Eric Johnson-Ah Via Musicom (1990)

The prestigious Guitar Player magazine chose Eric Johnson as "one of the most respected guitarists on the planet", and the truth is that his praise was more than fair because Johnson's music caused immediate impact.

It could not be otherwise, the songs of his third album Ah Via Musicom are a compact and elegant mix of rock, soul, blues, jazz, fusion, folk, new-age, classical and even country and western can be heard at throughout the eleven songs.

It was not surprising therefore that Ah Via Musicom arrived without problems to the platinum record in terms of sales, and that the tremendous single Cliffs Of Dover won the 1992 Grammy Award in the category "Best Performance of Instrumental Rock", beating Danny Gatton ( 88 Elmira Street), Rush (Where's My Thing?), The Allman Brothers Band (Kind of Bird) and Yes (Masquerade).

40 minutes of pure quality, from the intro Ah Via Musicom and its continuation with Cliffs of Dover, tremendous demonstration of virtuosity and elegance, an exciting mix. The beginning of Cliffs of Dover is with a guitar solo that impresses the most demanding listener, then everything is very virtuosic of the same level.

He even dares to sing songs like Desert Rose, High Landrons, Nothing Can Keep Me from You and Forty Mile Town, where he shows great vocal skills. The first three are a demonstration of direct and virtuous rock, with some reminiscence of Stevie Ray Vaughan and some outstanding electric guitars, while Forty Mile Town is a ballad that reminds me of Joe Satriani from the time of Flying in a Blue Dream . Eric Johnson's song is melodic style, well complemented by the instrumentation of each theme.

Beggars Opera-Act One (1970)

The style of Beggars Opera is in this album much more dynamic and faster than in subsequent albums, and also much more influenced by classical music, to the point that they decided to include fragments of many classical pieces (William Tell overture by Rossini and In the Hall of the Mountain King by Grieg among others) on the two long tracks on the album, Raymonds Road and Light Cavalry. Stresses the vocal personality of the great Martin Griffiths. Themes totally dominated by the organ melodies of the virtuous Alan Park, although also with guitar solos also fast and powerful by Ricky Gardiner. So much speed sometimes reminds the Deep Purple of the same era. On the other hand it is noted that Beggars Opera must have been one of the main influences of the Irish Fruupp. Of the bonus tracks, Sarabande is a very direct song that appeared in single at the same time, and Think is the B side of the same single.

Nektar-A Tab In The Ocean (1972)

"A Tab In The Ocean" was Nektar's second album, published in 1972, along with "Remember The Future", they are the creative zenith of this English band although formed in Germany. "A Tab In The Ocean" is quieter, more symphonic and psychedelic than "Remember The Future" and that ... "Sounds Like This" (another magnificent work). Closer to his first album, "Journey To The Center Of The Eye", his second album retains some of that psychedelia.

The piece that gives name to the album and that lasts more than 16 minutes is a jewel of Progressive Rock and clearly the best of the album. Along with the next one, "Desolation Valley", they have (quite a few) moments that remind Pink Floyd, especially the most spatial stage of his first albums. "King Of Twilight" is the most rocker of the album, to the point of having been versioned by Iron Maiden.

"A Tab In The Ocean" is a classic product of those years in which Progressive Rock was going through its best moment. Still lagging behind the great dinosaurs like King Crimson, Genesis, ELP or others, Nektar had his moment and left us essential works of Rock Prog, especially "Remember The Future" and "A Tab In The Ocean".

Joe Satriani-Shockwave Supernova (2015)

With the album "Shockwave Supernova" (2015) Joe Satriani returned us to the musician inspired by years to offer a consistent album that everyone likes, both guitar specialists and listeners themselves, and that is that Satriani published a record solid, where there is no place for boredom, where there are melodies, riffs, atmospheres, techniques of all kinds but above all consistent songs, songs that certainly serve to liven up, catch you or even hum some of them, although of course let's talk of an instrumental disc !! Satriani has been careful to offer a record that impacts and of course everyone who faces the Shockwave Supernova will be amazed. For this, Joe returned to give an extraordinary class of his talent along the fifteen themes that make up this fantastic album.

Roxy Music-Avalon (1982)

Avalon remains resistant to time and fashion the defense that never fails, that series of exceptional songs. The fame of this album rests for the remains on two pillars that belong on its own merit to the canon village of the best romantic songs of the twentieth century. The perfection of More than this and the mystery that conceals Avalon's false appearance are already legend. But they are not alone. Both The space between, Take a chance with me, To turn you on or True to life are somewhat forgotten gems, in which Avalon's decadent spirit probably resides.

Avalon was in practice the last official Roxy Music album before his separation and the subsequent definitive start of Bryan Ferry's solo career. Here the musical change that the group had already undergone, from its beginnings in glam-rock to “adult” melodies with very careful arrangements, takes definite form, with the exquisite Phil Manzanera as the maximum responsible (who would later collaborate on several albums of the race of Ferry as soloist). The album was a bestseller in the United Kingdom, with the hit More than this that reached number 1 on the charts and, in turn, was the only platinum record that got the band in the United States in its entire career.

Robert Wyatt-Rock Bottom (1974)

Robert Wyatt is one of the gurus of the Canterbury Scene, a very important subgenre in progressive rock. He has played in such fundamental bands as Soft Machine, and alone he has left us impressive albums like Rock Bottom, a work of great quality that was impossible to match in musical importance, despite his numerous attempts. He had the collaboration of, among others, Mike Oldfield, in the composition "Little Red Robin Hood Hit The Road", a classic within progressive rock.

Savoy Brown-Raw Sienna (1970)

Raw Sienna is perhaps the best album of the British Savoy Brown, although the band has an impressive discography of many albums of enormous quality.

Considered an essential formation of the British blues especially in the 60s and 70s. To write about Savoy Brown we would need several chapters simply to reflect the amount of training changes they have had. Compositions such as "A Hard Way To Go" or "Stay While The Night Is Young" are among the best of an album that is essential in blues rock to understand the British current of blues.

Atlantic-Power (1995)

In 1995, one of the best AOR albums in the history of this genre was released, its name Power and the band Atlantic.
And there are bands that are already part of our history and Atlantic entered it through the big door back in 1995. The sadly missing company "Music For Nations" gave us this wonder full of immense melodies that made us enjoy and that today they continue to amaze everyone who discovers them for the first time.
Great songs like "Power over me", "Nothing to lose", "Every Beat of my heart" are more than enough to define what Atlantic did on that album. If it were not for the production of the disc (rather justita) it would be a record of remarkable high. Even so, it enters the group of bands that having released a single album reached the category of myths within the style.
An album that still maintains the magic after 25 years and that will last over time...masterpiece!!!

