Wha-Koo-Berkshire (1978)

Related to the Californian band Steely Dan for their exquisite and polished style, Wha-Koo was a prolific West Coast rock band that released three albums between 1977 and 1979. Its main driving forces were David Palmer and Danny Duoma. Palmer had previously played on the early albums of Steely Dan, and was a renowned guitarist and songwriter. The rest of the lineup was equally accomplished; musicians like Andy Silvestre, Reinie Press, Don Francisco, and Rick VanMaarth had belonged to important bands such as Highway Bobbery, Savoy Brown, and The Crickets, the latter famously known as Buddy Holly's backing band. "The Big Wha-Koo" (1977), "Berkshire" (1978), and "Fragile Line" (1979) are prime examples of the best of the Californian sound. It is undoubtedly their second album, "Berkshire", that best reflects the style of this brilliant group from Los Angeles. Grand vocal harmonies, refined guitars, and precise keyboards, all underpinned by exquisite arrangements. Some time later, Danny Duoma released his only solo album, "Night Eyes", featuring Eric Clapton, Garth Hudson of The Band, and several members of Fleetwood Mac, before joining the band Chicago, replacing the late Terry Kath.

Steely Dan-Can´t Buy A Thrill (1972)

In 1971, ABC Records musicians and songwriters Walter Becker (guitar and vocals) and Donald Fagen (keyboards and vocals) decided to form their own band, encouraged by producer and ABC Records executive Gary Katz. Thus, Steely Dan was born, comprised of its two leaders, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter (guitars), Jim Holder (drums), and Dennis Dias (guitar and sitar). A year later, they released their debut album, "Can't Buy a Thrill", which also featured guest appearances from singer David Palmer, guitarist Elliott Randall, saxophonist Jerome Richardson, and percussionist Victor Feldman. This first recording is characterized by the group's complex musical tapestry, blending diverse styles such as jazz, rhythm and blues, pop, and rock with satirical and biting lyrics. With meticulous production, the duo crafted a series of brilliantly executed songs, featuring warm sounds and lyrics infused with a sarcastic and unsettling sense of humor. The album opens with the iconic "Do It Again", a true American rock classic, a masterful composition brimming with sonic details. It is followed by other magnificent tracks such as the memorable "Dirty Work", "Reelin' in the Years", "Fire in the Hole", "Midnight Cruiser" and "Change of the Guard". This spectacular debut marked the beginning of one of the most exciting careers in the history of rock music.

Christopher Cross-Another Page (1983)

Three years after his acclaimed debut album, Christopher Cross left us with his second record, an album that was overshadowed by his impactful first work, despite containing enough musical merit to once again top the charts worldwide. However, in his second release, the style that blended irresistible ballads, soft rock, and clear mainstream pop influences was criticized for its lack of stylistic evolution. As with his debut album, on this new record, the guitarist from San Antonio, Texas, surrounded himself with a stellar lineup of musicians, including Mike Porcaro, Don Henley, JD Souther, Art Garfunkel, Steve Lukather, Tom Scott, Carl Wilson, Abraham Laboriel, and Jay Griden, among many others. Recorded throughout much of 1982, on "Another Page" Cross repeats the same formula that had propelled him to global stardom with a series of understated, impeccably executed compositions that navigate between romantic and nostalgic ballads; "Baby Says No", "Nature of the Game", "What Am I Supposed to Believe", "Talking in My Sleep", "Words of Wisdom", and "Think of Laura" are nods to the recent past with appealing melodies, such as the fast-paced and catchy "All Right," or the stimulating West Coast sounds of "No Time for Talk" and "Deal 'Em Again". While not reaching the commercial or creative heights of its predecessor, the album achieved a commendable eleventh place on the Billboard charts and earned half a dozen gold records worldwide for its sales.

