Originally released on Polydor in 1974, "Fragments of Light" does not bend to mid-'70s genre-classism. Fluid, meditative guitar leads and innovative use of synthesizers, combined with a noted lack of percussion (and vocals) on all but a few songs, have drawn comparisons to Kosmische legends Tangerine Dream and Popol Vuh. "Space Closure," the only track with live drums, resembles the kinetic progressive rock of fellow Italian Franco Battiato, while the shimmering bliss of "Do You Love Me?" rivals the American power pop that Falsini surely absorbed during his time in the States. A certain airy, homespun feel lends "Fragments of Light" its unique character.

If's last studio album isn't as good as their first albums. After many line-up changes, the band slowly changed their musical direction to more straightforward blues-soul-rock…

Formed by Mark Clarke and Jon Hiseman after the demise of jazz-rockers Colosseum. Their original vocalist, Paul Williams, had previously played with Zoot Money, John Mayall and Juicy Lucy. This line-up recorded 'Jon Hiseman's Tempest' and toured mostly on the continent and opened for Rory Gallagher in the U.S. Williams left in June 1973 followed by Holdsworth a month later. Holdsworth went on to play for Soft Machine and was later part of Level 42. In the interim Ollie Halsall was brought in on guitar, and their first BBC live performance captured the change in line-up with Williams, Holdsworth and Halsall performing together. Halsall went on to play with John Otway.
Tempest at the Reading Festival in August 1973 and recorded 'Living In Fear' before splitting in mid-1974. A year later Hiseman formed Colosseum II. Earlier, Mark Clarke was briefly in Uriah Heep.

If's last studio album isn't as good as their first albums. After many line-up changes, the band slowly changed their musical direction to more straightforward blues-soul-rock…

Painfully obscure trio from Bolivia that made a bold, raucous but jazzy and deceptively simple heavy prog during the early 1970's. The band formed in 1969 (or possibly even '68) and was constituted by guitarist/keyboardist/singer Jose Eugenio, drummer Alvaro Cordova, and Javier Soldias on bajo. They recorded throughout the early '70s but no official album was released until 1974's 'Gusano Mecanico' on Discolandia. On the surface the material may remind more of hard rocking cousins Zeppelin or Jimi Hendrix than anything Prog but the jazz elements, sense of experimentation, and clear influence from ELP and Pink Floyd on certain cuts - as the three-part title on the '74 LP - leave very few doubts this is a vintage Heavy Prog band worth its salt.

Beth Carvalho is a Brazilian singer, guitarist, cavaquinist, and composer whose name is synonymous with samba, particularly the Mangueira school. Though she began recording with Os Gatos in the mid-'60s, her run of solo albums between 1974's Pra Seu Governo and 1988's Alma Do Brasil is almost unparalleled in Brazilian MPB for their consistently high quality. She has recorded the works of now-legendary samba composers such as Nelson Cavaquinho, Guilherme de Brito, and Cartola, supporting them long before the listening public did; she assisted mightily in making them household names in Brazil. Though she is a long-established member of the Mangueira school of samba, she has also recorded dozens of songs by composers associated with the Portela school, as well as the work of songwriters from the pagode style such as Almir Guineto and Jorge Aragão…

On Midnight Sugar the Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio plays two of Tsuyoshi’s own blues improvisations followed by jazz ballads that became standards for the Trio. The combination of these titles is nothing but exceptional. The Yamamoto Trio's Midnight Sugar was recorded March 1, 1974 at Aoi Studio, Tokyo. It earned the Best Engineering Award and Jazz Disc Award of Swing Journal in 1974. It is Yamamoto’s unmistakable skill and his jazz feeling which adds that certain touch of liveliness and spontaneity and makes Midnight Sugar a unique experience. This Piano Trio will mesmerize you with this great collection of standards, superb musicianship and awesome sonics. You are sure to listen to this one over and over.

