Quatermass

The Hipgnosis-designed cover art is almost better than anything inside, a striking juxtaposition of the prehistoric and the present that feels representative of the raw prog power within. This keyboard-driven trio took its name from a Hammer science fiction film protagonist, and they had a distinct cinematic flair — J. Peter Robinson even went on to score movies a couple decades hence. Songs like “Post War Saturday Echo” show some serious Emerson, Lake, and Palmer influence (which tracks for an organ-focused act). The black sheep of the record, the rollicking “Black Sheep of the Family,” would more famously be covered by Richie Blackmore’s Rainbow. This version still flies on strange wings.