SI TODO HICIERA CRACK

Another one of those prog albums that taken me by surprise. Of course the reason for that was the late year of release (1979), at a time when punk rock, disco, new wave, and AOR were king. CRACK being from Spain, and the fact the country was a bit behind the times thanks to a dictatorship (Franco, which lasted from 1936 to 1975), making it not until 1975 when that county's prog scene really took off (although prog albums from that country did surface prior to 1975, like PAN Y REGALIZ, FUSIOON, and LOS CANARIOS). "Si Todo Hiciera" was their one and only album, and a masterpiece. The instrumental setup is as you pretty much expect in '70s prog (flute and Mellotron too). The synthesizer seems to sounds more like an ARP Odyssey than a Mini Moog. Vocals (both male and female) are in Spanish. The male vocalist reminds me a little of LOCANDA DELLE FATE's Leonardo Sasso.

Unfortunately the CD reissue, by Si-Wan Records from Korea has their liner notes in Korean, so it's a little difficult to determine who was in the band (if only I can find an original Spanish LP print of this on the Chapa label, but that's not likely). Taking from such prog bands as PFM and GENESIS, the made it their own without sounding like a clone or derivative. It's a bit difficult for me pointing out the high points, although there's a few times the band gets a little more "pop" like, such as "Buenos Deseos" and the first half of the title track. One of my favorites is the first part of "Marchando una del Cid" which starts off sounding a bit like JETHRO TULL. Also the second half of "Amantes de la Irrealidad" features some truly amazing and dramatic vocal passages. The music is complex enough to satisfy any symphonic prog fan out there. The band doesn't seem to go in to elaborate solos (sure there are solos), pretty much letting each member be heard. Great stuff, and one of the best prog albums I've heard from Spain.

My rating: 4 1/2 STARS