Steely Dan-Two Against Nature (2000)

In 2000, Steely Dan had gone 20 years without releasing any new material, although they continued to perform regularly in the United States and more sporadically in Europe. Therefore, when they announced the release of a new album, their fans received the news with great anticipation. With this new album, the Fagen/Becker duo would once again garner numerous awards worldwide, including four Grammys and several platinum and gold records, crafting another work brimming with exquisite music, where sophisticated jazz/rock/pop remained the common thread. As with all their previous releases, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker recruited a legion of prestigious musicians for the recording, including guitarists Paul Jackson Jr. and Hugh McCracken, saxophonists Lou Marini and Chris Potter, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, and keyboardist Ted Baker. The exceptionally high level of stylistic integrity remains evident on this new recording after so many years; in many ways, it was as if they had never retired. The fluid, slightly Latin sounds of the jazzy "What a Shame About Me", the avant-garde, Caribbean-influenced "Two Against Nature", the bluesy "Jack of Speed", the vintage rhythm and blues "Cousin Dupree", and the brilliant jazz-rock "West of Hollywood" represent another step forward in the fantastic discography of what is considered the most sophisticated group in the world of jazz-rock and rock in general.

Steely Dan-Katy Lied (1975)

With Steely Dan's fourth album, its two leaders, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, abandoned the conventional rock band approach to become a project of musical research and experimentation. From then on, each song on all subsequent albums would feature meticulously chosen musicians, musicians who adapted to the concept and idea of ​​the compositions in question. "Katy Lied" also marked a stylistic evolution from everything previously released; here they moved towards structured soft rock, leaving behind (albeit subtly) the jazz arrangements. Among the twenty or so collaborating musicians, notable figures include Larry Carlton, Jeff Porcaro, Hugh McCraken, Rick Derringer, Elliott Randall, David Paich, and Victor Feldman. These rock sounds are present in elegant and sophisticated tracks like "Black Friday", "Chain Lightning", "Everyone's Gone to the Movies", "Throw Back the Little Ones", and "Doctor Wu", while the usual pop-jazz and blues sounds appear in "Bad Sneakers", "Your Gold Teeth II", and "Daddy Don't Live in That New York City No More". "Katy Lied" is arguably their most balanced and consistent recording to date, maintaining the refined atmosphere, the usual perfectionist production, and impeccably executed compositions, all adorned by the twisted and ironic lyrics of the duo Fagen & Becker.

Fleetwood Mac-Mirage (1982)

"Mirage" had the great handicap of being just behind the superb "Rumours" and "Tusk", so it had a more moderate success than these.
However, it would reach number one on the Billboard charts and a fifth position on the British charts with more than three million copies sold worldwide.
"Mirage" in a sense continued the path of "Tusk" with some fantastic melodic songs, with the characteristic rhythm of the band, demonstrated in an arsenal of great compositions like "Gypsy", "Hold Me", "Love in Store" that were the three singles from this album.
The rest was equally of considerable freshness and harmonic richness, like the beautiful ballad "Only Over You", the rhythmic "Can´t Go Back" or "Oh Diane" a brilliant song composed by Lindsay Buckingham.
All this makes up a homogeneous album, keeping the band's bar very high after the two aforementioned masterpieces.

Fleetwood Mac-Live (1980)

In 1980 Fleetwood Mac published the superb double live album "Live", where a good part of the last tours of the band was shown in a few moments in a national way both in the compositional and commercial plane.
Here are almost all his great songs such as "Sara" which is lengthened in a seven minute coda, the epic and majestic "I´m So Afraid", or the eternal "Monday Morning", "Dreams", "Oh Well", "Rhiannon" or "Fireflies".
The album would get great reviews and very good sales, keeping the level of the band very high thanks to the genius of its members throughout this fantastic live show.

