BogusMan97

A vacation on some remote island in Oceania isn't something everyone can afford, but if the weather is bad and the sun's rays struggle against the buildings you see from your window to warm your shabby first-floor apartment, listening to Future Days will transport you to a beach in Samoa surrounded by drumming aborigines, lying on a deck chair under the influence of narcotics, accompanied by the sound of the waves and the gentle sea breeze. You have to hear it to believe it; I haven’t found a piece like Bel Air yet. Unique and unmatched.

Renaissance-inspired from the stunning cover, the third album by the British band Gryphon, released in 1974, is a concept instrumental album based on chess. Instruments like the cromorno (a Renaissance woodwind instrument) and the bassoon, accompanied by keyboards and synthesizers, create a cheerful and evocative atmosphere, giving the album a personality and character that are hard to find in the vast melting pot of lesser-known bands of the era. The excellent melodic ideas compensate for some virtuosic excesses.

Music of a higher level. The B-side of the album, consisting of On the Beach, Motion Pictures, and Ambulance Blues, represents the most beautiful trilogy of songs from the '70s and is perhaps the compositional peak of Neil Young. Although it was created during the darkest and most difficult years of his life, along with the lesser-known Time Fades Away and Tonight's the Night, the record reflects the most fragile and evocative side of his music. The surreal cover perfectly captures the contemplative atmosphere of the album and is among the most beautiful of all time.