Renaissance first appeared in the timeline back in the late 60s, as a group formed by ex-Yardbirds members Keith Relf and Jim McCarty. Quite incredibly, the same band reappeared years later with no original members. Their auspicious "re-debut" Prologue, the first of two albums for Capitol Records, builds on the premise of their predecessors, but with some changes: The title track bangs open with John Tout's grand piano, copping a quote straight from one of the Russian Kuchka ("mighty handful").

By the time Kingdom Come had gotten around to recording their second album, the band had slimmed down to guitarist Andy Dalby, organist Michael "Goodge" Harris and drummer Martin "Slim" Steer—all retained from their first album, Galactic Zoo Dossier. Bassist Phil Shutt, however, was new. Frontman Arthur Brown hadn't changed; and while the tracks approach a more linear presentation, the resulting self-titled album contains the same bizarre cut-up weirdness as their debut.

Rather than rest his fate on Vincent Crane's whim, vocalist Pete French took an offer to join Cactus after a US tour in early 1972. Undeterred, Crane called a recently ex-Colosseum Chris Farlowe to join Atomic Rooster. The new band previewed material from the album on a particularly excellent set for the BBC in June, recorded at the Paris Theatre. The resulting Made In England album is again another strong effort, and one quite novel in the timeline. Here Crane ups the mixture of soul, something almost unheard of in progressive circles.

Peter Gabriel's appearance began to (literally) blossom during the summer prior to this album's release. After he debuted his partially shaven head at the Lincoln Festival in May, the costumes weren't far behind. His between song chatter—ostensibly done to allow time for the band to tune up—was as cryptic and incredible as his lyrics; and indeed, Foxtrot gave him the material to back it up.

Nektar was a group of British expatriates that, like many bands during the mid-60s, made a living by working and touring in Europe. Initially, bassist Derek "Mo" Moore, drummer Ron Howden and keyboardist Allan "Taff" Freeman formed a band called Prophesy. By 1969, with guitarist and vocalist Roye Albrighton on board, the band changed their name to Nektar. They made Hamburg their base, and signed to Peter Hauke's Bacillus label.

Bo Hansson spent the early 60s as a member of The Merrymen in his native Sweden. The band, which also included harmonica player Bill Öhrström, opened for one of The Rolling Stones' Scandinavian tours and recorded one album with US singer Boz Scaggs. Switching to the organ, Hansson formed a relatively well-known duo with drummer Rune Karlsson, eventually releasing three albums in Sweden as Hansson-Karlsson. They were even friendly with Jimi Hendrix, having jammed with him when they opened for the Experience in 1966.

Not all progressive rock dealt with sci-fi fantasy, silver capes and airbrushed art; Family was proof positive of that. Their music lacked the overt virtuosity and accompanying pretentiousness of most prog rock music, but still contained more sophistication than most rock of the day. The previous year had been one of transition for the band. Released in March 1971, the compilation Old Songs New Songs contained remixes of songs from their prior albums, as the band had been unhappy with the originals. A new single "In My Own Time" b/w "Seasons" peaked on the UK charts at No.

For their third album, Gentle Giant made their first foray into the realm of the concept album; and, as such, it's one of the band's most cohesive and satisfying records. As the title suggests, Three Friends does indeed revolve around the lives of three childhood friends. All of the Giant's cleverness that one may have "acquired a taste" for on previous records is present here; yet more direct and rock steady, the six compositions reflect a bluesy, if not ballsy, performance.

Recorded during late 1971 and early 1972 between tours of the US and UK, Trilogy marks the third studio album from the trio of Emerson, Lake & Palmer. The album opens with one of their greatest compositions, "The Endless Enigma." Anchored by Greg Lake's bass, the fantastic interplay between Keith Emerson's blaring Hammond organ and Carl Palmer's spry drum work is economical, but also crisp and precise. Lake's lyrics are succinct and his double-tracked vocal delivery right on the mark.