The Yes Album was that herculean leap that not only helped Yes save their recording contract with Atlantic, but also elevated them towards rock’s elite. With new blood Steve Howe (previously in Bodast) on guitar, Yes spent a few months isolated in the country writing new material, including fantastic arrangements of Paul Simon’s “America” and The Young Rascals’ “It’s Love.” In retrospect, the elements for success had been in place on their previous two albums; but here, Yes elongate their compositions, which gives them room to blossom without ever getting bloated.

Following the demise of Osanna prior to their 1974 release, Landscape Of Life, Elio D'Anna and Danilo Rustici formed Uno. Originally slated with Napoletano Toni Esposito on drums, the pair ventured to London to record an eponymous album, Uno, with drummer Enzo Vallicelli. Yet the group did not last, even with Rustici's brother Corrado, previously a member of Cervello, augmenting on guitar. So D'Anna and the Rustici brothers returned to London and under the auspices of Pete Townshend, producer Rupert Hine and Arista Records, formed Nova.

Genesis' story begins at the Charterhouse public school in Godalming, Surrey. Tony Banks, Peter Gabriel and guitarists Mike Rutherford and Anthony Phillips were all classmates in two competing bands. Adding drummer Chris Stewart, they joined forces in 1967 with the hopes of becoming a songwriting collective. The band's earliest efforts were proffered through the old-school tie, when pop producer and fellow Carthusian Jonathan King agreed to produce some demos. The contact eventually led to a recording contract from Decca Records.

Following the demise of The Yardbirds, guitarist Keith Relf and drummer Jim McCarty opted for a completely different direction than the American blues of their former band: music that combined classical, jazz and folk influences - how progressive! With Relf's sister Jane on vocals, bassist Louis Cennamo and pianist John Hawken were the keys to this new direction of "classical interpretation." The lengthy "Kings & Queens" opens the album; Relf's guitar takes a back seat to Hawken's piano, which paces through hook and quotation with surprising imagination.

Originally from the provincial town of Canterbury, the Soft Machine split off from The Wilde Flowers in 1966. And by the time the Softs got around to recording this album, they had already undergone substantial changes: Daevid Allen, St. Tropez and the London underground were well behind them. That version of the Soft Machine released one single "Love Makes Sweet Music" b/w "Feelin' Reelin' Squealin'", recorded some demos with Giorgio Gomelsky, and alongside Pink Floyd, had become one of the pillars of the London underground.

An original member of the proto-Rolling Stones, bassist Dick Taylor hooked up with singer guitarist Phil May at London Central School of Art in 1963 to form The Pretty Things. Moving to London, their R&B-influenced rock was an instant success. In June 1964, "Rosalyn" b/w "Big Boss Man" scored the group the first of many hits in the UK, while their self-titled debut album, released in early 1965, would rise to No. 6.

Procol Harum's second effort starts off predictably: Gary Brooker's monochromatic wail over Matthew Fisher's swirling Hammond chords on the title track offer elegance, while the pitter-patter of the following "Skip Softly (My Moonbeams)" gives way to something deeper. "Wish Me Well" even attempts some blues, obviously at guitarist Robin Trower's suggestion. Although the first side of the record could have easily come from their debut, the second side, containing the epic "In Held ‘Twas in I," is the real accomplishment here.