Manfred Mann´s Earth Band-Nightingales and Bombers (1975)

“Nightingales and Bombers” was one of the most progressive works by the British band Manfred Mann's Earth Band, and a high point in the group's musical career, coming just before their most commercially acclaimed album, “The Roaring Silence”. It was also the second album that did not include any Bob Dylan covers, unlike their first four albums. “Nightingales and Bombers”. along with “Solar Fire” and “The Good Earth", is considered part of Manfred Mann's Earth Band's progressive trilogy, featuring virtuosity, sophisticated and highly elaborate rock, incorporating influences ranging from jazz to subtle hints of hard rock, all infused with the electronic sounds of keyboardist Manfred Mann's synthesizers. 

However, “Nightingales and Bombers” is the most melodic of the three, with an excellent balance between keyboards and guitars, featuring catchy tracks alongside impressive progressive arrangements. The energetic “Spirits In The Night”, a Bruce Springsteen cover, kicks off an album that at times becomes vibrant and very exciting. The fast-paced rock track “Countdown” gives way to the more virtuosic “Time Is Right” and “Visionary Mountains”, while “Crossfade” is a masterfully achieved space rock song. For its part, “Fat Nelly”, along with the title track, represents the most melodic moments of this magnificent work crafted by one of the best British rock bands of the seventies.

Golden Earring-Moontan (1973)

Formed in the mid-1960s under the label of basic pop-rock with beat elements, Golden Earring is one of the most important Dutch bands of all time. Over the years, they evolved towards a progressive hard rock style, and throughout much of the following decade, they released a series of albums that achieved worldwide success and are now considered cult classics within rock music. 

In 1973, this legendary band released their ninth album, "Moontan", which not only solidified their universal success but also became their masterpiece.

This progression, already established with their previous albums "Golden Earring" (1970), "Seven Tears" (1971), and "Together" (1972), culminated in "Moontan". Besides the iconic song "Radar Love", a true rock classic, the album features a masterful blend of hard rock, blues, and progressive sounds with astonishing instrumental developments. Aside from the aforementioned “Radar Love”, this album features irresistible tracks like the visceral and psychedelic “Candy’s Going Bad”, the progressive “Are You Receiving Me”, and the hypnotic “The Vanilla Queen”, while pop-rock melodies with sumptuous arrangements appear in the commendable “Suzy Lunacy” and “Just Like Vince Taylor”. 

A gold record and nearly a million copies sold between the LP and the “Radar Love” single attest to this phenomenal album by the legendary Golden Earring.

Deep Purple-Machine Head (1971)

What can be said about an album that deserves six stars out of five, one that has garnered unanimous praise for decades? Even trying to be as objective as possible, setting aside my personal preferences for this band, we've attempted to find a single flaw, but there isn't one. It's difficult, if not impossible, to find any faults when faced with 40 minutes of absolute mastery, where soaring, immeasurable vocals, a fiery and awe-inspiring guitar, a booming and exuberant Hammond organ, and one of the most powerful rhythm sections one has ever heard, make "Machine Head" a true rock classic, one of those records that only one band in a million manages to create.

Recorded during a time when Deep Purple were on the verge of disbanding due to enormous tensions and the egos of each of its members, they achieved their absolute musical peak with this work, thanks to the immense creativity and instrumental zenith reached here. 

“Machine Head” is undoubtedly one of the greatest guitar albums of all time, and not only because it contains the mother of all riffs with the immortal “Smoke On The Water”, arguably the most famous rock song of all time, but also because of the legendary duels between Jon Lord’s powerful and haunting Hammond organ and Ritchie Blackmore’s razor-sharp guitar on every single track. But at the same time, the song structures are far more intricate than they initially appear, with a great deal of interplay between all the instruments, yet they still feel spontaneous. 

All of this is reflected in the opening and incendiary “Highway Star”, a true classic for the band with its frenetic rhythm, which for many was the archetype of speed metal, or in the superb and progressive “Space Truckin’ ”, while “Lazy” showcases the group’s experimental and jazzy side. Meanwhile, “Maybe I’m A Leo” and “Pictures Of Home” are tracks that provide a moment of calm in an album as frenetic as it is admirable from beginning to end. If the album “In Rock” had already put them on the world map of heavy rock, and the following “Fireball” would definitively confirm their status, “Machine Head” would elevate them to true global stars, and the subsequent “Made In Japan” would place them at the absolute pinnacle of rock music in the 1970s.

Kingdom Come-Kingdom Come (1988)

If there was ever a band that would approach the sound offered by Led Zeppelin, (saving the distances as of course) those were Kingdom Come, a band formed by the German vocalist-guitarist based in the United States, Lenny Wolf.

Kingdom Come was the continuation of another formidable band led by Wolf himself called Stone Fury.

His self-titled album came to us in 1988, was recorded in Vancouver, Canada and was produced by Bob Rock. The band on this first album perfectly demonstrates their Led Zeppelin influences, and so much, that those who did not know the band, hearing their songs on the American FMs believed that Led Zeppelin had reunited and had a new album. That brought them airs of greatness, which caused some problems with the American press, and made Gary Moore and Ozzy Osbourne dedicate the song Led Clones to them to attack them.

However, the controversy caused did not prevent Kingdom come from having a privileged place on the Monsters of Rock tour, who were accompanied by Metallica, Scorpions and at the head, Van Halen. On other dates, they accompanied Bon jovi and Ratt on a Tour of Japan and toured England and Europe, opening the Magnum show.

The album has an air for Led Zeppelin, and apart from the aforementioned highlights such as Now (forever after), Shout it out and Living out of touch.

Thin Lizzy-Jailbreak (1976)

Out of respect and quality, Thin Lizzy belong to the first division of rock, but the impact obtained has never corresponded to the value of the group and they have been relegated to the background for the general public. In the first works, Lynott and company drank from blues and folk, although over time, without losing their faces to such sounds, they were dumbing down the sound until they found a balance that led them to publish Jailbreak, an album that finally showed the head on the British and American charts, conquering listeners with songs like the homonymous "Jailbreak", the great "Cowboy Song", the masterful "Emerald" standing out for its magnificent guitars, and of course with the hit "The Boys Are Back In Town. "

Neil Young-Freedom (1989)

Neil Young's career has never been in doubt; however, during the 1980s, the Canadian musician confused his fans with a series of experimental albums that seemed to stray from his musical philosophy. 

