Espiritu "Espiritu III" 1982***

 

As I said last week, nowadays I'm not browsing used record shops looking for the familiar, but rather for those records that slipped through the cracks, especially during the 70's. So OK, an unknown (to me) Spanish-language album from 1982 merits a listen on the stores' record player. I decided I liked what I heard enough to ignore the bad state of the cover (heavy ringwear, as you can see on these photos) and take it home. Truth be told, if it came from UK or the USA, I probably wouldn't have bothered but I'm always interested in how the rock experience was perceived outside the Anglo-Saxon world. Espiritu formed in Buenos Aires in 1972, and released two highly regarded symphonic rock LP's: Crisalida (1975) and Libre y Natural (1976), then disbanded. By 1981, singer Fernando Bergé and guitarist Osvaldo Favrot were working together again under the name Aspid, when a record company approached them, offering them a record contract if they considered reviving the name Espiritu. They recruited three younger musicians, including Ángel Mahler, whose keyboards, both classical-style piano and new wavey synthesizer, came to be this record's most prominent feature. Opener "Antes Tal Vez" belongs clearly to the symphonic rock genre, utilizing both aforementioned keyboards as well as melodic vocals and electric guitar. "Policolor" is more upbeat and pop oriented - somewhat strangely for a song dealing with war and culminating with alarm sirens. "Nacer" is a pretty ballad with nice sax, followed by a strong melodic prog piece; at 7+ minutes "Lento Juego De Luces" finds the time for some Renaissance-like symphonic rock with great keyboard and guitar solos. Side 2 opens with the largely acoustic "Toma Un Tiempo". "Elemental" is a more pop oriented song which reminded me of Asia's prog/new wave hybrid. "Un Viaje Por Los Recuerdos" is a sweet song with jazz rock leanings and great musicianship, especially on the piano and acoustic guitar. Instrumental "Guardianes En Pie" is even more progressive, reminding me of jazz rockers Weather Report. The musicians all shine here: the guitars and keyboards, of course, are consistently great, but Claudio Cicerchia's funky bass steals the show. The band had arranged a big stadium gig for the presentation of their album, but unfortunately the sirens of "Policolor" proved to be prophetic, and the outbreak of the Falklands War between Argentina and UK would divert people's attention elsewhere. Contemporary reviews were also not very positive, as prog rock had gone out of style and the album was deemed to be backwards-sounding. The band released one more LP (En Movimiento,1983) before calling it quits, while Favrot led a completely different lineup on the band's last studio venture Fronteras Mágicas (2003). Espiritu III finds the band in a crossroads between their Yes/Genesis- influenced symphonic past and a more modern (for the 80's) AOR sound. It may also be interesting to note that for the first time their record consisted of a simple collection of songs, as opposed to a concept album revolving around a single theme. While the musicians' playing is excellent, I find that the compositions are pleasant but lacking in either originality or power, while the vocals are good but a bit soft for my taste. Nevertheless, it's a worthy LP whose provenance from the Southern hemisphere and use of Spanish language make stand out among other similar albums of the period.

**** for Antes Tal Vez, Lento Juego De Luces, Guardianes En Pie

*** for Policolor, Nacer, Toma Un Tiempo, Elemental, Un Viaje Por Los Recuerdos

Color Humano "Color Humano 2" 1973***

Although Argentina has a rich rock history, few bands are known internationally - with the exception of Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, of whom I have quite a few albums and will present them here in time. A few band names ring a bell, including Color Humano about whom I had read in some blogs. So when I found this CD in a used records shop in Granada Spain I managed to ignore the bad cover art, recognise it as an interesting rarity and buy it. Info on them in English is rare, but this is what I gathered from various sources: This band was largely the brain child of Edelmiro Molinari (guitar/vocals) former member of legendary 60's rockers Almendra. Not ignoring, of course, the contributions of agile bassist Rinaldo Rafanelli and powerful drummer Oscar Moro who joined the band after their debut. The band obviously had a wonderful instrumental chemistry, and that's especially obvious in the longer, jazzy improvised pieces. This CD joins their last 2 LP's, recorded together with the intention of releasing a double album but released separately at the time for financial reasons as "Color Humano 2" and "Color Humano 3". This album cover comes from "3", while number "2" featured the band facing forward. The music is heavily influenced by the great rock power trios Cream and Jimi Hendrix Experience but it's not derivative. It often strays into jazz and prog directions with the band improvising and changing pace many times in the same song. As I said, the virtuosity and chemistry of the musicians is commendable, the only sore point being the lead vocals, which resemble not so much singing as a person speaking in a pompous, drawn-out manner. Opening track "Sangre Del Sol" sees the band settling on a repetitive groove while the singer sings above it. A slower middle section reminds of Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love", a trick they repeat in other songs as well. It's an OK introduction, but somewhat monotonous for my taste. "La Tierra Del Gitano" is the opposite, a proggy piece with an improbable number of time changes for its short duration. "Pascual Tal Cual" is a dynamic rocker with an impressive solo, though this also slowly fizzles out in the end. "Humanoides" is a ghostly psychedelic piece, and "Va A Salir Un Lugar" a 13-minute improvisation showcasing the musicians' versatility. Especially the rhythm section finds room to shine here. "Un Blues Para Adelina" is, for once, a straight blues number with Molinari successfully channeling his inner Clapton. This rounds up CD1 or what used to be the Color Humano 2 LP. Moving on to CD2 (aka Color Humano 3), this seems to be better realised despite the fact it was recorded during the same sessions. It was released a few months later so it probably benefited from some more time of overdubbing and mixing. Opener "Hombre De Las Cumbres" is a complex mid tempo piece with a nice guitar solo while "Mañana Por La Noche" once again shows them excel at traditional blues forms. Maybe the best Spanish-language blues I've ever heard. "A Traves De Los Inviernos" combines crunchy hard rock with Floydian (Meddle-era) psychedelia and "Hace Casi 2000 Años" is a classic rocker that reminds me of Hendrix and Uriah Heep until it gets more ethereal with the help of some ghostly female vocals. "Cosas Rústicas" is another prog piece with many tempo changes and "Las Historias Que Tengo" a 12-minute showcase for Molinari's guitar playing. "Vestidos De Agua" closes the album with a delicate prog-folk note, a direction I would have liked to see them take more often. Flautist Jorge Cutello adds a romantic fairytale air to the song. "Color Humano 3" was destined to be the band's last studio album. Molinari would immigrate to the U.S. while the other two loaned their talents to other Argentinian rock groups (Polifemo, Sui Generis etc). A reunion in 1995 spawned a live album which I've yet to hear. I'm sure this CD will appeal more to Spanish speakers, but even for the rest of us it deserves to be heard. Sure it's nothing groundbreaking but neither is it in any way inferior to acclaimed US or European records from that era.

**** for Pascual Tal Cual, Un Blues Para Adelina, Mañana Por La Noche, A Traves De Los Inviernos, Hace Casi 2000 Años, Vestidos De Agua

*** for Sangre Del Sol, La Tierra Del Gitano, Humanoides, Va A Salir Un Lugar, Hombre De Las Cumbres, Cosas Rústicas, Las Historias Que Tengo