Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention-Weasels Ripped My Flesh (1970)

Divided between live and studio tracks, "Weasels Ripped My Flesh" is one of Frank Zappa's most accessible and least convoluted albums (within his characteristically extravagant and peculiar style). On this occasion, Zappa fully embraces jazz, even employing a large horn section and creating expansive instrumental passages. As is typical of the American musician, these passages feature a great deal of improvisation and abundant experimentation. In this new work (his eighth release), Zappa collaborates with his band, The Mothers of Invention, which included Lowell George, Don "Sugarcane" Harris, Roy Estrada, Jimmy Carl Black, Punk Gardner, Ray Collins, Don Preston, Art Tripa, Buzz Gardner, Motörhead Sherwood, and Ian Underwood. Among its grooves we can find everything from eccentric jazz rock "Didja Get Any Onya?", to typical blues "Directly From My Heart to You", passing through extravagant cuts like "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Sexually Aroused Gas Mask" or sound experiments like "Toads of the Short Forest" or "Weasles Ripped My Flesh", while others like "Get a Little" or "My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama", show its melodic and "accessible" side of conventional jazz rock.

Frank Zappa and The Mothers Of Invention-Burnt Weeny Sandwich (1970)

This is one of Frank Zappa's most accessible albums, or at least by Zappa's own standards. This release features elements of jazz, avant-garde, classical, doo-wop, and rock, in what could be described as a collage brimming with easily digestible instrumental sounds (always within Zappa's peculiar and original style). The expansive "The Little House I Used To Live In" is, however, the most hypnotic and captivating moment on the entire album, thanks to its continuous, disparate rhythms and melodies which, despite their enormous complexity, make it as alluring as it is suggestive. Another standout is the saxophone, piano, and guitar showcase of "Holiday In Berlin, Full Blown", while "Igor's Boogie, Phase One" is a tribute to one of Zappa's most acclaimed musicians, Igor Stravinsky. With "Theme From Burnt Weeny Sandwich", Zappa attempts to emphasize guitar-driven rock over a frenetic percussion, which contrasts sharply with "WPLJ" and "Valarie", two short, catchy pieces of pure doo-wop and rhythm and blues. Ultimately, with this album, Frank Zappa succeeded in creating a heterogeneous collection of songs that appeal to both purists of his usual style and those skeptical of his eccentric music.

801-801 Live (1976)

801 was a project formed by Phil Manzanera as a supergroup parallel to his main band Roxy Music, with whom he released two albums in the mid-seventies. “801 Live” was the first, and as its title indicates, it is a live recording made during a mini-tour in the UK during August and September of 1976. In addition to the guitarist, the band consisted of Brian Eno (keyboards, guitar, and vocals), Francis Monkman of Curved Air (keyboards), Simon Phillips (drums), Bill MacCornick (bass and vocals), and Lloyd Watson (slide guitar). With an eclectic style ranging from catchy, melodic tunes to raw, pure rock tracks, while still incorporating the progressive sounds and avant-garde elements that are always present in any work involving Brian Eno, the album unfolds energetically, brimming with complex compositions. Highlights include Monkman's Fender Rhodes keyboards, bassist MacCornick's driving rhythm, Eno's ambient atmosphere, Phillips' solid percussion, and the brilliant guitar work of Phil Manzanera. The repertoire is divided between covers of songs by The Beatles (T.N.K. - Tomorrow Never Knows), The Kinks (You Really Got Me), and other compositions by Brian Eno, Manzanera himself, and the Eno/Manzanera band Quiet Sun.

Frank Zappa and The Mothers Of Invention-Freak Out! (1966)

In 1966, Frank Zappa and his Mothers of Invention launched their impressive career with a stunning double album that revolutionized the world of rock thanks to its unhinged style, brimming with psychedelic music, blues, doo-wop, avant-garde elements, and experimentation. Created as a concept album, it offered a satirical look at "hypocritical" American culture, viewed through an artistic lens steeped in rock. With this album, Frank Zappa became one of the greatest creators of modern music, imbuing his sarcastic style with originality and his distinctive, incisive lyrics aimed at all established norms. This resonated with the youth of the time, eager to hear critiques of the political, social, and economic system of the era. The album unfolds along hypnotic paths with songs that depict specific scenes through strange arrangements and lyrics that would become synonymous with Zappa. Comprising several of the American musician's classics such as "Hungry Freaks, Daddy", "Mother Love", "Any Way the Wind Blows", and "Trouble Every Day", as well as outlandish suites like "Help I'm a Rock" and aggressive collages like "The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet", this debut would eventually become an essential influence on hundreds of bands and styles and a fundamental work in the history of rock music.