During those years, Neil Young released albums in various genres, many of them far removed from his unique and original style, featuring strange experiments that included sounds as disparate as new wave, country, jazz, alarming forays into electronica, rockabilly, and rural folk, alternating them with clearly rock-oriented tracks. All of this baffled his vast legion of devoted fans and, incidentally, his record label, Geffen Records. 

In 1989, Neil Young finally broke free from the tortuous chains of that label (in his own words) and signed with Reprise Records, releasing the album "Freedom", which marked the end of his most controversial and polarizing period. 

In “Freedom”, Neil Young returns to his rawest and most visceral self, and together with Crazy Horse, he delivers an electric and vigorous album that would culminate in the superb “Ragged Glory” a year later. 

As had already happened on the album “Rust Never Sleeps”, the acoustic version of a song is the same one that, in its electric version, serves as the album's epilogue, and it's the one that opens it. This song is none other than one of his greatest anthems, the powerful rock anthem “Rockin’ in the Free World”, but the rest of the album's repertoire is in no way inferior to it. There's the rhythmic and progressive folk of “Crime in the City”, the dense and lysergic “Don’t Cry”, the dusty ballad sung with Linda Ronstadt, “Hangin’ on a Limb”, the hypnotic “Eldorado”, the powerful “On Broadway”, and the atmospheric “No More”, another of its high points. 

With "Freedom", the world of rock music recovered the best version of Neil Young and the album that all his fans were anxiously waiting for him to make, but seeing the most immediate precedents, they already doubted that he would ever do it again.

Marillion-Fear (2016)

Marillion over four decades have carved one of the best reputations in progressive rock and have done so with a lot of talent, knowing how to capture that heir sound of Genesis and then provide a more personal seal. The band has had two very different stages, one first with a great Fish and another with a talented Steve Hogarth. After the entrance of the latter, the band's music was adding more elements of their own, they moved away from the first-time patterns and became increasingly diverse, embracing different sounds to end up reinventing themselves gradually, getting to achieve sounds at many anthological moments.

Fear makes his 18 studio album, an album that seems to us apocalyptic where the band tells us the details about a world without morals and the coming storm.

Marillion here leaves us an extremely atmospheric but very intense album, with texts of clear political tendency. It is not a subject in which Marillion have remained on the sidelines throughout his career, but it is true that since the previous album the trend is even greater.

Recall that this trend had already begun in the Fish era since its inception with 'Forgotten Sons', 'Fugazi', 'White feather', 'White Russian' ... and had continuity in the Hogarth era with themes such as 'Easter', 'Gaza' - with all the controversy it generated - or the album 'Brave', one of his key points in his career, where they all brought out real-world problems.

Fear describes the world without morals where we have lived (corrupt political class, banks rescued by all citizens and that do not return what we put together, unscrupulous companies and the world of business without moral ...) . 'It is not an album for the generation of mp3', nor for those who were born with technology as the main communication "... they are for those who have their feet on the ground and do not allow themselves to be manipulated by current networks such as internet and fake news current.

The album contains three main suites with their corresponding movements: "El Dorado", "The Leavers" and "The New Kings", plus two somewhat shorter compositions with the titles "Living in FEAR" and "White Paper", in addition to a Little epilogue.

The Allman Brothers Band-Eat A Peach (1972)

At the height of The Allman Brothers Band's career, their charismatic leader, Duane Allman, died in a tragic Harley-Davidson accident. 

It was October 29, 1971, and their legendary album, "At The Fillmore East", released four months earlier, had just gone gold. This unfortunate event occurred in the middle of recording a new album, and his death was a tremendous shock to the rest of the band. Many feared that this would be the end of The Allman Brothers Band, but some time later they decided to continue without their leader and mentor. They finally finished the album, and five months later, in February 1972, "Eat A Peach", the group's fourth album, was released, marked by that tragic death. Nevertheless, Duane appears on almost all of the album's tracks, except for three. Released as a double album and divided into three parts, the first focuses on songs recorded without Duane, the second features those completed with the late guitarist, and the third comprises tracks from the Fillmore East sessions of the previous year. The album opens with "Ain't Wastin' No More", where Gregg Allman, grappling with his brother's death, reminisces about the old musical days with a phenomenal performance by Dickey Betts on slide guitar. This is followed by the extended jam "Les Brers in a Minor" and the country-rock track "Melissa" (the latter performed at Duane's funeral). The 34 minutes of “Mountain Jam” are a pure exercise in unprecedented musical ecstasy, while “Little Martha” showcases Duane's mastery of the six strings on his Dobro acoustic guitar a virtuosity he would repeat with his thrilling cover of Muddy Waters' “Trouble No More”, this time on his incendiary and abrasive Gibson Les Paul electric guitar. 

“Eat A Peach” was the final chapter for one of the greatest guitarists who ever lived, whose short but intense career left a vital and essential legacy in the history of electric guitar and rock music.

Judas Priest-British Steel (1980)

If Judas Priest has demonstrated something on some occasions, it is that quality is not always at odds with commerciality. The right point between heavy and hard rock with catchy choruses and effective riffs was created in British Steel (1980) , the key to the doors of success and massive recognition. There we have the hymns "Living After Midnight" and "Breaking The Law", two clear examples of the undoubted search for an immediate hit. Cannon shots like "Rapid Fire" or the more contained "Metal Gods" are not far behind in terms of importance and quality. An influential work by the barriers that it has demolished, being much easier to assimilate than other classics of the band.

Greenslade-Bedside Manners Are Extra (1973)

The piano, the games of keyboards and the curtains of mellotrons are the great protagonists to form quite luminous and pastoral environments in the universe of this band particularly in this, one of its best, if not the best of its discs. The rumbling bass so classic at the time gives support for the Greenslade and Lawson games, and the latter's sweet voice when he occasionally sings, sometimes beautifully as in Sunkissed You're Not. Despite not being among the great superheroes of the progressive seventies, this album by Greenslade seems charming and worthy of being heard and recovered again and again, it is not tired at all and is very round and concise.

