Solo 1981

With 1981's suitably named Allied Forces – their fourth worldwide release and fifth overall – the three members of Triumph put aside their differences and collaborated more seamlessly than ever before, fittingly delivering what is arguably the best album of their long career. Like the previous year's particularly intense Progressions of Power, and with the possible exception of a rather forgettable new track, "Ordinary Man," the pedestrian mid-paced rockers that had sometimes derailed previous Triumph albums were conspicuously absent here, replaced by snaggletoothed heavy metal carnivores courtesy of singing drummer Gil Moore, such as the opening "Fool for Your Love" and the unrelenting title track – both of them as thrilling as they were catchy.

After the breakup of Emerson, Lake & Palmer in 1978, Greg Lake set out to launch a solo career. He teamed up with guitar virtuoso Gary Moore and enlisted the talents of Bruce Springsteen's sax player, Clarence Clemmons, as well as Toto veterans Steve Lukather, David Paich, and Jeff Porcaro. The result was his 1981 self-titled debut album. After more than a decade with prog-rock legends ELP and King Crimson, it is clear Lake was looking for a musical change and a chance to perform as a guitarist, his primary instrument, after more than a decade mainly playing bass.

Herman Rarebell (born November 18, 1949 as Hermann Josef Erbel) is a German musician, best known as the drummer for the band Scorpions from 1977 to 1995, during which time he played on eight studio albums…

Sweet electric fusion from The Players - a Japanese combo led by keyboardist Hiromasa Suzuki. The style here is kind of a cross between CTI modes and some of the more dynamic fusion of the European scene - funky at points, but also somewhat free and open too - lots of tight rhythms at the bottom, but soaring solo work from Suzuki on a variety of keyboards, plus saxes from Mabumi Yamaguchi and guitars from Tsunhide Matsuki.

Over the course of their first three late-'70s albums, Foreigner had firmly established themselves (along with Journey and Styx) as one of the top AOR bands of the era. But the band was still looking for that grand slam of a record that would push them to the very top of the heap. Released in 1981, 4 would be that album. In producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange – fresh off his massive success with AC/DC's Back in Black – guitarist and all-around mastermind Mick Jones found both the catalyst to achieve this and his perfect musical soulmate…

Spacebox is the solo project of Uli Trepte (Guru Guru bass player, also member of early Neu! and Faust). Two albums have been released; "Spacebox" (1981) with Geoff Leigh and Catherine Williams as guests and "Kick Up" (1984) as a collective: it features an electric, eclectic, primitive "jazzy" rock "trip". These intriguing "obscure" German improvisations have been reissued by the Japanese label Captain Trip.