King Crimson-Beat (1982)

For King Crimson leader Robert Fripp, recording a new album after the astonishing "Discipline" of 1981 would be no easy task. In a way, history was repeating itself from ten years earlier, when in 1970 they released "In the Wake of Poseidon", a massive and monumental album that was overshadowed by its predecessor, "In the Court of the Crimson King", While "Discipline" showcased the group's new and innovative side, venturing into pop and new wave under the influence of complex and progressive sounds, "Beat" saw Adrian Belew's influences take center stage, bringing the band's sound closer to the funk-pop-rock style of his previous band, Talking Heads. Despite not displaying the majesty and compositional genius of their best albums, this release still contains some highly redeeming elements, such as the dynamic instrumental "Sartori in Tangier" and the frenetic "Neurotica", tracks brimming with polyrhythmic guitars courtesy of Belew and Fripp and a precise and complex rhythm section, executed by two true masters: Bill Bruford and Tony Levin. The aforementioned references to Talking Heads are present in the catchy "Neil and Jack and Me" and "Heartbeat", while the haunting "Two Hands" and the sophisticated "Waiting Man" demonstrate that on this ninth album, the band remained deeply committed to creating enigmatic, captivating, and avant-garde music, despite the backlash it received from a large portion of their more orthodox fans, who dismissed it as a mere watered-down copy of the previous album, "Discipline".

Laurie Anderson-Mister Heartbreak (1984)

Despite having been part of New York City's most avant-garde art scene since the early 1970s, it took Laurie Anderson many years to release her first solo album, "Big Science" (1982), a work that was remarkably well-received by the public and garnered favorable reviews from the specialized press. Her eclectic style could be categorized as cutting-edge and experimental pop, something that has kept her a cult artist to this day. Some time after that groundbreaking debut, Laurie Anderson began collaborating with prestigious musicians such as Peter Gabriel, Nile Rodgers, Adrian Below, Phoebe Snow, and Bill Laswell, all of whom would eventually contribute to her next release, "Mr. Heartbreak", released two years later. Although much more accessible than its predecessor, Anderson continues to use her music to tell stories in a literal sense, fusing ethnic influences, electronica, and the most unusual experimentation. Strange canvases very close to minimalism "Sharkey's Day", poetic hypnotism "Langue D'Amour", approaches to electronic new wave "Gravity's Angel" or "Excellent Birds" or exotic pieces that navigate between the ethnic and the electronic "Kokoku", make up an album as challenging as it is luminous.

Gong-Gong Live, Etc (1977)

Gong were a surreal, cosmic band who created some of the most extravagant albums, distinguished by their long instrumental improvisations, spacey atmospheres, psychedelia, satirical lyrics, and eccentric, chaotic musicality. After releasing a series of works bordering on the absurd and outlandish, such as their acclaimed albums for fans of the most unique progressive rock the legendary "Flying Teapot", "Angel's Egg", "You", and "Shamal", they released the double live album "Gong Live, Etc", a perfect showcase of their wild shows, encompassing some of the material from their studio albums. However, the live versions of all this material, while somehow summarizing the strangeness and extravagance of the group, don't quite capture the musical magic of the madness revealed in the original albums. Even so, the listener is delighted to hear the driving rhythms of their stylistic philosophy, from Steve Hillage's guitar to Didier Malherbe's saxophone and flute, Tim Blake's ethereal keyboards, Pierre Moerlen's dissonant and talented drumming, and Daevid Allen's burlesque and sometimes off-kilter vocal antics. This live recording perfectly showcases the unprecedented eccentricity that this wild and talented British band displayed on stage.

Be-Bop Deluxe-Sunburst Finish (1976)

Be-Bop Deluxe was one of those unclassifiable bands that navigated between the sounds of glam rock, art rock, new wave, and the avant-garde of the seventies, with sarcastic and ironic messages in their lyrics. Their core revolved around guitarist Bill Nelson, the only permanent member of the band. Their first two albums leaned towards the glam rock style of "Axe Victim" (1974) and the art rock of the following one, "Futurama" (1975). On both albums, Nelson's outstanding lead guitar work stands out, along with the complex instrumental performances, featuring melodic and accessible rhythms. In 1976 came their third album, "Sunburst Finish", which represented the creative peak for both Be-Bop Deluxe and Nelson, resulting in a more pop-rock-oriented album of excellent quality. Tracks related to the new wave sounds of the time, such as "Fair Exchange", the carefree "Ships in the Night", the addictive mid-tempo "Crying to the Sky", the dynamic "Sleep That Burns", the somber "Life in the Air Age" or the rock "Blazing Apostles", make up the best work of this iconic British band.

