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.

When Anthony Phillips set out to record his next effort, he proffered an album of (more or less) commercial rock music—perhaps in an attempt to build on the success of his debut effort or, at least, create something more contemporary. As such, Wise After The Event presents a different side of Phillips: one that showcases his songwriting. Phillips is not joined by any Genesis cohorts this time, but instead by the world-class rhythm section of Michael Giles and John G. Perry and the production talents of Rupert Hine.

In late 1977, Steve Hillage spent some time with his ex-Gong cohorts producing ex-Hawkwind member Nik Turner's 1978 solo album, Xitintoday. He then toured the UK, assisted by Americans Joe Blocker on drums and Curtis Robertson on bass (from the funk band Karma) and, of course, his ever-present partner Miquette Giraudy on keyboards. For his fourth album, Hillage manned the producer's chair with Pink Floyd's Nick Mason; so it should be no surprise that Green is one of his spacier releases.

Jethro Tull celebrated a decade in the music business with a second compilation, Repeat – The Best of Jethro Tull – Vol II (released in November 1977), and their 11th studio album—no small feat. On Heavy Horses, Ian Anderson continues his lyrical dalliance with most things country, including farm animals and...two songs about mice. Anderson again sticks to the tried-and-true Tull formula he first pitched on Too Old To Rock ‘n' Roll: Too Young To Die!, and precious little seems to have changed, save the song's titles.

Following the demise of King Crimson in 1974, the rhythm section—the formidable duo of Bill Bruford and John Wetton—took some journeyman work (separately, for Gong, Genesis, National Health, Roxy Music and Uriah Heep) and then tried to form a trio with Rick Wakeman; scuttled by management, the keyboardist opted to return to Yes. Then, in 1977, the pair decided to each pick a bandmate: Wetton brought in violin and keyboard man Eddie Jobson, while Bruford recruited guitarist Allan Holdsworth.

Steve Hackett began his solo career in earnest with his second record. So, it should come as no surprise that none of his Genesis bandmates contribute here. Instead, Hackett opted for a diverse guest list: Steve Walsh and Phil Ehart of Kansas, labelmate Graham Smith, Chester Thompson (well, not technically a member of Genesis), the returning John Acock and John Hackett, and a few unlikely candidates—namely, vocalists Richie Havens and Randy Crawford. Please Don't Touch begins with a few numbers that wouldn't sound out of place on a Kansas record.

Shortly after mixing Seconds Out, Tony Banks, Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford (hence the album title) headed to Amsterdam to record this, their 11th record. Rutherford chose to fill Steve Hackett's now vacant position, but that wasn't the only change: Genesis also made a conscious decision to shorten the songs in order to present a greater diversity across the record. Boasting 11 tracks, …And Then There Were Three… still contains the band's substantial musicality, and a wonderfully dark production that gives it a uniform feel—something not usually associated with the band.

Produced by David Hentschel, Renaissance's next two albums reveal a significant change in direction from their previous work. Hentschel had, of course, perfected his technique with Genesis, and he certainly brought some of that influence here; just listen to the opening of "Kindness (At the End)." Predictably, the songs are shorter and more pop-oriented, with Michael Dunford's songwriting now mostly co-authored with Jon Camp.