It is all very scenic and recurring to the less experimental and direct Yes to the point. Although there are no guitars, there is much more of Yes than of ELP. We even have a great drum job, with only included, in the dizzying times Drum Folk.

Another jewel of the 70s to digest with joy and above with one of those dreamlike covers of Roger Dean.

Jeff Beck-With The Jan Hammer Group Live (1977)

In full swing of jazz rock music in 1977 this collaboration of one of the best guitars in history such as Jeff Beck and the star and innovative keyboards of the moment like Jan Hammer, (Mahavishnu Orchestra) of that union emerged this album in Direct that was a resounding success at the time.

From the first chord this album leaves us breathless, which ends up becoming a kind of "Greatest Hits" of Beck and Hammer live, in those years they gave more than 100 live shows around half the world, this official album is a faithful reflection of what they presented.

From the few data on the album we can say that Beck was responsible for mixing and retouching his own themes in the US and Hammer did the same in London, Beck was an unconditional admirer of the Mahavishnu and after these collaborations with Hammer a friendship emerged that reflected in Hammer's interventions on Jeff Beck's albums as the magnificent "Wired."

Bad English-Bad English (1989)

Bad English was another of those super bands formed in the eighties, with members of Journey, The Babys and Cacophony.

So Neal Schon, John Waite, Jonathan Cain, Deen Castronovo and Ricky Phillips would form the first formation of this band.

In 1990, they published their debut album which went up to the top of the lists of many countries.

With a sound focused on soft hard rock, songs like When i see you Smile, Price of Love, Possession, The Restless Ones and Ghost in your heart made this album an exceptional album.

Dream Theater-Images and Words (1992)

Dream Theater are undoubtedly a band full of power, their progressive rock are out of series, saturated with heavy sounds but very well structured.

His second studio album has been for many his best album to date, one of the great albums of Heavy Metal in general and progressive rock in particular.

A work of extensive deployment of strength, melody, virtuosity and precision, where each member gives his best to show why they are perhaps the greatest representatives of this subgenre.

Pat Metheny-Secret Story (1992)

This is another masterpiece from Pat Metheny, an album brimming with great moments ranging from modern jazz fusion to new age sounds, passing through progressive and ethnic passages. 

On this occasion, the American guitarist enlisted a wide array of collaborators, including regulars Lyle Mays, Steve Rodby, Paul Wertico, Danny Gottlieb, and Nana Vasconcelos, as well as other prominent musicians such as Steve Ferrone, Charlie Haden, Toots Thielemans, and Anthony Jackson, among many others.

Throughout the album, we encounter countless guitar solos and other instrumental pieces, along with moving melodies, passages steeped in ethnic and Eastern influences, all underpinned by Metheny's own majestic guitar work. 

Intense emotions like "Rain River", reflective jazz canvases like "Always and Forever", approaches to more progressive jazz like "See The World", world music like "Finding and Believing" or heartbreaking pieces like "Tell Her You Saw Me", complete another of the essential works of one of the geniuses of jazz fusion of the 20th century.

Tale Cue-Voices Beyond My Curtain (1991)

In 1991 an Italian band of ephemeral career, artistic published an album that would later be considered one of the best Italian progressive rock albums of all time.

That band was called Tale Cue, and they were the percussors of the return of the essence of Italian lyricism to classical progressive rock, but readjusting it to the new times.

With a sound that at times approached the time of Marillion with Fish in front, the band developed obscure instrumental passages guided by very classic keyboards and an excellent guitarist who remind us of a David Gilmour.

In short, a band that knew how to combine a series of different landscape palettes in constant changes of rhythms, between the symphonic and the metallic, with very pastoral moments and great, very intense melodies.

Lyle Mays-Lyle Mays (1986)

Lyle Mays is the pianist of Pat Metheny's group in case they don't locate him. The sound that the group had was mainly due to him, in 1986 he published his first solo album where he somehow moved what he had been doing with Pat Metheny, this being his first solo work.

A great album, with the same airs as Pat Metheny but this time loaded only with Mays synthesizers and keyboards. A great proposal, regardless of whether or not they have Pat Metheny present. It is noteworthy the creativity of the guy, making a nice grouting of topics and without always listening to the same.

Joe Satriani-Surfing With The Alien (1987)

For many Surfing With The Alien is one of the most important guitar albums of the 80s and granted its author Joe Satriani a reputation as a virtuoso of the guitar and entering the olympus of the great guitarists of all time.

Published in 1987 the album contains fast and complex songs like "Surfing with the Alien" and "Satch Boogie", in contrast to songs like "Always With Me, Always With You" and "Echo" that are quite slow and melodic.

Also notable is "Midnight", which uses the two-handed tapping technique at high speed.

For millions of instrumental rock fans, the album has become essential.

In the already mythical cover appears the Marvel Comics character, Silver Surfer.

Ozric Tentacles-Erpland (1990)

Erpland would be the second album of the British Ozric Tentacles, published in 1990, in the wake of his previous and debut work Pungent Effulgent (1989), where oriental sounds, fusion, reggae, and much sonic experimentation stand out.

For many fans of psychedelic and space rock this is one of the best albums that have been published in the last 30 years.

Pat Metheny-Still Life (Talking) (1987)

"Last Train Home" is the highlight of the album Still Life published in 1987 and without a doubt the piece that raised Metheny to the altars of the musical world olympus, which jumped from the album to the television and radio tunings making practically everything The world outlined a gesture of recognition when the metronome rhythm of Paul Wertico's brushes begins to sound moments before Metheny's guitar-sitar begins to play an unforgettable melody. From there, everything is magic and the band is impeccably combined from, especially, the elegant keyboards of a Mays in a state of grace. A masterpiece without palliatives that was to become an instant classic.
However, no one doubts his enormous previous works, some of them pure anthology of jazz fusion such as American Garage, As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Fall, Travels, First Circle among other essential albums.
But it would be from this lavish work where metheny would receive recognition from the general public beyond the field of jazz circuits.

Jon and Vangelis-Short Stories (1980)

Short Stories (1980) is the first collaboration as a stable duo between the vocalist of the progressive rock band Yes, Jon Anderson, and the keyboardist, percussionist and composer Vangelis Papathanassiou. The proposal of this first work of both is much riskier than it might seem, coming from two artists perfectly consecrated at the time of their recording and that, instead of staying on the surface (ballads with beautiful sound effects, for example) , explore the inventiveness of both quite well. The result is an album that, although it includes some quite bearable and accessible themes, at times it seems more like a poetic recital with accompanying music (Jon Anderson's texts are in some cases indecipherable).

