Solo 1981

Proud Words On A Dusty Shelf (1973). This is the solo debut of Uriah Heep's resident keyboardist and top songwriter, but it isn't the heavy metal epic one might expect. In fact, Proud Words On A Dusty Shelf uses electric guitar sparingly and instead goes for a moody soundscape built on acoustic guitar and piano. Songs like "Black Hearted Lady" and "The Last Time" even evoke a bit of a country and western feel, thanks to their use of mellow-sounding slide guitar. This subtle sonic style puts Hensley's songwriting in the spotlight and that is a good thing because each of the songs is well-crafted and tuneful: a subtle combination of acoustic guitar and synthesizer brings out the haunting, delicately crafted melody of "From Time To Time" and "Black Hearted Lady" effectively evokes its mood of heartbreak with a descending acoustic guitar riff…

Every aspect of this Rolling Stone's solo album screams of superstar indulgence, from its bizarre cover shot - look, there's Ron riding a camel under some jets - to co-producer Andy Johns' fawningly surreal back cover exhortation to "don't let anybody tape it because the label needs the money." There's no chance of such an occurrence: three studios are credited - and every track boasts a different lineup. Many of the usual suspects appear, including sub-Stones keyboardist Ian McLagan, pianist Nicky Hopkins, and saxophonist Bobby Keys; R&B vocalist Bobby Womack; and pianist Nicky Hopkius. Even Stones drummer Charlie Watts pops up on a couple of tracks. Also, this rarefied company didn't have decent material to stretch out their chops…

Proud Words On A Dusty Shelf (1973). This is the solo debut of Uriah Heep's resident keyboardist and top songwriter, but it isn't the heavy metal epic one might expect. In fact, Proud Words On A Dusty Shelf uses electric guitar sparingly and instead goes for a moody soundscape built on acoustic guitar and piano. Songs like "Black Hearted Lady" and "The Last Time" even evoke a bit of a country and western feel, thanks to their use of mellow-sounding slide guitar. This subtle sonic style puts Hensley's songwriting in the spotlight and that is a good thing because each of the songs is well-crafted and tuneful: a subtle combination of acoustic guitar and synthesizer brings out the haunting, delicately crafted melody of "From Time To Time" and "Black Hearted Lady" effectively evokes its mood of heartbreak with a descending acoustic guitar riff…

Every aspect of this Rolling Stone's solo album screams of superstar indulgence, from its bizarre cover shot - look, there's Ron riding a camel under some jets - to co-producer Andy Johns' fawningly surreal back cover exhortation to "don't let anybody tape it because the label needs the money." There's no chance of such an occurrence: three studios are credited - and every track boasts a different lineup. Many of the usual suspects appear, including sub-Stones keyboardist Ian McLagan, pianist Nicky Hopkins, and saxophonist Bobby Keys; R&B vocalist Bobby Womack; and pianist Nicky Hopkius. Even Stones drummer Charlie Watts pops up on a couple of tracks. Also, this rarefied company didn't have decent material to stretch out their chops…

Although Steve Hackett had made several albums under his own name since his departure from Genesis, 1981's Cured was the closest thing yet to a true solo Hackett album. Having disbanded the group with whom he's recorded two successful solo albums – Spectral Mornings and Defector – Steve retained only keyboard player Nick Magnus to help out on this effort. Magnus played keyboards, Hackett handled guitar and bass, and the drums were provided by a drum machine. But the most noticeable change was in the vocals…

Peter Hammill is one of the formative characters of the progressive rock scene to date. In the beginning of the 1970's he recorded four cumbersome mysterious albums with his band Van der Graaf Generator which never could reach the commercial heights of cognate bands like Genesis or Yes due to their musical intransigence. After several visionary but difficult to access albums, Hammill reformed the quartet for another four albums which introduced a more earthy but not less complex sound. After the band's second end in 1978, on solo albums like "The Future Now", "ph7" or "A Black Box" Hammill experimented extensively in the studio and acquired the latest techniques like i.e. early forms of sampling; one of the most breath-taking results being the 20 minute long soundscape 'Flight'…