Asia Minor-Between Flesh And Divine (1980)

Asia Minor was a French band that emerged as the golden age of progressive rock was ending and the European neo-progressive movement was beginning to take hold. Formed by several musicians of Turkish and French descent, they released two magnificent albums that are among the finest recordings of the European avant-garde genre. Influenced by the atmospheric and symphonic sound of Camel, their debut in the late seventies showed great promise thanks to their exuberant symphonic style. However, all their creativity and immense talent would be fully realized on their second full-length album, "Between Flesh and Divine", considered one of the jewels of French progressive rock. It features highly musical compositions brimming with intricate interplay between all the instruments, as exemplified in tracks such as the harmonious "Nightwind", the bucolic "Northern Lights", the dark psychedelic "Lost in a Dream Yell", and the dynamic "Dreadful Memories". However, the lack of media recognition, both commercially and critically, would precipitate the dissolution of Asia Minor some time after the release of this second album. 

Frank Zappa-Roxy & Elsewhere (1974)

Recorded at Hollywood's legendary Roxy Theatre between December 10 and 12, 1973, "Roxy & Elsewhere" was Frank Zappa's third live album. Released as a double LP, it contained previously unreleased material of unquestionable quality, while also showcasing the enormous versatility of the brilliant American musician. During those years, Zappa had assembled one of his best lineups, featuring George Duke (keyboards), Don Preston (synthesizers), Frank Zappa (guitar and vocals), Chester Thompson (drums), Tom Fowler (bass), Jeff Simmons (guitar), Ruth Underwood (vibraphone), Bruce Fowler (trombone), Napoleon Murphy (saxophone), Walt Fowler (trumpet), and Ralph Humphrey (percussion). The content of this live recording ranges from jazz rock and fusion to operatic and ironic rock, with a bluesy undercurrent and a series of ingenious instrumentals, in addition to Zappa's usual banter and humorous, sarcastic dialogue. The jazz rock/blues of "Penguin In Bondage", the humorous funk of "Dummy Up", the twisted rhythm and blues of "Village of the Sun", the energetic jazz rock of "Cheepnis", and the progressive jazz fusion of "Be-Bop Tango" showcase the excellent talents of all the musicians involved in this double album, beginning with Zappa's heart-wrenching guitar solos and continuing with the magnificent work of George Duke, Ruth Underwood, Chester Thompson, and Napoleon Murphy.

Frank Zappa-Zoot Allures (1976)

“Zoot Allures” was Frank Zappa’s seventeenth solo album, released amidst the vibrant disco era of the mid-seventies. For the recording of this album, Zappa enlisted a large group of session musicians (some of whom would later become regulars on his subsequent recordings), including drummer Terry Bozzio, bassist Roy Estrada, keyboardist Ruth Underwood, and saxophonist Napoleon Murphy Brock, as well as a section of vocalists featuring Davey Moire, Rubén Ladrón de Guevara, and Sparkie Lewis. Zappa himself handled guitars, synthesizers, keyboards, lead vocals, and production. In “Zoot Allures”, Frank Zappa moved somewhat away from his usual standard sound, embracing a more direct and pure rock style. While he achieves this style at many points on the album, his characteristic music remains present in every groove. His peculiar humor continues to dominate the vast majority of tracks, such as the sordid “The Torture Never Stops” or the humorous and entertaining “Ms. Pinky”. On the other hand, “Wind Up Working In a Gas Station” and “Black Napkins” are the aforementioned moments of straightforward rock, where Zappa's guitar solos showcase his astonishing mastery of the instrument. The instrumental “Zoot Allures” is one of the album's highlights, featuring his distinctive guitar work in the foreground, a slow piece superbly sustained by an exceptional Terry Bozzio. Finally, Zappa makes his own humorous nod to disco music, which was then at its peak, with his song "Disco Boy", another spectacular number of pure rock and an excellent closing to a great album of pure fun and virtuosity from all the musicians involved.

Steve Vai-Passion And Warfare (1990)

Steve Vai is considered one of the greatest guitarists of the last part of the 20th century, his technique is of great virtuosity that is beyond the parameters of any musician, in addition to a great talent in composition.
With a rather complex and extravagant style, in a sense he has taken influences from Frank Zappa, with whom he collaborated on different occasions.
His obsessive work to achieve sound perfection has led him to publish albums that are either hated or venerated by the public, due to their innovation and avant-garde, which does not detract from a certain commercial coupled with his enormous talent with the guitar.
In 1990 he released his second album "Passion And Warfare" where he masterfully recreated his style with a lot of pyrotechnics, melody, magic and feeling all in anthologist compositions and in some cases sublime.
A repertoire where the melodic "Liberty", the innovative "Erotic Nightmares", the complex "The Animal", the enormous "For The Love Of God" or the extravagant "Love Secrets" stand out.

