1972 Albums

Roxy Music was a pop experiment that, among other things, provided a fertile spawning ground for many progressive musicians. John Wetton, Eddie Jobson and John Gustafson, in addition to longtime members Andy Mackay and Phil Manzanera, all played in the band. But Bryan Ferry and Brian Eno were the dominant characters of Roxy Music, and their clashes would eventually lead to Eno's exit after their second album. With all this talent though, the band would prove to be an influential force for years to come. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

On The Magician's Birthday, Uriah Heep quickly tried to replicate the success of their previous album, including another fantasy title and Roger Dean cover. "Sunrise" and "Sweet Lorraine" kick off the A and B sides, respectively, with confidence; but "Spider Woman" concedes to average rock ‘n' roll. The ballads generally work best; "Blind Eye" and the vastly underrated "Tales" rank among the album's finest songs.

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.