An album that has something special that gives it a unique, enormously elegant and very sophisticated character.

Jean-Luc Ponty-Enigmatic Ocean (1977)

When Jean Luc Ponty published his fourth album "Enigmatic Ocean" his career was so consolidated that his collaborations with other artists and other bands barely gave a break to be able to publish alone.

Although his germinal style was jazz rock, Ponty always bet on more progressive and experimental sounds, in fact his works with Frank Zappa or the Mahavishnu Orchestra are partly his compositions.

His virtuosity and great creativity are present in most of his record productions, and Enigmatic Ocean is no exception. This particular album has two exceptional guitarists such as Allan Holdsworth and Daryl Stuermer, who undoubtedly influenced the final result of a job with a lot of virtuosity, progressive melodic passages and certain dose of funk thanks to the keyboards of allan Zavod.

An album that is considered a masterpiece both for its dynamism, virtuosity, originality, the fantastic balance in the participation of each instrument and the sound diversity it offers, ranging from environmental to energetic.

Rush-Hold Your Fire (1987)

Rush in 1987 would publish his penultimate album of the decade of the 80, just two years later of the work Power Windows would appear in the market the disc that concerns us today, the usually belittled Hold Your Fire. At first it might seem that it does not differ much from its predecessor, but nothing is further from reality. In Hold Your Fire the guitars recovered a lot of prominence (without reaching the levels of the 70s of course), and while Power Windows gave off a pessimistic aura Hold Your Fire embraces us with warm songs, something that matches the covers of each work. And it is that Neil seems to be tired of the pessimistic and social-themed letters that flooded Grace Under Pressure and Power Windows, and began to talk about issues about human nature, the passage of time and even love, which would have been unthinkable ten years before
As far as music is concerned, we are faced with a very compact disc, with a very homogeneous sound and that is impossible to confuse with any other disc of the Canadians. It is a more generalist AOR, they were left completely of progressive influences and offered us an album that could be signed at times by bands like Toto. However, this very homogeneous sound coupled with its long duration (50 minutes, the longest album of Rush to date) leaves us an album that was more and less with some expendable songs.
Magical songs such as "Force ten", "Time Stand Still", "Open Secrets" or the progressive "Lock and Key" stand out on the album.

Uriah Heep-Demons and Wizard (1972)

In 1972, Uriah Heep released their last two albums, both oriented towards progressive hard rock: "Demons and Wizards" and "The Magician's Birthday", released seven months apart. 

With "Demons and Wizards" and "The Magician's Birthday", Uriah Heep cemented their place in the rock world as masters of gothic-influenced heavy metal. These albums contained a series of sharp hard rock tracks combined with progressive elements, featuring epic and dense narratives, melancholic and dark pieces, and sublime ballads brimming with beauty. All of this was conceptually wrapped in fantastical and mythological journeys, as demonstrated by the two medieval and imaginative album covers designed by Roger Dean. 

The opening of “Demons and Wizard” couldn't be more spectacular with the melodic and grandiose “The Wizard”, followed by the hard rock tracks “Traveller In Time” and “Easy Living”, and the complex and outstanding “Circle of Hands”. The album then returns to hard rock with two more powerful anthems: “Rainbow Demon” and “All My Life”. The grand finale is the apotheosis of the suite “Paradise/The Spell”, which, divided into several parts, begins atmospherically and melancholically before transforming into a forceful progressive hard rock track driven by an omnipresent organ and a guitar in the purest Floydian style.

Uriah Heep-Salisbury (1971)

In 1971, Uriah Heep released their second album, "Salisbury", a title taken from the English city of Salisbury Plain. This area is surrounded by vast plains where the British Army maintains a large military training range for tanks, hence the album's title and its iconic cover featuring a British-made Chieftain tank. 

For this second album, the band hired a new drummer, Keith Baker, who replaced Ollie Olsson. The rest of the band remained the same: David Byron, Mick Box, Ken Hensley, and Paul Newton. 

"Salisbury" was recorded during the final months of 1970 at Lansdowne Studios in London and was produced by Gerry Bron.

Composed of six tracks, "Salisbury" represents a natural and defined progression from its predecessor, "Very 'Eavy, Very Umble", with a greater emphasis on melody and a refinement of their progressive hard rock sound. This was partly due to the fact that their keyboardist, Ken Hensley, a conservatory-trained musician with a distinctly classical background, played a more prominent role in the songwriting process, a factor that would become dominant on the band's future albums. With this shift, the group tempered their heavy, dark hard rock sound and worked on refining the complexity of progressive rock within the heavy rock genre. Although the standout track is the 16-minute suite "Salisbury", it unfairly overshadows the other five tracks. "Salisbury" also features a 26-piece orchestra, revealing the band's latent progressive tendencies on this album. On the other hand, the remaining songs showcase the band's eclectic, early sound, beginning with the frenetic "High Priestess", the ethereal ballad "The Park", the catchy "Lady In Black", the heavy hard rock track "Time To Live", and the bluesy "Simon The Bullet Freak". 

“Salisbury” would be Uriah Heep’s greatest progressive effort along with the later “Look At Yourself”, “Demons and Wizards” and “The Magician’s Birthday”, completing with all of them an anthological quadrilogy of the best progressive rock.

Rare Bird-Rare Bird (1969)

A London band records a great album in the distant 1969, an album found in the origins of progressive rock. This is Rare Bird and his self-titled debut album.

It was a band that anticipated its time, and that created and transmitted musical sensations that at that time very few were able to understand.

Rare Bird can not be missed in any progressive rock guide, however at the time it was labeled as "eccentric and heterodox", mainly for using the organ as a leading instrument ... however it was eventually classified as a cult band. .remember that even Igor Strawinski himself was booed at the premiere of "The Consecration of Spring", don't forget that ... His first LP, simply titled Rare Bird, contains a theme, Sympathy, with an obsessive organ sound that it will become, published in single, in a world hit in 1970 selling more than one million copies.

