Quiz: How many Catalan flags can you see on the album's front cover?
Third visit to Barcelona, another Catalan record in my collection: The first time I got a prog CD by a band called Música Dispersa, second one it was a folk rock album by Sisa, and last time a Latin dance LP by a band called Orquestra Plateria. How is it that three so diverse records may feature the same guy, Jaume Sisa? In any case, I'm not sure he plays here, as many of the band members used pseudonyms; this was supposed to be a break from their dayjobs. It was initially conceived as a one-time thing, a bunch of guys getting together to play retro music they liked, just for the fun of it. Instead it went on for 40 years, although singer Manel Joseph was the sole permanent member. This was their 2nd eponymous LP, and the one that turned them into a national success. Indeed one gets the impression that the musicians are having fun and that feeling of enjoyment is infectious. I must say that opener "Amparito Roca" (a brass-heavy pasodoble) was a bit too old fashioned for my taste, but I personally greatly enjoyed the slightly latinized Catalan-language rock covers (Elvis' "All Shook Up" as "Estic Xocat", The Rolling Stones' "19th Nervous Breakdown" as "Neuratènia"). That said, Orquestra Plateria's true specialty is salsa: "Pedro Navaja" (A Rubén Blades cover) is a highlight of the album, followed by other dance numbers with a strong Cuban influence: "Te casas o no te casas", "El sabio", Perez Prado's "Mambo núm.8". "Roda maxixe chiriquitu" is a folkier piece with a carnival vibe, while the album closes with an unexpected choice: an instrumental from Nino Rota's music for Fellini's 8½. One of the soundtrack's most upbeat pieces, it conjures images of clowns parading in a circus stage, and it's my least favorite track here. I suppose the band must have had fun playing it live, so they included it in their record. On the whole, this is an above-average, slightly old-fashioned, Latin dance LP; it may not rock your world but you won't be able to resist moving to its infectious salsa beat.
**** for Estic xocat
*** for Amparito Roca, Te casas o no te casas, El sabio, Roda maxixe chiriquitu, Neuratènia, Pedro Navaja, Mambo núm. 8
** for Fellini 8 y medio
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