VIENE....

Sole album recorded in their refugee land Argentina, Congregacion's Viene.. came with a nice planet Earth shot as artwork, but the quartet (sometimes quintet was joined by quite a few musical guests including countrymen Los Jaivas Parra brothers

From the opening Reach To Your Brother with its beautiful flute soon overrun by a delicate violin and Arrebol with its birds chirping away throughout the track, or the excellent but so quiet Mentes of the windy (the effects are a little amateur) Synthesis Of Existence are very beautiful, but couldn't be slower unless being sold in a pharmacy as a soporific pill. The following 2-parts Dulce Espiritu/Muerte Hermano is a bit more interesting. The album is filled with interesting (but rarely arresting) moods that make the album enjoyable if you're in the particular mood for it. The second part of the album sees Los Javais' Eduardo Parra appearing on Pensamiento (a superb track where the guitars dazzle you), before brother Gabriel and Amerindian Julio join up to and intervene on the album closer Cuantos Que No Tienen Y Merecen, which happens to be the most commercial and constructed track from the album and complete with a dramatic ending.

The Cd re-issue holds as a bonus the single from 72, which doesn't change much from the album (although coming after the album's strong ending, it might have been wise to start with these two), just bringing in a bit more length, but if I hadn't told you, you wouldn't know they were from other sessions. Essential, certainly not. Interesting, yes, but make sure you drink a double expresso to keep you up, before settling down for this kind of album. It's probably easier to return to a good Jaivas or Congreso album, than Congregacion's sole.