Nazareth-Loud´N´Proud (1973)

In the 70s after many concerts where Nazareth participated (on many occasions as a supporter for bands like Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy or Rush) the press praised them with "honor and greater glory for NAZARETH".
And it is that Nazareth are one of the most glorious and fundamental bands in the History of Rock.
His resume is overwhelming, his musical influence
(especially throughout the 70's) is unquestionable and
Does not admit any discussion.
In 1973 they published their fourth album "Loud and Proud" a hard rock exercise with progressive brushstrokes such as Bob Dylan's version 'The Ballad Of Hollis Brown', a song with an impressive beginning and the acoustic guitar that accompanied the original song is now replaced by a muddy electric bass with the distortion (Fuzz) butt, which threatens creeps full of fierce force and cryptic darkness, while dark and sharp guitar melodies sound in the distance plunging us into an enveloping and grotesque progressive passage of ten apocalyptic minutes.

King Crimson-Islands (1971)

Islands was King Crimson's fourth album (1971), with a different formation than his previous work Lizard (1970).

In this new work, the bassist and vocalist Boz Burrell (who later went on to join the mythical Bad Company) and Ian Wallace to the drummer who would replace Andy McCulloch stand out in an overwhelming way.

Islands is an almost perfect album from start to finish, full of calm and equal parts startles.

The beautiful Formentera Lady and the great Sailor´s Tale give a good account of this and The Letter´s combines that strength and tranquility with an amazing naturalness.

Even at that time the shadow of the Beatles was very long and not even Robert Fripp escapes it, so we have Ladies on the Road, with evocative melodies towards those of Liverpool.

In this album Fripp does an impressive job on the six strings, demonstrating it in the baroque Prelude Song of The Galls and in the outstanding Islands that closes the album.

Rush-Moving Pictures (1981)

It is true that for many the end of progressive rock came with the resounding, forceful and disastrous appearance on the scene of British punk, for others it ended with The Wall by Pink Floyd, however, strictly speaking, the last great progressive album of any of The classic bands is Moving Pictures by Canadians Rush. And like most of the classic progressive bands, like Yes, Genesis or Camel, Rush would be oriented in the eighties to a more electronic and less risky sound, and to a certain extent more commercial.
However, this work still contains remnants of the progressive height of the previous decade, and the rock energy of the band remains intact if we compare it with that of their seventies albums, that is why the work is saved, and not only that, It is the album that placed Rush on a world-renowned plane, mainly due to his spectacular opening song "Tom Sawyer", which never yields to the sweet honeys of conformity, and ends up being a classic song of the progressive rock due to its enormous complexity and its amazing interpretive mastery.
But the work also has other notable songs, such as the instrumental and spectacular "XYZ", the evocative "Red Barchetta", the epic and at times glorious "The Camera Eye" where Alex Lifeson on guitars and Neil Peart on drums they look like they rarely have, or the mystical "Witch Hunt". Moving Pictures undoubtedly stands out as a great album at a time when the classic progressive had died.

Camel-The Single Factor (1982)

After the Camel Nude album, the band practically disappeared as such, only Andy Latimer would remain as the only official member of it.

Thus the things for the following work published in 1982 and titled The Single Factor (the title makes reference to that he is the only surviving dee of the mythical band), Latimer had to recruit many musicians, most of them belonging to the musicians' group of session of the albums of Alan Parsons Project, David Paton or Chris Rainbow, the members of the band Sky; Francis Monkman or Tristan Fry, the drummer Simon Phillips, the former Genesis Anthony Phillips or the keyboard player who collaborated on Nude; Duncan McKay, among other musicians.

In short, a true melting pot of musicians, which resulted in an amalgamation of sounds highly influenced by the sound of Alan Parsons. All you have to do is listen to songs like "A heart's desire" that seems to be taken from any of their albums, with the sweet voice of Chris Rainbow, and what to say about "Heroes", with the voice of David Paton, who seems to be taken from the APP's “the turn of a friendly card”.

What is perhaps most striking on this album is how short the songs are. It seems like a succession of singles destined for radio stations. And that was perhaps the idea of Latimer, in an attempt, futile, as was immediately evident, to achieve a sales success in the face of the public, once symphonic rock was being removed from the music scene with the arrival of the eighties. Aside from the song that opens the album, “No easy answer” that had some success, and that sounded somewhat even in the 40 Criminals, I mean Principales, the album went quite unnoticed, and was widely reviled by most of its followers, as a succession of songs easy and accessible to the general public, with very little quality from the point of view of symphonic rock, if we except perhaps the song "Sasquatch", coincidentally the only one in which the good of Bardens participates.

However, it should not be too hard since the album has quality in several of its songs. Especially in the commented Sasquatch, or in "Camelogue", "Selva" or the two songs that close the album "A heart's desire" and "End peace", and that is that Latimer always leaves the mark of the house on everything what it does.

For many at that time this was believed to be the last album

from a band that filled the symphonic rock scene with capital letters, but luckily they were wrong ...

Pantheon-Orion (1972)

History has hundreds of forgotten bands, magnificent bands that today would be the vanguard in the progressive genre or any other style

One of them which is not even known by the vast majority is Pantheon, a fundamental band within the very important Canterbury Movement. Originally from Holland, this quartet did not have the same impact as its Supersister countrymen despite the fact that their musical proposal was truly excellent. The music of

This ensemble was constituted in a splendid work with the wind instruments - saxophone and flute -, a magnificent jazz direction, highlighting the combination of sax-keyboards, a synthesizer very well adapted to the musical needs of the band and, above all, clean, solemn choirs and to some extent clerical,

which give their music a very particular dimension.

King Crimson-Red (1974)

