Anthony Phillips's 1979 release Sides was another attempt at commercial rock music; but, as the title might suggest, the album splits itself between the commercial songs of the first side and the progressive rock of the second. Most of the musicians from his preceding album were back, including the potent rhythm section of Michael Giles and John G. Perry. Hardly pensive, the opening track "Um & Aargh" wastes no time making use of the duo. Lyrically, the track relates a perfect account of Phillips's tribulations as a recording artist.

Following the prior year's tour commitments, Bill Bruford and Allan Holdsworth would split to pursue their jazz-rock leanings in the drummer's band, leaving Eddie Jobson and John Wetton to chase a more commercial path with U.K. Holdsworth's position at guitar would not be filled, while American drummer Terry Bozzio was recruited to replace Bruford; he came from Frank Zappa's band, where Jobson had previously spent a year (1976), following his departure from Roxy Music (1975). Released in March, Danger Money was another excellent album from U.K.

Following their debut album's release, National Health saw bassist Neil Murray leave for (can you believe it?) Whitesnake, and ex-Henry Cow John Greaves arrive to replace him. The band returned to the road in 1978, which included a supporting slot for old friend Steve Hillage, before entering the studio in July to record Of Queues And Cures.

With nearly a decade of work behind him, guitarist Manuel Göttsching was one of the pillars of the so-called Berlin School of electronic rock. In 1974, Göttsching recorded Inventions For Electric Guitar, his first true solo album (played only on guitar), at his new Studio Roma in Berlin. His guitar technique is similar to Achim Reichel or Robert Fripp: Using layers of echo-effect guitar, Göttsching created hypnotic washes of sound—early "trance" in modern terms.

Even if Edgar Froese and Chris Franke weren't particularly happy with the previous year's Cyclone, they remained committed to finding a new direction for Tangerine Dream. While Steve Jolliffe was unceremoniously dumped, Klaus Krieger remained on drums, albeit as a guest musician. Force Majeure again contains three tracks—opening with the title track, which encompasses all of side one. "Force Majeure" is cinematic in nature, with each section promoting a different mood or color.

After the gigantic tours supporting the Works albums, it's no wonder that in Summer 1978, the well-tanned members of Emerson, Lake & Palmer appeared on the beaches of Nassau, Bahamas to record their final studio album of the 70s. The record reflects ELP's extremes: When they were good, they were great; but when they were awful, you had Love Beach. To wit, the band has since acknowledged that the album was pursued only to fulfill their contractual obligations with Atlantic Records.

Rush was riding high on the success of their previous two years in the spotlight when, once again, they rolled into Rockfield Studios in the UK to record their sixth studio album. Hemispheres would stand as the last in their "progressive" phase, and featured no radio singles. The saga of "Cygnus X-1" from the previous year's record continued in epic proportion, picking up some Greek mythology along the way. "Apollo" and "Cygnus" are highlights to the six parts of the title track that cover the album's first side.

Recorded just before the last days of VdG, The Future Now marks another beginning for their ex-lead singer. It's an idiosyncratic record, partly due to the lo-fi nature of the recording, and also in part to it being a Peter Hammill record: The Man Ray-influenced pose on the cover should signal that this wasn't going to be easy listening. And except for a few overdubs by some ex-VdGG musicians, the album is 100 percent Hammill.

Camel's lineup remained stable since the last album; and without a doubt, Breathless is all the better for it. The album again sports immaculate production, this time courtesy of Mick Glossop. The melodic and airy title track opens with a signature vocal from Richard Sinclair.

Van der Graaf ended their penultimate tour with two nights in early January at London's Marquee Club. The band was now a five-piece: the same quartet that recorded the previous year's The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Zone, plus Charles Dickie on cello. Offering more of the chaos and less of the control that defined the band's prior efforts, the recordings formed the basis of this, the final installment from VdG. "Ship of Fools" sets the tone with Peter Hammill on electric guitar, and there's nothing subtle here; he's got as much grace as a steamroller.