Frank Zappa-Guitar (1988)

Frank Zappa was never politically correct, both in his musical claims and in the concept and way of publishing his works.
In 1988 he published the double "Guitar", which exclusively includes guitar solos by Frank Zappa himself.
If it was published to demonstrate his guitar skills for those who always said that he surrounded himself with great guitarists or not, we will never know, but this is a clear example for those who thought about the first thing change their mind.
Apart from all this, Frank Zappa was one of the best guitarists of all time and in this album both Zappa and his band exude virtuosity, technique and feelings.
Surrounded by great musicians among which are Steve Vai, Vinnie Colaiuta, Ike Willis or Bobby Martin, among others, makes this work much more interesting, where we can listen to the different genres that he played throughout his career.
Rock songs "Hot Rats", psychedelic blues "Sexual Harassment in the Workplace", rock and roll "Sunrise Redeemer", reggae "That´s Not Really Reggae", ballads "Do Not Pass Go", musical delusions "That Ol´G Minor Thing Again" or superb solos like " Watermelon in Easter Hay".

Frank Zappa-In New York (1978)

"Zappa In New York" is a direct double that includes a selection of songs taken from various concerts offered by the great guitarist at the Palladium in New York at the end of 1976.
As was customary for Frank Zappa, his performances were not only intended to simply perform songs from previous albums but also to play new compositions and experimentation's that in many cases would later be included in later albums.
An album divided into two well-differentiated parts, the first album with a theatrical and humorous theme where "Puky's Whips" stood out, the burlesque "Honey, Don't You Want A Man Like Me", the blues "The Illinois Enema Bandit" or various instrumentals such as "Cruisin´For Burgers" or "I Promise Not To Come In Your Mouth" songs both where the drummer Terry Bozzio and the keyboardist Eddie Jobson do a great instrumental job.
The second album is directed towards the virtuous part of Zappa himself and his band in general, as demonstrated in "The Purple Lagoon / Approximate", "Manx Needs Women" or "Black Page".
On "The Torture Never Stops" Zappa performs one of his now legendary guitar solos, which is technically flawless, while "Sofa" is one of the album's most memorable moments with the full band appearing in unison with a high degree of virtuosity.
A band that among others was comprised of very great musicians who would end up carving out reputable solo careers later: Eddie Jobson, Patrick O'Hearn, Terry Bozzio, Randy Brecker, Mike Brecker, Dave Samuels or Ray White.

The Velvet Underground-The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)

This is one of the most influential albums in rock history, as well as the best work of the Velvet Underground.
An album so versatile that it brings together pop, rock, rhythm & blues and musical experimentation in one place.
With a magnificent Lou Reed and in his best moment, accompanied by John Cale who is masterful, they compose some of the greatest songs in history with a radical and transcendental theme; drugs, sex and rock'n roll, in addition to having one of the most iconic covers in rock history.

Kraftwerk-The Man Machine (1978)

"The Man Machine" is considered one of the masterpieces of electronic music and experimentation.
With this album Kraftwerk reacted to criticism from the British specialized press that accused them of threatening conventional instruments for music developed from machines.
However and following a line in accordance with his previous works, the concept of the album revolves around a declaration of love for the machine and its positive interaction with man.
From a musical point of view, the German band have never been so inspired as in this work, which has the most beautiful and memorable melodies of their entire career.
Also in this work they moved away from the references of imitations to other conventional instruments like the violins or the choirs used in albums like "Trans Europe Express" or "Radioactivity", using exclusively electronic instruments.
The album would go on to be Kraftwerk's biggest hit as it sailed between effective commerciality and unanimous acclaim from the world press.
Russian constructivism, Italian futurism, French avant-garde, and German expressionism, were a cocktail of influences that the band knew how to transmit achieving this superb album.

Frank Zappa-Joe's Garage Act I. (1979)

In 1979 Frank Zappa published "Joe's Garage Part 1" which made his chronological work number 48 signed as a soloist, without his Mothers of Invention with which he already had 15 albums published.
That same year "Joe Garage Act´s II. and III." would be released on a double album and some time later the three volumes would be compiled on a triple album.
This first part Zappa satirizes the American way of life, Scientology, fetishism and other issues such as censorship in the world of music.
For this new album Zappa I use the technique called "xenochrony" which consisted of picking up guitar solos from previous albums and superimposing them on new songs in the recording studio.
Created as an opera rock, history recreates a dystopia in which, under the demagogic idea of ​​equalizing all human beings, prohibitive laws of all kinds have been created so that everyone is a criminal in some way and thus have control of everything the world. Thus, music has been banned and that affects the main character in the story, the music lover Joe.
The album itself is full of superb music ranging from funk "The Central Scrutinizer", energetic "On The Bus" or humorous "Catholic Girls" to reggae "Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up".

