SÉ DE UN LUGAR (2CD+DVD)

'More Rock Andaluz Extravaganza!'

This is the Holy Grail of the Spanish progressive rock, a very comprehensive box set featuring a 2-CD compilation and a DVD from Triana, the band that speerheaded the Rock Andaluz movement. The Spanish people loved their music and sung the emotional lyrics after the dictatorship of Franco (1939-1975): 'The guitar in the morning, it spoke of freedom, you hear a rumor in the corners, that announces that it will join, the day when all men, together they can walk, the guitar in the morning' (translation from Spanish in Rumor, 1977). Triana often played for massive crowds in Spain and most of their albums got the platinum status! Unfortunately in '83 band member Jesus De La Rosa died in a car accident and Triana was no longer. Then their record company released a lot of compilation albums during the years. This one from 2004 contains two discs with 24 tracks: 6 out of 7 from El Patio (1975), 7 out of 8 from Hijos Del Agobio (1977), 4 out of 6 from Sombra Y Luz (1979), 4 out of 9 from Un Encuentro (1980), 1 out of 7 from Triana (1981) and 2 out of 7 from ' Llego El Dia (1983). So the record company decided to focus on their best and most progressive era, the first three albums.

The 16-page booklet features the lyrics of the compilations songs and the tracklist of all 6 studio albums, along some nice band pictures. On the back of the 'fold out covers' of this box set you will find short stories in Spanish from the first Triana manager Javier Garcia-Pelayo , the first producer of Triana Gonzalo Garcia-Pelayo and Triana biographer Luis Clemente.

The DVD is a 55 minute documentary with (often) rare footage from several TV music programs like Mundo Pop (1974), Ahora (1975), Popgrama 1979 (beautiful scene in a Morish palace), and Aplauso (from '79 until '81), along two live tracks (Tu Frialdad and Una Noche De Amor Desesperada). Most of the 13 songs are interrupted by commentary from the band members, people who worked with Triana and who are influenced by Triana, like a musician from Ketama, the known 'new flamenco movement'. The DVD footage is an exciting visual impression of the band members playing the distinctive flamenco guitars (propulsive flamenco solo - and rhythm guitar), and the electric instruments, from howling electric guitar (great double-neck guitar) to a lot of vintage keyboards: warm string-ensemble, distinctive Fender Rhodes electric piano, slow Moog synthesizer runs, and lots of organ. This is topped by moving Andalusian vocals, expressive with a bit wailing undertone. Some songs from the later period sound a bit polished (like Corre), but in general this DVD shows a stunning and very talented band. Triana made unsurpassed music that sounds like the perfect marriage between the world of progressive rock and the world of the ethnic Spanish flamenco, generally known as Rock Andaluz.

If you are up to discover Triana, the most legendary Spanish progressive rock band and most pivotal Rock Andaluz formation, this is an exciting historical document, despite the less interesting tracks from the 1980-1983 era.