TARANTULA

It’s a little odd that a band as talented and creative as Tarantula would come up with the bland titles of “I” and “II” for their two studio releases. The cover artwork on both albums is a bit sub-par as well. But once you get past these deceptive indicators there is a pretty darn good album here, and one that should be getting more attention among progheads than it does.

Tarantula were one of several Spanish progressive bands of the late seventies whose sounds were influenced by both the European masters of the early seventies (ELP, Yes, King Crimson), as well as by some of the more elaborated and emotive Italian symphonic bands (PFM, Le Orme). The resulting best of both worlds is an album that is both very creative and highly addictive to listen to.

Lead singer Rafael Cabrera reminds me a lot of the Italian prog rocker Fabio Casanova (Sad Minstrel) with his ability to jump from a folksy and intimate soft crooning passage to full-blown operatic peaks and even to gutsy heavy rock with little apparent effort. As an aside, if you like this album then Sad Minstrel will also likely appeal to your tastes.

You would think a band with a front-man like Cabrera would have enough of a shtick to get noticed. But these guys have more arrows in their quiver. Keyboardist Vicente Guillot shows great skill on a variety of keyboards including mini-Moog, piano, Hammond and even a mellotron. On top of the keys he provides the band with strings and flute courtesy of the mellotron which further reinforces the debt to Italian prog the band owes.

Guitarist MG Peydró and bassist José Pereira are no slouches either. Peydró seems to be the one who wants to rock out in the band, and at those times when he is able to he takes advantage with soaring arpeggios and complex chord changes that are impressive though usually short-lived. But he also has the ability to complement Pereira on bass during the more common instrumental and sometimes slower passages of the band’s music as well. And drummer Emilio Santonja manages to make both simple rhythms and the occasional odd meter work well (check out “Imperio Muerto”).

The opening “Recuerdos” sets the tone for the whole album where the band starts off sounding like another Spanish neo-folk band with a lively tempo, mellotron flute and a jaunty min-Moog riff, and Cabrera plays along with a mellow and quiet folksy vocal stanza. But right at the one minute mark (spoiler alert!) Cabrera blasts out this totally unexpected operatic chorus while bassist Pereira builds on top of the moog’s peak behind him. A real surprise, but more importantly the band serves notice that listeners should expect the unexpected for the next forty minutes or so.

And that’s pretty much how things go. “La Araña y la Mosca” bounces from an artsy Hammond and percussion intro to a soft piano middle piece with what sounds like Cabrera overdubbed on himself singing what sounds like rather pedestrian Spanish contemporary vocals. But just when you think this one will quietly work its way to a close, the band starts to build momentum toward a climax of keyboards, organ and guitar the belie the modest opening of the song.

And a different approach comes on “Singladura Final”, which both opens and closes on a mild note with quiet organ and mellow singing, but in the middle the band breaks into a short but intense rocking passage that highlights Peydró’s talent on electric guitar.

And so it goes. “Un Mundo Anterior” is the most mellow piece on the album, but even here the band demonstrates great talent in layering keyboards and mellotron flute sounds with an unusual sort of vibrato guitar riff that would appeal to fans of music like Camel or Harmonium. “Imperio Muerto” is all over the place musically and while it’s hard to follow, the trip is worth it. Lots of sounds here, ranging from symph to psych and several places in between. And while the short “La Danza del Diablo” doesn’t offer anything innovative per se, the Hammond arrangements are well-placed behind Cabrera’s playful vocals. And the band even proves their classical chops with the brief but inspired instrumental “Lydia”.

The album closes with the vibrant “Paisajes Pintorescos”, which combines virtually all of the band’s instruments and innovations into one track. This one includes adds harpsichord to the list of keyboards Guillot brings to the band, and Cabrera’s vocals bring the listener full circle to the beginning of the album. A very well-constructed and definitive closing to an impressive album.

Tarantula would fracture after this release, and their second and final album would show very little of the kind of innovation and talent of this one. I don’t know why these guys have been forgotten and largely ignored in progressive music circles, but they shouldn’t be. This is a very solid album that shows the great talents of every musician involved in making it. There are no weak or boring spots on the record, and I think just about every symphonic, Italian, folk, neo and eclectic progressive music fan will find this record very appealing. A solid four stars and highly recommended.

peace