After five years of history of King Crimson, with a lot of instability and a lot of stress, the band published the album Red, which closed its first journey, which was not a stage. As the back cover of the album already indicated, with the number seven in red, this was going to be the end (fortunately, it was only a seven-year hiatus) for the band.
Robert Fripp said just before the album was released the following: "King Crimson ceased to exist:" ... for three reasons. The first is that it represents a change in the world (from dinosaur civilization to small, independent, mobile, and intelligent units). Second, while there was a time when I considered joining Crimson to be the best liberal education a young man could receive, I now know that it is not. And third, the energies involved in the lifestyle of the band and the music are no longer of value to the way I live. "
Red was purposely composed with that concept of closure, covering a little of each of the previous epochs; with the imagination of ITCOTCK, the jazzy touches of the Lizard, the preciousness of Island, the complexity of Lark's Tongues in Apic or the improvisation of live performances of Starless and bible black. Here the lineup is reduced to a trio, (Fripp, Wetton and Bruford) but with fundamental collaborations, especially those of the saxes of ex-members Collins and McDonald.
The album is in general perhaps the most complete of the band
but it is without a doubt the theme Starless takes center stage in a masterpiece and unique, its perfection is such that not even the best prose could show the essence of its depth ... of its beauty. The mellotron, as it usually happens in the great themes of King Crimson, takes over the beginning of the theme, provides it with the atmosphere, the color, the sensitivity. With that atmosphere: melancholic, which can be even disturbing, Fripp's guitar enters. Here there are no distortions, it sounds warmer than ever. It gives the feeling that, if the music could be played, that guitar start would ask to be hugged. Meanwhile, Bruford contributes a battery that squanders that sensitivity inherited from his jazz training. Wetton enters singing a melody and a letter that explains that melancholy that already suggested the beginning. The saxophone delves into the warmth of the melody, while still denoting sadness with the cello underneath, providing heartbreaking depth. The chorus stops. The guitar solo appears which, repetitively, only varies chromatically on a genius bass bass. Percussion enters progressively, bringing an impressive rhythmic richness to the theme. Thus, under this same scheme, the guitar is gathering strength, and with it bass and drums. A change of rhythm arrives in which the guitar gradually rises in intensity and tone until it reaches the true climax, in which the saxophone ... explodes. A masterful solo, of whose level there are few in the history of rock, progresses to a point where the other sax, the alto, enters, and together with the exquisite set of dishes from Bruford's drums, they create a beautiful melody that, literally, it bursts with the notes of the closing of the chorus by means of the guitar and the soprano saxophone (adrenaline and endorphins flood my body). Another brutal rhythmic accompaniment leads to a more brutal runaway guitar, which connects again with the sax. This takes up the main melody, the bass takes center stage making a counterpoint while the melotron returns to welcome the ending as it deserves, with an apotheosis of sensitivity, until the notes fade. Tears outside. Bravo ... the King has spoken.

Eloy-The Power and the Passion (1975)

In 1975 Eloy would publish his fourth studio album The Power and the Passion, a work that was distanced in part from the sound of his first albums, it could even be said that it is the first album with the classic sound of the group, with a style that is more symphonic and more space, less psychedelic and and in part less rocker, this is the first conceptual work of the group, and it is a record considered worse than the others among the fans, although I consider that it is not fair, maybe it is not as good as Dawn , Ocean or Floating but it doesn't stay too far. Here the group becomes a quintet with the incorporation of Detlef Schwaar on guitars, and it should be noted that keyboard player Manfred Wieczorek uses all kinds of keyboards here, unlike the previous ones where he only used organ, which is one of the points that contribute to the change of sound. The highlight of the album are undoubtedly the masterful two long songs, Love Over Six Centuries and Mutiny, two very symphonic songs full of changes, melodies, solos of great keyboards and a lot of emotion. Also notable are the three songs that close the album, The Zany Magician, Back Into the Present, these two more along the lines of previous albums, and The Bells of Notre Dame. In short, a great album.

Led Zeppelin-Physical Graffiti (1975)

The endless creativity of the Physical Graffiti album starts from the cover. The two records came in inner envelopes inside a slim box that featured a New York building. The windows of the building were openwork, to show images that depended on how one arranged the internal envelopes; each of them had different and small photographs, including one of the singer Robert Plant dressed as a woman. One of the envelopes had the letters that formed the title of the album, which could be seen through the small windows. The cover designer, Peter Corriston, scoured the entire city looking for a suitable building, until he found two, five stories each, located on St. Mark's Place 96 and 98. They made several adjustments to the original photo: they cut the fifth floor so that it enters well in the square format; the buildings on the left and right were tweaked to match the style of the main buildings; they added details to the architecture; They removed part of a balcony so that a window can be seen better. The front of the cover is a daytime photo, the back is the same photo taken at night. The result is an unforgettable cover, so much so that it was nominated for a Grammy. Incredibly, he did not win, but his designer, Mike Doud, did in 1980 with the cover of “Breakfast in America”, the album by Supertramp. A few years later, in the video for the Stones song “Waiting on a Friend,” Mick Jagger and Keith Richards appeared on the doorstep of these same buildings.
Those 80 minutes of "Physical Graffiti" have everything. It is as if Led Zeppelin had decided to show everyone what they were capable of. It happens that the popularity of the group was so gigantic but the critics used to despise their music, describing it on many occasions as "basic" and too inspired by other artists. In this case, moreover, the band was releasing their own record label, Swan Song, in partnership with their manager. Page, Plant, Jones and Bonham, therefore, were not deprived of anything: there is heavy rock, progressive rock, funk, acoustic rock, ballads and even an instrumental. So rich and varied is the album that includes both the longest song by Zeppelin (“In My Time of Dying”, eleven minutes, if we ignore the live versions of Dazed and Confused) and the shortest (“Bron-Yr- Aur ”, from 2:06). Among the songs that would later become classics, the main one is the progressively monumental "Kashmir", but there are also "Trampled Under Foot", "Ten Years Gone" and the essential "The Rover".
Kashmir is, in the words of Robert Plant himself, the definitive song of the group (something that is perhaps exaggerated if we compare it with classic songs like Stairway to Heaven, Dazed and Confused, Whole lotta love or Since I've Been Loving You for just naming four of the band's dozens of mythical themes), Kashmir is an epic progressive rock theme in which orchestral rock is mixed with oriental influences, supported by John Paul Jones' mellotron. Although the song is based in Kashmir, a region between India and Pakistan, Robert Plant wrote the lyrics during a long journey through the Moroccan desert.

Van Der Graaf Generator-Pawn Hearts (1971)

With their fourth album, Van Der Graaf Generator proved they were at the pinnacle of avant-garde rock with a release that rivals the masterpieces of great bands like Yes, ELP, Genesis, or Pink Floyd. Like its predecessor, "H To He, Who Am The Only One", this new work represents a bold, challenging, and extremely demanding style, yet is also incredibly rewarding. All the classic VDGG elements are present on this magnificent album, from Peter Hammill's abrasive and dark lyrics to Hugh Banton's keyboards, Guy Evans' precise drumming, and David Jackson's unique and original touch on saxophone and flute. To further enrich the musical tapestry, Robert Fripp returns as guest guitarist, adding his distinctive style to the final spectrum of this musical canvas. On "Pawn Hearts", the band displays maturity and tremendous ease of execution, all without approaching this work with the complex and intelligent sounds of their previous album. 