Talk Talk-The Colour Of Spring (1985)

"The Colour Of Spring" is the third album by the British Talk Talk, considered by many to be their best production as well as one of the highest quality works of the 1980s.
Away from the initial sound of the band where synth-pop and new wave were the basis of their style, here the group opts for more avant-garde and experimental sounds, with a certain melancholy, but retaining that powerful and solemn pop.
Especially notable is Steve Winwood's involvement with the Hammond organ, providing them with a sonic environment that rides between progressive and space rock at times.
In this album the band is surrounded by more than fifteen invited musicians, among which are among others David Rhodes, David Roach, Robbie McIntosh or Steve Winwood himself, all of which contributes significantly to the sound enrichment of a production as solemn as it is rich in musical nuances.
That huge sound passage resulting from the large number of instruments used, we have it in the dense "I Don´t Believe In You", which becomes a Talk Talk classic.
Also memorable are the rhythm "Living In Another World", where they remind us of their previous stage, the intimate "Chameleon Day", with that pessimistic aura, the exciting "Give it up", where they come close enough to the style of Winwood in their records from the 80s, and the hypnotic "Time it´s Time" as the culmination of this impressive album with its 8 minute duration.

Mike Oldfield-The Songs of Distant Earth (1994)

After two albums that were harshly criticized, “Heaven's open” and Tubular Bells II ”, in 1994, Mike Oldfield, very fond of science fiction, decides, for his next project, to take as a base a novel by the famous writer Arthur C Clarke, "The songs of distant Earth." Mike Oldfield already included in his previous album "Tubular Bells II", a fragment entitled "Sentinel", a short novel by Clarke, which then served Kubrick as the basis for the realization of that masterpiece that was "2001 a space odyssey" , and that Clarke himself would later recompose that short story to write the novel of the same title.

Although this album mixes passages from the book, with others that are not, the truth is that the final set is quite homogeneous as a whole. Even most of the themes are linked without continuity solution, as if it were a large suite. 

As for the sound, Oldfield definitely opts for electronics, since the entire album is built with keyboards, samplers and computers, not forgetting, of course, the guitars, which there are here and very well executed. Ethereal keyboards and very suggestive melodies, dotted with those crystalline guitars, which give a very apparent final result. Many people criticized the abuse of electronics on the disk (there are no real batteries, as far as I know, everything is simulated), and according to them, it gave it a very artificial air and a “New Age” sound to the ensemble. I think the result was frankly good. Yes, it is a "commercial" album, so were "Crises", "Islands" or "Discovery", but they were not bad. For me, he uses this electronics very accurately in this album, but in my opinion in later works such as "Tr3s moons" or "Light and Shade", which are definitely albums "with sound" New age "and clearly inferior to" Songs of. . ”

Ange-Au-Delá Du Délire (1974)

Ange are one of the most important and emblematic bands in French rock history. From the early 1970s until almost the present day, they have released around thirty albums, most of them focused on avant-garde rock. Formed in the late 1960s by brothers Christian and Francis Décamps, their first two albums showcased a subtle blend of psychedelic and experimental sounds, all underpinned by humorous and sarcastic lyrics. With their third release, "Au-Delà Du Délire", they reached their artistic pinnacle, crafting a work brimming with allusions to the darker side of early King Crimson and the theatricality of Peter Gabriel's Genesis. This album is built around Christian Décamps's dark and theatrical vocals, where exuberant orchestrations and ingenuity are subject to poetic narratives, constructing evocative canvases that oscillate between the pastoral and frenetic delirium. Terrifying tracks like the lyrically scandalous "Godevin Le Vilain" or the unsettling and aggressive "Les Longues Nuits d'Isaac" transport us to the musical journeys of the Crimson King. On the other hand, "Si J'Etis Le Messie", with its demonic lyrics, reveals his anticlerical thoughts, while the sweet "Exode" provides the album's most poignant moment. In all of them, the biting lyrics written by Christian Decamps blended sarcasm, irony, anger, and obvious insinuations against the Church establishment, a fact that would lead to heavy criticism from a large segment of the wealthy and conservative French society of the time. However, all this controversy only served to increase Ange's popularity, granting them significant artistic, media, and commercial credibility.