Though the initial incarnation of Curved Air only existed from 1970 to 1972, their three albums made a major impact on the U.K. prog scene. The helpfully titled Second Album contained the band's sole hit, "Backstreet Luv," which represents their more rocking side. But the more classically influenced aspect of the Curved Air sound, exemplified by Daryl Way's violin and Francis Monkman's keyboards, is what really distinguished the band. The elegant vocal and violin lines fleshed out by Monkman's piano on "Jumbo" provide plenty of poignancy, while the angular, syncopated riffs of "Everdance" almost suggest early jazz fusion. The band were ahead of their time on both the prog and fusion fronts, but they could also twist the '60s baroque pop sound into subversive new shapes, as on the wickedly satirical "Bright Summer's Day '68," led by Monkman's harpsichord. The album ends on a high point with the 13-minute "Piece of Mind," a slowly evolving epic that shows off Curved Air at their most complex and sophisticated, pointing proudly toward prog's future.