Fleetwood Mac-Tusk (1979)

Two years after the multi platinum "Rumours", the Fleetwood Mac pulled another monumental album, a double album titled "Tusk", which would also be the band's first conceptual album.
The sentimental breakdowns of the couples Buckingham-Nicks and Christine Mcvie and John McVie would have the musical arguments in this great work, an enormously brilliant album that certainly seems quite inconsistent at first.
Even so it is constructed wisely as if it were a puzzle with songs that are quite different from each other but that fit perfectly into the final result of the album.
This superb album begins with the melancholic "Over & Over", a superb as well as masterful piece that is followed by very brilliant songs like "Sara", "Tusk", "Sister of the Moon", "Think About Me" or "Never Forget", in addition the band allows itself the luxury of some extravagances like the strange "The Ledge", or licenses to the past like "Beautiful Child" or "Brown Eyes" the latter where Peter Green collaborates.
The album had a great reception without reaching the millionaire sales (more than 17 million copies sold) of its predecessor "Rumours", something almost impossible to achieve on the other hand, but that still is considered another of the masterpieces of the North American band .

Donald Fagen-The Nightfly (1982)

In the late 1970s Steely Dan was immersed in the recording of the album "Gaucho", and the obsessive perfectionism of its leader Donald Fagen and his bandmate Walter Brecker. About 50 musicians would participate in this recording and it would last two years, during which multiple creative, personal and professional differences arose, which would end up definitively finalizing the band and the end of the first stage of Steely Dan.
But Donald Fagen, far from abandoning the music business, would continue alone and several years later he would publish what is undoubtedly his masterpiece "The Nightfly", in which he showed his influence on the spirit of Steely Dan but with renewed and updated sounds.
This album was one of the first records in history to be recorded on a digital system, despite the fact that it caused numerous technical problems for Donald and his expert army during the extremely meticulous registration process, and that is that one of Fagen's own demands on His new company (Warner Bros) was to summon almost the entire disciplined legion of musicians who had already worked with him on his ex-band (producer, engineers, studio musicians, etc.), in addition to other additional luxury collaborations. As always, the more than thirty hard-working companions experienced the "slow Chinese martyrdoms" to which Fagen subjected them in rehearsals. Nobody escaped "Millimetric Man" if he ventured to play with him and only the difficult recording lasted 8 months, commanded by that obsessive lover of technological-musical avant-garde who is Donald Fagen himself! And that nobody from his luxury establishment it occurred to him to make the most microscopic mistake in any chord!.
The album contains an anthological repertoire with songs like "I.G.Y (What a Beautiful Day)", "New Frontier", "The Goodbye Look" or "Walk between the Raindrops".
This already mythical album achieved Platinum, entered the Top 20 in the United States and England, in addition to obtaining several international recognitions, among which the 7 nominations for the Grammys in 1983 stand out.

Steely Dan-A Decade of Steely Dan (1985)

Steely Dan was always considered an unclassifiable band, that moved in the imprecise terrains that separate or unite (depending on how you look at it) pop, rock and jazz.
Already in the seventies, criticism differed if they were considered a sophisticated rock band or a band with new ways of understanding jazz rock, but away from the proposals of the pioneers in that field such as Chicago or Blood, Sweat & Tears.
Although its main nucleus was always formed by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, all their records included session musicians or renowned guest musicians; Lee Ritenour, Larry Carlton, Jeff Porcaro, Jeff Baxter, Tom Scott, Randy Brecker, Wayne Shorter, Patti Austin or Michael McDonald are just some of them.
The magnificent trajectory of this band is concentrated in seven albums from their debut "Can't Buy a Thrill" (1972) to "Gaucho" (1980), all of them with a notable presence in the North American hit charts.
In addition to innumerable reissues and compilations that have been published throughout these last decades, the band would meet in 2000 to publish several more albums "Two Against Nature" that same year and "Everything Must Go" in 2003.
In 1985 the MCA Records would publish Decade a fantastic compilation where he realizes the virtuosity of the band and the finesse of his style.
Here you will find a large part of his unbeatable compositions from the classic "FM (No Static at All)", to the well-known "Do It Again", through the great "Deacon Blues", "Hey Nineteen", "Peg" or "Kid Charlemagne".

