The Doors-Strange Days (1967)

Released just a few months after their debut album, The Doors' second album was widely criticized for being seen as a copycat of its predecessor, designed to capitalize on its tremendous initial commercial success. However, while the group, led by Jim Morrison, continued to present a repertoire of songs that navigated between rhythm and blues and rock with psychedelic touches, this album is another brilliant display of the talent of its members: Morrison, Manzarek, Krieger, and Densmore. In reality, the compositions here are more polished than on their rough-edged previous work, and their compositional maturity is reflected in the dynamic rhythms and the unsettling nature of their unique and peculiar style. Songs like the enigmatic "Strange Days" are a clear example of the typical Doors sound, thanks to their dynamic and menacing atmosphere. Another of their great achievements is the crescendoing "Love Me Two Times", where Morrison clearly demonstrates his distinctive vocal personality and Robbie Krieger showcases his brilliant baroque guitar style. Other songs like the ornate "Unhappy Girl", the decadent ballad "You're Lost Little Girl", the infectious melody of "People Are Strange" or the monumental "When The Music's Over", reflect an album that, despite the criticism, subtly surpasses its worthy predecessor.

José Cid-10.000 Anos Depois Entre Vénus E Marte (1978)

José Cid is a prominent Portuguese musician who, for much of his artistic career, has focused on pop/rock sounds, but whose extensive discography includes one of the most acclaimed albums in progressive rock. "10,000 Anos Depois Entre Venus E Marte" (10,000 Years Later Between Venus and Mars), as this album is titled, was his second full-length release. On this album, the Portuguese musician enlisted various collaborators, such as Mike Sargeant (guitars), Zé Nabo (bass), and Ramon Galarza (drums), to create a work that, conceptually, is replete with Mellotron and synthesizer passages, combined with superb work on vibrant electric guitars. This gives the music an elegant and vigorous space rock style reminiscent of contemporary bands like Camel, Eloy, and Pink Floyd.

Jefferson Airplane-Crown Of Creation (1968)

Jefferson Airplane were pioneers in experimenting with the psychedelic sounds of folk and rock, framed within the gentle Californian flower power movement. Songs like "White Rabbit" and "Somebody to Love" are classics of 20th-century contemporary music. But as is often the case, within a few years their style shifted towards more mature compositions, expanding their creativity to more avant-garde and experimental heights. With their fourth album, "Crown of Creation", the band went a step further, showcasing, from its cover and title, a wealth of musical ideas, allowing them to reach new heights thanks to collaborations with musicians like David Crosby, In Underwood, and Frank Zappa himself. In the year of its release, the flower power movement was giving way to the maelstrom of the Vietnam War, and it was in this context that the band, led by Grace Slick, Marty Balin, Jorma Kaukonen, Paul Kantner, Jack Cassidy, and Spencer Dryden, immersed themselves in the political and social protest that was sweeping the world in general and the United States in particular during those years, with biting and defiant lyrics. Powerful psychedelic rock tracks like "Star Trek", nods to the past like "Greasy Heart", lysergic psychedelic canvases like "The House At Pooneil Corners", strange surreal experiments like "Chushingura", and dreamy folk melodies like "In Time" and "Triad" propelled them into the American top ten and cemented their popularity as a leading band in the world of 1960s pop-rock.

Bon Jovi-7800º Fahrenheit (1985)

Considered a transitional yet decisive step, Bon Jovi's second album perfectly exemplifies their energetic heavy rock past and their future of melodic and infectious hard rock. Still exhibiting some creative inconsistency, this second release successfully blends catchy pop harmonies with powerful rock. Despite this evident lack of compositional maturity, it features notable tracks that would soon become favorites at their acclaimed concerts. The galloping "Tokyo Road" and the vibrant "In and Out of Love" already showcase the band's brilliance. Other songs like "The Hardest Part Is the Night" and "Only Lonely" acquire the appealing tone that would soon be seen on albums like "Slippery When Wet" a year later, while the powerful "The Price of Love" and "King of the Mountain" are a clear nod to the heavy metal style of their debut album.

Ry Cooder-The Prodigal Son (2018)

Ry Cooder is one of the most influential musicians in American roots music, a musician who, despite being unclassifiable, is absolutely fundamental to his country's musical culture. Despite his great solo prestige, he has been involved in numerous collaborations for over five decades, working tirelessly for rock, blues, and folk giants such as The Doobie Brothers, Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, and Gordon Lightfoot, among many others. Some of his albums are part of American culture; albums like the iconic "Into the Purple Valley" and "Paradise and Lunch" are classics that demonstrate his meticulous style. But it is undoubtedly in the world of film where he is most internationally recognized, composing the soundtracks for monumental films such as "Paris, Texas", "The Long Riders", "The Border", and "Crossroads". Winner of six Grammy Awards and honorary doctorates from Queen's University and the California College of the Arts, Cooder is a leading figure in the development of styles such as Cajun, folk, country, blues, gospel, and world music. In 2018, he released one of his latest works, "The Prodigal Son", a perfect retrospective of his favorite sounds, ranging from bluegrass to gospel, folk, and blues, all imbued with spirituality and wisdom.