An album that, moreover, showcases a wealth of lyrical content, as profound as the music itself, along with small doses of humor, extravagance, and sonic aggression. From the opening, apocalyptic track "Lemmings", Hammill makes his message clear: questioning authority and choosing our own path without trusting in governments. The reflective and poetic "Man-Erg" again confronts us with Hammill's portrayal of humanity and its universal capacity for good or evil. The second side features the suite "A Plague of Lighthouse", one of the most astonishing pieces in the history of progressive rock, a hallucinatory journey that blends melancholic, powerful, dark, cathartic, and uplifting passages, all swept by the sounds of mellotrons and Robert Fripp's distinctive, razor-sharp guitar.

Bo Hansson-Lord of the Rings (1971)

Symphonic or progressive rock inspiration draws from many sources, from poetry to literature, through painting, classical music, science fiction, epic wars or historical adventures.

Within literature, perhaps J.R.R. Tolkien is the most important of all.

There are hundreds of artists and albums inspired by the "Lord of the Rings" mythology, but this is undoubtedly the most early and germinal album on this mythical tale, published in 1971.

For those who do not know him, Bo Hansson was a Swedish guitarist, keyboard player and composer who had formed different rock bands in the 1960s.

His first album was recorded with the best advances of the time that existed in his native Sweden and is based on the story of the Lords of the Rings and would soon become a success at a European level and would even become a success in different countries. worldwide.

Such was the success that Genesis' own record label, Charisma Records, redeemed it in 1972 worldwide.

The album itself contains great moments of organs and synthesizers, with space for guitars and jazz elements at times, as well as Hindu influences, with very good musical structures that keep us attentive from start to finish.

Procol Harum-Shine on Brightly (1968)

No one can doubt the importance within the germinal symphonic rock of Procol Harum, they were together with The Moody Blues who put the most emphasis on what later became the most common feature in the bands of the 70s.

Procol Harum's second album "Shine on Brightly" was released in 1968 and while it was a somewhat eclectic album compared to his debut album, with conventional themes on its first side, it would not be on side B of the album, the which contained the jewel and a whole classic of the progressive "In Held Twas In I" an epic song close to 20 minutes.

This piece is a set of linked songs that would serve as a model for what would soon arrive in compositions by bands such as Yes, Genesis, EL&P among other greats from the 70s.

This characteristic feature of a very long track that occupied an entire face of an album was the maximum expression for all progressive artists, with the physical extension of vinyl as a limit.

Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention-One Size Fits All (1975)

In 1975 Frank Zappa ended his career with the Mothers of Invention with the album One Size fits all, a job much more accessible to the general public than he had done until then.

An album where there is room for elements of rock, jazz fusion and progressive sounds, all fused with the characteristic acid humor of Zappa.

Songs like Inca Roads, Andy, Sofa or Florentine Pogen demonstrate the musical complexity together with the insane and mocking touch of its satirical lyrics.

Kerrs Pink- A Journey on the Inside (1972)

In 1972 the career of one of the best and at the same time unknown Norwegian progressive rock bands, Kerrs Pink would begin.

However, it would not be until the 80's when they would publish their first work, and until 2013 they were still active with a discography of half a dozen great works within the panorama of symphonic rock

With a friendly style that fuses their most notorious influences (Pink Floyd and especially Camel) plus a good dose of Scandinavian folk, this band masters the musical language perfectly, balancing the sound of rock with the typical musical heritage of their country to make very nice albums that present a great variety of tones, attractive melodies and a perfect harmony of all its members, highly recommended for all lovers of the most purist symphonic rock.

Novalis-Sommerabend (1976)

Sommerabend (1976) is the third album by the German Novalis and is considered one of the greatest symphonic rock works of all time, undoubtedly indispensable for all lovers of progressive rock from the 70s.

An album with constant changes of rhythms and harmonies, which are combined in a spectacular way, all seasoned with spatial atmospheres and very melodic acoustic sounds.

A masterpiece of symphonic rock

The Dave Pike-Noisy Silence (1969)

To the public, Volker Kriegel is a complete unknown, however, in the late sixties he was a very popular guitarist in Germany thanks to his self-taught skills on the guitar and other instruments such as the Hindu sitar.

As a sociologist by profession, he would participate in different jazz bands and even participate in various albums.

One of his biggest contributions was for the vibraphone player Dave Pike's band on the album Noisy Silence, which had a great impact in the late 60s.

Already with his own band, the Orchestra Mild Maniac, he would record some well-received albums.

The following years he would form other bands and in addition to collaborating with prestigious musicians and record several dozen good records until years later he would retire to found his own record label and collaborate with the band Passport, in addition to directing movies, directing a radio. program among other tasks.

His style merged different musical schemes from different cultures, which we could classify as progressive jazz.

Bad Company-Holy Water (1990)

In 1986, guitarist Mick Ralphs and drummer Simon Kirke, two of the founding members of Bad Company, joined forces and resumed the group's activity left behind years before when another of the founders Paul Rodgers decided to withdraw from the stage for a time and the recordings. For this new stage they included a new bassist, Steve Price. Back then, Paul Rodgers would return to the world of music but he had decided to form the group The Firm with Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, so Ralphs and Kirke decided to sign vocalist Brian Howe who had previously worked with Ted Nugent. on his '84 album "Penetrator".
With Howe the sound of the group took a path very oriented towards Hard / AOR, in counterpoint to the previous and successful stage with Rodgers where a Hard Rock and Blues inherited from the germinal band Free were played. With this new formation, the Bad Company released in '86 the album "Fortune And Fame" which had a great acceptance by the North American and European public.
For their next work, "Dangerous Age", the group signed producer Terry Thomas, who would take over the keyboards and rhythm guitar, composing with Brian Howe and Mick Ralphs all the songs on this album and where a higher quality in the compositions with respect to his previous work.
"Dangerous Age" like the following albums with Howe as Frontman will get a great reception on the world Hard Rock circuits.
With this new identity the Bad Company was reaffirmed in its new era and lived a special revival with notable success,
and whose main attraction lay in its new vocalist.
In the following years a series of remarkable works would follow; Holy Water (1990), Here Comes Trouble (1992) and the direct What You Hear Is What You Get (1993) all of them remarkable Hard / AOR works, productions of an indisputable category and quality within the new sound used, reaching several of his singles to fill the high positions in the American sales charts during the second part of the eighties and nineties.