Fleetwood Mac-Tango in The Night (1987)

In the mid-eighties, Fleetwood Mac was not exactly experiencing a good time, the personal and financial problems of some of its members were constant.
His latest album had been "Mirage" which despite its good sales and favorable criticism, was nowhere near its previous successes as "Rumors" or "Tusk".
Thus the things, the guitarist Lindsey Buckingham would initiate the recording of a solo album that later was offered to the rest of the components and with it starting the recording of what would be her new album which they titled "Tango in The Night".
With an overwhelming sound, exquisite production and a series of sublime compositions, the album would reach sales levels close to its overwhelming album "Rumors" with more than 15 million copies sold.
However, in addition to all this, the album supposed the total reactivation of a band that seemed to be resting on its laurels, and in the end it would be the last album of the most legendary and successful formation of Fleetwood Mac.
An album with an impressive series of songs as addictive as suggestive, ranging from rock, pop and even new wave approaches.

Fleetwood Mac-Fleetwood Mac (1975)

Fleetwood Mac has two distinct eras, a first one where blues was its main competitive genre and a second one where the most commercial sounds focused on sophisticated pop predominated while continuing to look towards the roots of North American music.
"Fleetwood Mac" is the band's first album from this second and tenth chronological period, released in 1975 and had two new members, on one hand the guitarist Lindsey Buckingham and on the other the singer Stevie Nicks.
With these new additions the band would undergo a substantial change in their musical style, abandoning the path of the blues to move to pop-rock terrain with folk brushstrokes, styles that for the other members of the group, drummer Mick Fleetwood, keyboard player Christine McVie and bassist John McVie were totally unknown.
These new members, and ultimately the subsequent change they brought with them, made the effort of the creative twist qualitatively worthwhile.
And although in terms of sales the best was yet to come, this album provided the group with their first number one in the United States in addition to high positions in the United Kingdom.
Both Nicks and Buckingham gave their personal touch to the band's music, songs like Stevie Nicks' "Rhiannon" brought an ethereal grace, while Buckingham's guitar talent created a more rock sound in the opening song "Monday Morning" and in the epic "I'm So Afraid".
All this set of songs brought a balance with great skill to the usual love songs of the main songwriter of the group Christine McVie, and in fact it is the songs of this one, which bring the necessary warmth to the album as "Warm Ways" or "Over my Head".
With the passage of time the album has become one of the best sellers of the group, reaching millionaire figures and five platinum records everywhere in the United States alone.

Dwayne Ford-Needless Freaking (1981)

We are looking at one of the gems of so-called West Coast rock, a style influenced by Californian melodic rock. "Needless Freaking" is the work of one of the most unknown musicians in Europe, but not in the United States and Canada, where he is originally from. His beginnings date back to the early 1970s, playing in bands like Los Nomads and working with Ronnie Hawkins' band. Throughout that decade, he recorded several albums, including "Friends With Bearfoot" (1973) and "Passing Time" (1975). In the early 1980s, Ford surrounded himself with a great lineup of musicians from the genre, such as the members of Toto: Mike Porcaro, Steve Lukather, and Jeff Porcaro, the group Airplay, and the renowned musician David Roberts, among many others. From these friendships and collaborations emerged "Needless Freaking", a perfect album of Californian sounds, characterized by great elegance, perfection, and sophistication. Songs like the exquisite "Lovin' and Losin' You", "The Best Will Survive", and "Am I Ever Gonna Find Your Love", the soulful "Stranger in Paradise", and the rocking "The Hurricane" and "Midnight Ride" make up a work as delightful as it is superb, a prime example of top-notch AOR. Although he would continue to release sporadic albums in the following years, this guitarist, singer, keyboardist, and composer would dedicate himself to composing film scores, in addition to working as a sought-after session musician for countless artists on the American West Coast.

