Best Spanish Prog

 

I Lived in Spain during the seventies, and it was the ultimate time for musicians in the country. Bands who had been hiding in garages came out of the woodwork at the advent of the death of dictator Franco, and a Monarchy was established. It was like the sixties in the rest of the world, people were able to experiment, and records from the US and Europe filtered in, to give musicians new input.

The bands started mixing Jazz, folk, psychadelic, prog and rock and mixed in an essential Spanish incredient making the sound unique.

Hopethat many of you will have the oportunity to listen to some of what Spain had to offer, I know that most of the Spanish bands lacked MP'3, would be nice now that the Mp3 are out of the way we could see same sound samples.

 

Enjoy

I like many of these bands: Triana, Cai, Medina Azahara... But I don't like much Ñu and Bloque.

Hello Winterfamily.

Thanks for your advise, I will check out Camaron and Veneno. I'm familiar with Smash but I don't like their music, I still go for Triana, Cai, etc. great flamenco prog!

Hello, Erik. Some additional information for you:

The late Camaron is seen almost like a god by Spanish gypsy people because of his skill at singing. They even say he could cure ill people imposing them his hands, like a saint... "La Leyenda Del Tiempo", however, was dismissed by most of them when it was released because of it sounds too "rock" for flamenco purists. The title track is a "bulería", a kind of song with a really complicated measure that must be played at frenzied speed to sound alright. When i listened to it for the first time i couldn't believe a drummer could play so fast such a puzzling beat. Then, somebody told me it was Veneno's drummer, and it all made sense!  The album has also sitars, analog synthesizers and wind instruments all over it, but manages to sound absolutely like classic flamenco with innovative arrangements. True "progressive music", IMHO. The rest of Camaron's output is pure flamenco without any rock in it: it's charming, but be be warned.

As for Veneno, they played without electric instruments, but managed to sound as loud nad noisy as hell with two  spanish guitars, a double bass and a small drumkit. Some critics here classify them as "flamenco punk" because of their aggressiveness altough they played very long and complicated songs. The guitarists (the Amador brothers, Rafael and Raimundo) formed another band named Pata Negra after Veneno disbanded: they weren't prog at all (in fact they mixed flamenco with blues) but are also worth a check, as is Kiko Veneno's (their lead singer, and the closest to a spanish Ray Davies that has ever lived) solo career.

All the bands you mentioned are really hated here and considered nasty bores by almost everybody, even flamenco and prog aficionados, with the sole exception of Triana. Sorry, but i had to say it

Hummm... 'Hated' was a word too strong for what i meant to say, i'm sorry... Ill try to explain it properly (this will take time)

As flying teapot said, those bands reached public attention after Franco's death. Franco died in 1975 (after nearly 40 years tormenting this poor country), so a lot of spanish musicians and artists were already slowly evolving towards new wave or more daring forms of prog. Meanwhile, Cai, Triana and the rest were still attached to early prog, flamenco, jazz and political songwriters. That's not their fault, because that were the only kinds of rock music that Spanish left-wing activists would recognize as "authentical" until a decade or two ago.

But the result was that their sound seemed "updated" to the "people in the know", and when new wave exploded in Madrid in 1977/ 78 general interest turned straight towards acts like Kaka de Luxe (translated it wold be "S**t de Luxe" ) the first punk band here, and its multiple spinoffs, or to more mainstream bands like Tequila or Nacha Pop. This is valid for people interested in rock, of course: most people just didn't knew about any of this. And still doesn't.

Besides, spanish prog engulfs much more than flamenco- influenced rock. Lots and lots more. And i personally enjoy that bands more than the ones you and flying teapot quoted, sorry. I didn't meant to say i don't appreciate their efforts to play rock in such a "rockless" place like this. However, i missed to name one of my favorite records of that time...

Check "20 de Noviembre 1975" by Goma. They were from Seville and fusioned flamenco with "Lark's Tongues"- era Crimson. Believe it or not. The album's title is the date of Franco's death in spanish...

And look for Veneno's first album, please... It's too good to be true... The track that appears in "Duende Electrico" is by Kiko alone, and doesn't sound like it at all.

Sorry for the speech!

 

Thanks for all the interest in this poll, the arguments look great and is what I had hoped for...we are here exploring great music form a country of ignored in its musical exports  other than Julio Iglesias.

The list of bands I made up, I believe were the most PROG sounding, reason I did not include some of the New Wave and Punk bands that came towards the end of the seventies. I also failed to add Medina Azahara because they came later....I remember seeing Alameda in concert in 79 in benidorm, that is why I include them.

Again the list I believe are the most prog sounding bands, and that these bands were "hated" is as simple as that most people don't like prog because its to pretentious....What you said is no different than a review by Rolling Stone magazine for a new YES album.

Smash I should have included, as they were the forerunner of Spanish rock bands, as was GOMA. What was the significance of the date 14th of April , the title of their first album?

And I love Vericuetos Gualbertos second album. I have seem most of these bands live, they were great. TRIANA is probably the most overated, and ICEBERG the best musicians...go figure that Chick Corea and Al diMeola used to hang out with these guys...and low and behold come out with albums soundng very similar and take all the credit.

 

 

MAGO DE OZ!!!!!!

alltough i dont really like folk prog.... but mago rules...