Quintessence-Dive Deep (1971)

"Dive Deep" was the third and final album released on the Island label by the esoteric Quintessence, before they signed with RCA, with whom they released their next two albums. Released in 1971, this release featured the exotic British band with Shiva Shankar Jones on lead vocals, keyboards, and percussion; Allan Mostert on guitars and bass; Maha Dev on rhythm guitar; Raja Ram on flute; Sambhu Babaji on bass, acoustic guitar, and harp; and Jake Milton on drums and percussion. They were joined by regular collaborators Vidya Bahen Jee on vocals; Swami Ambikananda on Indian harp; Ned Balen on tabla; and Sita Devi Jee on violin, almost all of whom used pseudonyms taken from legendary figures in Hindu philosophical culture. On this third album, this exotic and peculiar group continued their exploration of psychedelic sounds with ethnic influences, featuring simple yet highly effective and elaborate structures. It features everything from atmospheric journeys under the spell of LSD like "Dance For The One", to forays into oriental sounds with the raga "Sri Ram Chant", passing through approaches to psychedelic jazz "Dive Deep", attractive melodies like "The Seer" or more forceful pieces like the energetic "Epitaph for Tomorrow".

The Allman Brothers Band-Shades Of Two Worlds (1991)

A year after reuniting with the album "Seven Turns", The Allman Brothers Band released a new work, which became one of their finest achievements, almost on par with their greatest works of the seventies. In this new release, titled "Shades of the Two Worlds", the Jacksonville-based band once again showcased their imposing style with an album brimming with country, rock, jazz, and blues, all wrapped in a Southern rock sensibility. Recorded at Ardent Recording Studios in Memphis, it was produced by Tom Dowd and the Allman Brothers themselves, who at that time consisted of Gregg Allman, Dickey Betts, Butch Trucks, Warren Haynes, Marc Quiñones, Allen Woody, and Jai Johanny. Magnificent tracks like the powerful blues-rock anthems "Get On With Your Life" and "Desert Blues" coexist with jazz-influenced songs like "Kind of Bird" and "Bad Rain", or the dusty Southern rock of "End of the Line" and "Midnight Man", not forgetting their country and folk roots with "Come On in My Kitchen" or their signature extended jams, such as the superb "Nobody Knows". In short, with this new work, The Allman Brothers reaffirmed their glorious past, leaving us with one of the finest albums in American roots music.

Catherine Ribeiro & Alpes-Paix (1972)

Catherine Ribeiro & Alpes were one of the most original bands of the French underground scene of the 1970s. Their style was always difficult to define; they incorporated elements of folk, experimentation, psychedelia, and progressive sounds. Led by guitarist Patrice Moullet and singer Catherine Ribeiro, the band also included organist Patrice Lemoine, bassist Jean-Sebastian Lemoine, and percussionist Michel Santangelli. In 1972, they released their fourth album, "Paix", on the Philips label. With its two long suites, it is considered their most progressive work and their masterpiece. These two suites, "Paix", showcase the typical sound of German krautrock, characterized by spacious keyboards, acid, hypnotic, and dark sounds, and the overall unsettling atmosphere. On the other hand, "Un Jour...la Mort" showcases a more intense sound, with thick layers of keyboards, soaring guitar passages, and pulsating percussion. During the following years, this French band continued to release albums regularly until 1980, when they released their final work, before disbanding for good shortly thereafter.

National Health-National Health (1978)

National Health was one of the last great bands of the Canterbury sound movement, playing the same progressive style influenced by jazz, rock, and classical music as the defunct Hatfield and the North. Formed by former members of Hatfield and the North, Caravan, Egg, Khan, and Colosseum, the band consisted of Phil Miller (guitar), Dave Stewart (keyboards), Pip Pyle (drums), and Neil Murray (bass), along with guest musicians Alan Gowen (keyboards), Jimmy Hastings (flute, clarinet), Amanda Parsons (vocals), and Joni Mitchell (percussion). In 1978, they released their self-titled debut album, which featured the epic "Tenemos Road", a cornerstone of the Canterbury sound, the jazz-rock tracks "Brujo" and "Borogoves (Excerpt from Part Two)", both of which showcase the band members' dazzling musical talents, and the uplifting jazz track "Elephants".

