SORPRESA DEL TIEMPO

After releasing Avenida Larco, Fragil changed their style and recorded simpler albums that mixed pop, neo prog' and native Peruvian music. At this point many progressive fans lost interest in the band, not also for the style change, but for a few vocalist changes, Frágil without the powerful voice and charismatic figure of Andrés Dulude was not really the same band.

But in 2002 with Dulude again on vocals, they release Sorpresa del Tiempo, live album that features the band playing with a 27-piece philharmonic orchestra. Most of the album is filled with songs from Avenida Larco (for the happiness of the older fans), two songs from the album Serranio (which I personally don't like at all) and three new songs that really haven't impressed me too much but are good enough. The Orchestra mostly enhances the keyboard parts, so there's no interference with the rest of the band, a great option if you compare the results with other bands that let the orchestra mix their sound with all the instruments, creating a mess instead of enhancing the good sound of the music.

As the title says, this album is a Surprise of Time, because many of us didn't expected such a good album after so many years of so different music. Best songs: The first eight songs are great. Weakest song: El Abuelo/Le Dicen Rock

"Sorpresa of tiempo" it is a CD that has much to show, beginning with "Obertura", a song that heightens the musical style of "Frágil", "Av.Larco" one of the songs more known by this group and of which it more likes people. It is an incredible CD!! I recommend you to buy it.

An awesome show indeed!! The concert is enhanced with the music of a Philharmonic Orchestra that really fills most of the songs (all tracks except 8, 11, 12, 13 and 14) but never interferes with the original versions. The recording and production of the concert is superb and in cases IMO better than the original versions (like in "Obertura", "Oda al Tulipan" and "Esto es Iluminacion"). I think the highlight of the album is the version of "Hombres Solos (El Caiman)" and the outstanding bass playing of Cesar Bustamante, which in the original studio versions is, at moments, not possible to fully appreciate (he is specially great in Avenida Larco, Pastas, Pepas y otros Postres and Oda al Tulipan, one of my personal all time Fragil favorites). Of course the other members do their jobs great, as always. Here they make an extended amazing version of "Hombres Solos (El Caiman)", with extra choruses and flute, guitar and saxophone (Jean Pierre Magnet) solos. "Le Dicen Rock" is for sure not one of their best songs, but it has become a tradition in Fragil concerts to end the show with that song (check out the lyrics to find out why). The thing i will never understand is why the &%´*^! they put "El Abuelo" in the album, is just a mere fill, is not even a song. After the "Avenida Larco" tribute part of the show (they play all of that incredible album's songs except for "Floral") they play "Animales", one of people's favorite and a great rocker in my opinion, from the album "Serranio". And finally they play "Caras" a new song only available here, also a rocker with pop elemnts and a repetitive chorus, with a cool interlude starring Cesar Bustamante and Jorge Durand, and the fretless main riff of Tavo Castillo. The Bonus Tracks are IMO outstanding songs, Fotograma has a cool intro with keyboards and very good lyrics about nostalgic thoughts of youth, and Sorpresa del Tiempo is one of my favorites, an excellent balad with a latin air brought by Tavo Castillo's flute and Dulude's fine voice that really brings feeling to the song, great. Not a masterpiece but one of the best live albums i've heard. Get "Avenida Larco" first, then "Cuento Real", then this one..... if you are not peruvian, buy whatever Fragil album you find!! I guarantee no regrets.

Frágil have been one of Peru's most important progressive rock bands for over twenty-five years, and to show that they are not at all pretentious this live album was recorded in 1999 with a 26-piece philharmonic orchestra. The booklet and all of the songs are in Spanish, so I can't tell you a great deal about what is going on, but I do know that the band are a five piece with Andrés Dulude on vocals and acoustic guitar (and he seems to wear quite strange make-up), César Bustamante on bass, Luis Valderrama on guitar, Octavio Castillo (keys/flute) and Jorge Durand (drums).

I have been racking my brains and can't think of any other South American prog bands that I have heard, the closest I can get to is Cast from Mexico, but I do know that when prog bands tour over there they get a rave reception. This is one of those annoying live albums that does fade in and out a bit (I know that it is rarely an actual concert, but I like to imagine that it is) yet the music does manage to make up for it. The crowd are obviously huge fans and on "Mundo Raro" it takes a while for Andrés to start singing just because all of the crowd are doing it for him.

This is not exciting or ground breaking prog, but rather music that takes lots of influences (at one time the guitar sounded exactly the same as Gary Chandler's) such as Camel, Tull, Genesis and mixes it with a Spanish feel and local sounds to make music that is enjoyable and listenable without being hard work. The orchestra are used mostly as an extra keyboard player although it can take on a more driving edge when the brass is more to the fore. Overall while not essential it is a very pleasant album.

Originally appeared in Feedback #70, Oct 02