Kuckuck was responsible for releasing many great albums in Germany in the early 1970s, including those by the wonderful Out Of Focus. Featuring Moran Neumuller (vocals, sax, flute), Remigus Dreschler (guitar), Hennes Hering (keyboards), Stephan Wisheu (bass) and Klaus Spori (drums), this legendary Munich based band were contemporaries of acts such as Amon Duul II and recorded three classic and highly collectable albums for the label. Their music is somewhat similar to early British prog but will gradually evolve to a certain jazz-rock while staying very politically and socially conscious (in the typical German style of those years).

Smiler is Rod Stewart's sixth album, fifth solo album and final album for Mercury Records, released in 1974. It became the first album by Rod Stewart as a solo artist to become critically panned. Although it reached number 1 in the UK album chart, it stalled at number 13 in the US. The album was largely considered to be an unadventurous retread of what he had done before, including covers of Chuck Berry, Sam Cooke and Bob Dylan songs, as well as a duet with Elton John of John's song "Let Me Be Your Car"…

Sun Secrets is nothing for Eric Burdon (Animals) to be ashamed of artistically. With approximately 24 minutes per side, Sun Secrets is a far cry from The Black Man's Burdon and the rhythms of the group War. As Mountain guitarist Leslie West would do a year after this when he formed the Leslie West Band, Burdon beats him to the punch with a self-titled group that rocks - rocks harder than the Animals, rocks harder than War. It's innovative reinvention, and quite pleasing, not only to hear the three-piece unit blitzing behind the singer as he reinterprets Animals classics like "When I Was Young," "It's My Life," or the Hendrix/Cream riff-laden version of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," but on the instrumental title track as well…

The musically similar follow-up to the commercial breakthrough of Over-Nite Sensation, Apostrophe (') became Frank Zappa's second gold and only Top Ten album with the help of the "doggy wee-wee" jokes of "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow," Zappa's first chart single (a longer, edited version that used portions of other songs on the LP)…

This is one of the first Symphonic albums to come out of Germany. And it's nothing like TRIUMVIRAT or even NOVALIS for that matter.This is melancholic and plodding with plenty of synths and mellotron. There are basically two side long suites with the first side being divided into two parts…

This Return to Forever set finds guitarist Al DiMeola debuting with the pacesetting fusion quartet, an influential unit that also featured keyboardist Chick Corea, electric bassist Stanley Clarke and drummer Lenny White. On this high energy set, short interludes separate the main pieces: "Vulcan Worlds," "The Shadow of Lo," "Beyond the Seventh Galaxy," "Earth Juice" and the lengthy "Song to the Pharoah Kings."…

Esoteric Recordings is pleased to announce the release of the three classic albums by legendary British Jazz Rock group Isotope. The band was formed in 1973 by guitarist Gary Boyle and also featured Jeff Clyne on bass, Brian Miller on keyboards and Nigel Morris on drums. Jeff Clyne had previously played with Ian Carr's Nucleus, whilst Gary Boyle had played with Stomu Yamashta's East Wind. Isotope's self titled debut album was released in 1974 and continued the tradition of Jazz Rock fusion that had been pioneered by acts such as Tony Williams Lifetime and The Mahavishnu Orchestra. This Esoteric Recordings reissues has been newly remastered and features a booklets with new essay.

Snafu was formed in 1973 by former Procol Harum and Freedom vocalist Bobby Harrison along with Mick Moody, formerly of Tramline, the Mike Cotton Sound and Juicy Lucy. With Colin Gibson from Ginger Baker's Air Force, Terry Popple from Mickey Jupp's Legend, and session musician Pete Solley, the band released two critically acclaimed albums for the WWA label, Snafu (1973) and Situation Normal (1974).
In 1975, Solley left the band to be replaced by another session musician, Brian Chatton, and Tim Hinkley was recruited to complete the lineup that would record the band's third album, All Funked Up. Shortly after the release of this album in 1976, Snafu broke up.