Skin Alley-To Pagham and Beyond (1970)

Relatively unknown to the general public, Skin Alley was a progressive rock band that remains in the ears of a fortunate few who experienced their music during their career spanning from 1968 to 1974. Originally formed in London, the group consisted of Bob James on guitars, saxophone, and flutes, Krzysztof-Henryk on keyboards, Thomas Crimble on bass, and Alvin Pope on drums. Their style was infused with jazz, folk, blues, and rock. Around mid-1968, the group secured a contract with CBS, who produced and released their debut album, "Skin Alley" (1969). This album contained nine excellent tracks, including "Marsha" and "All Alone", and was produced by Pretty Things guitarist Dick Taylor. The album was a brilliant combination of keyboard arrangements and a solid rhythm section, featuring memorable guitar solos and, in many cases, an exhilarating flute sound. In the following months, the group embarked on a tour of Great Britain, participating in numerous festivals where they unleashed their endless jams with guitar solos, saxophones, and mellotrons, giving their music a nuanced and sonically diverse sound. A year later came their second album, "To Pagham and Beyond", where they brilliantly continued the progressive rock-jazz fusion of their first album with long and complex compositions. All the tracks on the album exceeded six minutes in length, with "Take Me To Your Leader's Daughter" and "The Queen Of Bad Intentions" being particularly noteworthy. At the end of that same year, Crimble left the band to join Hawkwind and was replaced by Nick Graham, formerly of Atomic Rooster. Shortly after, Pope followed suit, and his place was taken by Tony Knight. These departures significantly hampered the group's brilliant continuity, and so in 1972 the modest "Two Quid Deal" was released on the Transatlantic label, followed a year later by the complex "Skintight", criticized for its excessive orchestral arrangements and commercial appeal. These latter albums were released by the prestigious Stax label for the North American market. But despite their enormous quality and talent, the group ultimately succumbed and disbanded in early 1974, thus ending their short but interesting career. In recent years, Eclectic Records has reissued the group's entire discography, adding bonus tracks to the original versions, thus doing some justice to this little-known band that will not disappoint progressive rock fans.

Banco del Mutuo Soccorso-Darwin! (1973)

Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, considered one of the best Italian progressive rock bands of all time, was founded in 1971 as a result of the merger of two groups from the Rome area called Fiori del Campo and Experience. The initial lineup consisted of: Vittorio Nocenzi (keyboards, flute, and vocals), Gianni Nocenzi (keyboards and vocals), Marcello Todaro (guitar), Renato d’Angelo (bass), Pier-Luigi Calderoni (drums), and Francesco di Giacomo (vocals). Their first album, “Banco del Mutuo Soccorso” (1972), reached number one in Italy and established the sextet with its mature compositions, containing the elements that would characterize the group throughout their subsequent career. From this first album stand out memorable moments such as the brilliant “Metamorfosi”, the spectacular “In Volo”, and the suite “Il Giardino Del Mago”. The album quickly became a success in Italy and across much of Europe, cementing their place among the best symphonic rock groups of 1971. They maintained their prestige and quality with their next two albums: the legendary “Darwin” (1973), considered a masterpiece of progressive rock, and the intense and monumental “Lo sono nato libero” (1973). Traditional Italian lyrics, combined with the Mediterranean rock sound, a rich blend of sounds, and incredible instrumental depth, propelled them beyond Italy's borders. Keith Emerson discovered them and signed them to the Manticore label, where the other great Italian band, PFM, was already signed. With Rodolfo Maltese replacing Todaro on guitar, and adopting the shortened name Banco, the sextet debuted on the new label with the LP "Banco" (1975), followed by "Garofano rosso" (1976). This was followed by a series of strong albums such as "Di tearo" (1977), "Canto di primavera" (1978), "Capolinea" (1979), and "Urgentísimo" (1980). Despite promising signs, they failed to achieve mainstream success. Having missed their international opportunity, they returned to focusing their work exclusively on Italy with the albums "Boune Notizie" (1981) and "Banco" (1983).