Rick Astley-Whenever You Need Somebody (1987)

Rick Astley became one of the world's biggest pop-rock stars in the late 1980s thanks to his looks, his charismatic baritone voice, and above all, his songs brimming with catchy melodies. Born in 1966 in Lancashire, in northwest England, he began his professional career at 19 as the drummer for a local band called FBI. At one of the band's performances, he was spotted by talent scout Peter Waterman, who would go on to launch Astley's career. Waterman, along with producers like Mike Scott and Stock Aitken, helped develop Astley's vocal range and produced his first single, a song that would shape the course of his successful career. "Never Gonna Give You Up" quickly became one of the biggest hits of the 1980s and one of the most memorable, a catchy dance-pop song that reached number one in numerous countries around the world. Shortly after came Astley's first full-length album, "Whenever You Need Somebody", which, in addition to "Never Gonna Give You Up", contained other major hits such as "Together Forever", "Whenever You Need Somebody", and "When I Fall in Love". This debut album, besides a repertoire of catchy pop songs, also featured R&B sounds and soul ballads. From then on, Astley's career maintained a high commercial and creative standard, releasing albums such as "Hold Me In Your Arms" (1988), "Free" (1991), and "50" (2016), among others that had less media impact.

Annexus Quam-Osmose (1970)

This is one of the first albums released in the krautrock genre, recorded by Annexus Quam, a German band from Düsseldorf. Formed in mid-1967, they quickly gained prominence and considerable popularity in the German underground scene, thanks to their original psychedelic style of cosmic jazz-rock with hallucinogenic atmospheres and tribal sounds. The band consisted of seven talented musicians, each mastering three or more instruments: guitarist and vocalist Peter Werner, percussionist Uwe Bick, wind instrumentalists Werner Hostermann, Ove Volquartz, and Harald Klemm, guitarist Hans Kämper, and bassist Jürgen Jonuschies. In 1970, under the Ohr label, they released their debut album, "Osmose", which comprises four tracks oriented towards psychedelic jazz/rock and avant-garde free jazz improvisations with ethnic elements.

Metamorfosi-Inferno (1973)

Hailing from Rome, Metamorfosis achieved lasting fame for creating one of the finest albums of Italian progressive rock. Inspired by Dante's "Divine Comedy", this Italian group showcases magnificent melodic instrumentation on this release (their second album), driven by brilliant keyboards, especially the Hammond organ, and the emotive vocals of lead singer Davide Spitaleri. The rest of this Italian lineup consisted of Roberto Turbitosi (guitars), Enrico Olivieri (keyboards), and Gianluca Herygers (percussion). "Inferno" is a stunning suite that is undoubtedly a landmark within progressive and symphonic rock, an album that is overwhelming from beginning to end, a majestic work that unfolds amidst dark and sinister atmospheres, ingenious yet malevolent melodies, and an imaginary narrative through hell, describing, with the music itself and its grim lyrics, the suffering of modern sinners, be they rulers, drug traffickers, the greedy, or the corrupt in general. Without a doubt, we are looking at one of the essential works of progressive rock and one of the pinnacles of the Italian avant-garde scene.

John Scofield-Still Warm (1986)

John Scofield is considered one of the greatest talents in jazz fusion, and after a formidable career spanning more than 40 years, he has left behind some of the genre's finest works. In addition to his own solo career, he has collaborated with other prominent artists such as Miles Davis, Larry Coryell, Herbie Hancock, Roy Haynes, Joe Henderson, John Patitucci, and Billy Cobham, among many others. His career, closely linked to iconic jazz labels like Impulse, ECM, and Blue Note, has encompassed works focused on post-bop, soul/jazz, funk/jazz, and contemporary jazz fusion, resulting in half a dozen nominations and three Grammy Awards for Best Instrumental Jazz Album. In 1986, his album "Still Warm" was hailed by critics as a bold and intelligent fusion of jazz funk with psychedelic elements. His talent with the six strings and the instrumental balance of the accompanying group on this album, composed of keyboardist Don Grolnick, drummer Omar Hakim and bassist Darryl Jones, resulted in a repertoire of intense and experimental pieces, which coexist with others that are more catchy and accessible, making it one of the masterpieces of jazz rock.

Love-Love (1966)

Love was one of the essential bands of 1960s psychedelic music, and is considered a true institution in the history of rock. Led by the brilliant Arthur Lee, they debuted showcasing a style influenced by folk, rhythm and blues, and psychedelic rock, but from a different perspective than their contemporaries of the mid-sixties. Their initial lineup consisted of Johnny Echols (lead guitar), Ken Forssi (bass), Bryan McLean (rhythm guitar), Alban Pfisterer (drums), and the aforementioned Arthur Lee (vocals). Released on the Elektra label, which until then had only released folk records, this debut album features standout tracks such as "My Little Red Book", the austere "Can't Explain", the folk song "A Message To Pretty", the energetic rock and roll numbers "My Flash On You" and "Hey Joe", the melodic "No Matter What You Do", and the bluesy "Signed D.C". With this album and his subsequent works, Arthur Lee would establish himself as one of the most talented and creative songwriters of the 1960s.

The Police-Outlandos d´Amour (1978)

Although their journey was relatively brief, The Police managed in just five years to become one of the leading bands of new wave and pop-rock, thanks to their intense musical activity and enormous success on charts around the world. The Police's debut album, "Outlandos d'Amour", arrived in the late seventies, a timeless work that served as a clear statement of intent from the trio of Sting (bass and vocals), Andy Summers (guitars), and Stewart Copeland (drums). This first album is a collection of songs that showcase the personality of each member, encompassing reggae sounds in "Roxanne", carefree new wave in "Can't Stand Losing You", angry and catchy punk rock in "Next To You" and "Peanuts", and energetic rock tracks like "So Lonely". Although the album initially went completely unnoticed, it would eventually become a contemporary classic, achieving great success on the charts with impressive sales of 9 million copies worldwide.