which would become one of the band's classics, as well as the intense "Take the Devil", the rocker "Chug All Night", the vigorous "Tryin' ",  the folk-tinged "Early Bird", and the elegant, soulful "Witchy Woman". Although it initially failed to climb the charts, this debut album would eventually sell a million copies, reaching the top ten on the Billboard charts, and simultaneously launching the brilliant career of one of the most important groups in the history of rock music.

The Eagles-Long Road Out Of Eden (2007)

In 2007, almost thirty years after their last album, "The Long Run" (1979), The Eagles returned with a double album titled "Long Road Out of Eden". With a collection of brilliant new songs, they successfully attempted to recapture the glory of their mid-seventies era. Featuring virtually the same lineup as that album three decades earlier, with the exception of the departed Don Felder, the band included the ever-present Joe Walsh, Don Henley, Glenn Frey, and Timothy B. Schmit. For this seventh album, they enlisted the help of a large group of session musicians, including guitarist Stuart Smith, percussionists Lenny Castro and Luis Conti, keyboardists Richard Davis and Michael Thompson, and drummer Scott Crago, as well as a substantial horn section. “Long Road Out Of Eden” presents a brilliant collection of country rock fused with soft rock, featuring standout tracks like the country-rock anthem “How Long”, which evokes the band’s unmistakable style, the shimmering “Busy Being Fabulous” and “Guilty Of The Crime”, the lucid and rhythmic “Somebody”, the borderland-tinged “Center Of The Universe”, the vintage “Last Good Time In Town”, and the funky rock anthem “Frail Grasp On The Big Picture”. The subsequent reception was as triumphant as it was astonishing, released at a time when illegal internet downloads were commonplace in the music world. However, this didn’t prevent the album from achieving sales exceeding ten million copies worldwide and twenty platinum records.

Joe Cocker-Joe Cocker Live (1990)

In 1990, Joe Cocker was at the height of his popularity, having released a dozen high-energy albums that captured his raw and passionate rock and soul style. That year saw the release of the double live album "Joe Cocker Live", undoubtedly a masterful sonic document of his concerts during those years, brimming with intensity and contained energy. Accompanied by an excellent backing band featuring Chris Station, Steve Holley, Jeff Levine, Phil Grande, and The Memphis Horn, Cocker delivers one of the most memorable live performances with his raspy voice, intense stage presence, and deeply emotional songs. Recorded at the Memorial Auditorium in Massachusetts in October 1989, this is an excellent retrospective of some of his musical highlights. From the passionate “Unchain My Heart” to the powerful “With a Little Help From My Friends” and the emotive “You Are So Beautiful”, and including the energetic rock tracks “Feelin’ Alright”, “You Can Leave Your Hat On”, “The Letter”, and “High Time We Went”, “Joe Cocker Live” is a retrospective album that undoubtedly cements the status of one of the greatest and most authentic performers that rock and soul have ever known.

Atlanta Rhythm Section-Dog Days (1975)

In 1975, the southern rock band Atlanta Rhythm Section released their fourth album, their second under the Polydor label after their relationship with Decca's American subsidiary. Recorded at Studios One in Georgia, this release featured a lineup of Ronnie Hammond (vocals), J.R. Cobb (guitar), Barry Bailey (guitar), Dean Daughtry (keyboards), Paul Goddard (bass), Robert Nix (drums), and Buddy Buie (vocals and production). The album contains several energetic southern rock tracks such as "Crazy" and "It Just Ain't Your Moon", while the boogie-blues "Boogie Smoogie" and the melodic "Dog Days" and "All Night Rain" showcase the album's exceptional quality. However, despite their increasingly consistent and effective style, with a pleasant and melodic sound, and songs of a high level of sophistication and refinement, they failed to gain much popularity, so in their next release they opted to harden their sound with a greater prominence of the more forceful guitars closer to hard rock.

Rush-Snakes & Arrows (2007)

With long gaps between albums, the expectations surrounding Rush's releases were always quite high. That said, the Canadian trio released "Snakes and Arrows" in 2007, an album preceded by "Vapor Trails" five years prior. At this point, the trio of Geddy Lee, Neil Peart, and Alex Lifeson continued to do their own thing, seemingly unconcerned with musical trends, and thus continued to explore their unique, virtuosic sound. This time, Neil Peart's lyrics focus on the ominous and cruel world we live in, a society living in constant insecurity, surrounded by violence, fear, and unhappiness. Musically, a dark and melancholic tone predominates throughout much of the album. Alex Lifeson's powerful hard rock riffs permeate much of the album, as heard in the opening track "Far Cry" and "The Way The Wind Blows", while the potent "Armor And Sword", "Workin' Them Angels", "Good News First", "Faithless", and "We Hold On" showcase more restrained and slowed-down rhythms. However, the band's almost nonexistent progressive side makes an appearance in the instrumental tracks "The Man Monkey Business," the acoustic "Hope", and the brief "Malignant Narcissism", where the sounds of the Mellotron and synthesizers play as important a role as Alex Lifeson's guitars. Although this version of Rush is not the same as it was in their heyday in the 70s, it's undeniable that they have evolved, creating a sound that is both recognizable and universal.