Fly by Rocinante (2007)

The remarkable train of events set in motion by a catchy Seventies disco hit took even its composer by surprise. But a major part of the success was due to his own imagination, enthusiasm and perseverance. Didier, the composer and keyboard player who formed his group Space in 1977, was surprised when an experimental demo recording evolved into an international chart topper. He had grown up in a showbiz family, but even he wasn’t prepared for the dramatic events that followed in the wake of overnight stardom.
But it was a strange kind of celebrity, because the composer was hidden underneath a space helmet when the first promotional video was made and Space was really a studio concept rather than a touring band. Nevertheless, "Magic Fly" gave birth to the French synthesizer disco boom…

Since Neil Peart joined the band in time for 1975's Fly by Night, Rush had been experimenting and growing musically with each successive release. By 1980's Permanent Waves, the modern sounds of new wave (the Police, Peter Gabriel, etc.) began to creep into Rush's sound, but the trio still kept their hard rock roots intact. The new approach paid off – two of their most popular songs, the "make a difference" anthem "Freewill," and a tribute to the Toronto radio station CFNY, "The Spirit of Radio" (the latter a U.K. Top 15 hit), are spectacular highlights. Also included were two "epics," the stormy "Jacob's Ladder" and the album-closing "Natural Science," which contains a middle section that contains elements of reggae.

Essential: a masterpiece of rock music
They came riding from the North, ready to do battle with the notion that progressive rock was a dying art form.