1974 Albums

His contract with Harvest Records fulfilled, Kevin Ayers switched labels and management. The Confessions of Dr. Dream And Other Stories was his debut for Island Records, seeing release in May 1974. Ayers sounds fresh on the two numbers that open, "Day by Day" and "Didn't Feel Lonely Till I Thought of You;" brisk and tuneful, the latter reveals Ollie Halsall's lead guitar for the first time with Ayers, and the female backing vocals offer soul to both tracks.

If one had to pick an album to define progressive rock, it would be a double; and more often than not, Genesis' The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway would top the list. The sprawling double-album revolves around Peter Gabriel's story of a NYC street kid, Rael; that it roughly approximates every boy's journey out of adolescence is more than likely what gives the album its universal appeal. The anthem of "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" begins with Tony Banks's rolling piano giving away to Mike Rutherford's monster bass line.

For Gentle Giant's sixth album, the band wanted a "more spontaneous feel," prompting them to record most of the tracks on the first or second take. To that end, they succeeded, as The Power And The Glory ranks as one of the band's most unified and cohesive efforts. The album revolves around the concept of political power; and whether intentionally or not, the album's recording did coincide with the Watergate hearings, making it by-and-large a contemporary subject—something for which prog rock would rarely be known.