Keith Cross & Peter Cross-Bored Civilians (1972)

In the early seventies, the influence of the West Coast sound of the American hippies reached England, a style that would be a major influence on many British bands of the time. However, the sunny, beachy, surfer-friendly American climate was a stark contrast to the ever-rainy Great Britain, so the so-called "British West Coast" had an unmistakable melancholic and wistful tone, directly linked to its climate, although its very personal folk style also contributed to a somewhat darker and more somber feel. One of these bands was the duo Keith Cross & Peter Cross, two brothers who came from various bands such as the progressive rock band T2 and Hookfoot, the latter being Elton John's backing band. After composing a series of songs, they recruited several musicians, including guitarists Nick Lowe, formerly of Brinsley Schwartz, and B.J. Cole, ex-Cochise, as well as Caravan saxophonist Jimmy Hastings. The only recording from this collaboration was the album "Bored Civilians", one of those rare gems highly sought after today due to the combination of its impressive lineup of musicians and its extraordinary content. Tracks in the purest CSN or Seals & Crofts style, such as "The Last Ocean Ride", folk-rock tracks seasoned with heavenly vocals like "Peace in the End" (the latter a cover of a song by the misunderstood Fotheringay), songs with a clear psychedelic jam texture like "Story to a Friend", elegant compositions such as "Loving You Takes So Long", "Pastels", "The Dead Salute", and "Bo Radley", and acoustic tracks like the irresistible "Fly Home", all combine to create an album of extraordinary quality. However, shortly after its release, the band broke up, each member pursuing independent careers, thus bringing to an end the ephemeral adventure of this magnificent and now forgotten band.

Bliss Band-Dinner With Raoul (1978)

Bliss Band was a British band from the late 1970s that released two albums before disbanding in 1980. The band was formed by vocalist and keyboardist Paul Bliss in 1976 after leaving Dog Soldier, with whom he had released an album in 1975 and had also contributed to several Moody Blues projects. For the production of their first album, "Dinner With Raoul," released in 1978, Paul Bliss enlisted Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers guitarist Jeff Baxter, along with Michael McDonald on vocals, Andy Brown on bass, Alan Park on keyboards, Phil Palmer on guitar, and Nigel Elliott on drums. This debut album is brimming with great compositions in the purest West Coast style, venturing into more jazzy moments, all overflowing with catchy and pleasant melodies. The melodic sections are combined thanks to the vocal prowess of Bliss and McDonald, along with the keyboard elements that make this an excellent example of late-seventies Californian rock. The final result is astonishing, and it's no surprise given the production by Jeff "Skunk" Baxter and the outstanding contributions of Michael McDonald ("Slipaway" and "Stay A Little Longer"), which evoke the sound of early Steely Dan and The Doobies Brothers, making it a hidden gem of West Coast melodic rock. Tracks like "Over The Hill", "Don't Do Me Any Favors", "Right Place, Right Time", and "Here Goes" only need Donald Fagen's involvement to transform "Dinner With Raoul" into a lost "Katy Lied", with that smooth, striking, and subtle music contained within its grooves. Inexplicably, as happened to so many others, this album was lost in the abyss, perhaps because there were simply too many similar releases at the time (which there undoubtedly were), which is why many of these works inevitably went unnoticed.

Fleetwood Mac-Rumours (1977)

With over 45 million records sold, this fantastic album, "Rumours", is not only one of the best-selling albums in the history of popular music, but also one of the most impressive albums ever made. 

An album that transcends its era thanks to a combination of harmonies and melodies that are almost inimitable.

Recorded amidst the tumultuous romantic troubles of the Buckingham-Nicks and Perfect-McVie couples, these breakups would ultimately become the key source of inspiration for such a masterpiece.

All the tracks on the album could easily have been hit singles, but those chosen reached the pinnacle of success, such as the dynamic "Don't Stop", the rocking "Go Your Own", and the delightful "Dreams".

However, it is the sublime "The Chain" that sums up this album, for its originality, simplicity and at the same time sober composition that made this "Rumours" one of the 25 best albums in the history of rock without qualification and of contemporary music of the 20th century.