Albatross-Albatross (1976)

Albatross was a short-lived American band from Rockford, Illinois, that released one album in the mid-1970s in a very limited edition of a few thousand copies on the Anvil label. The lineup consisted of Paul Roe (guitar), Mike Novak (vocals), Joe Guarino (bass), Mark Dahlgren (keyboards), and Dana Williams (drums). The musical style of this relatively unknown band was rooted in early 1970s British symphonic rock, with clear influences from the progressive dynamism of Yes and the classical symphonic rock of Keith Emerson. Tracks like the expansive progressive "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse", the engaging "Mr.Natural", the melancholic "Cannot Be Found", the uplifting "Devil's Strumpet" or the energetic "Humpback Whales", make up a commendable album that gains strength with each new listen, crafted by one of those thousands of promising bands that ended up succumbing to the lack of success and the scarce advertising promotion.