I'm in the process of re-listening and re-evaluating my record collection, in no particular order. I'll be sharing the results of my evaluation and thoughts on the music in this blog.
If you asked me a month ago about Balearic music, the only kind that would come to mind is the so-called Balearic House scene, a kind of electronic chill-out music with exotic sprinkles that originated in Ibiza clubs and dominated the 90's and 00's. Which is sooo unfair to the people of these beautiful islands. We're talking about music made (mostly) by foreigners for the entertainment of tourists - that's what people know of their culture. Now I'm not an islander myself, but I come from an island country and I see what summer is like for the locals. Want to know what summer in Ibiza (or Santorini, or Paros) is like for them? Work, work, work. Not that I feel sorry for them, they mostly make good money and have the rest of the year to relax. With the visitors gone (I'm talking about Greece now, I wouldn't know about Ibiza) life resumes its regular pace, the people reclaim their space and are free to engage in other activities than serving tourists, and to play the music they like - which may be pop, rock, classical, jazz or folk - surely anything except the so-called Balearic Beat.
During my recent trip to Mallorca I researched second-hand record stores for local (as well as generally Spanish) music - some folk, but mostly rock as that is my favorite genre. Among other LP's I picked from the offers section, I got this one. I thought here's a Spanish-language rockabilly album made in Ibiza, that challenges any preconceptions one has about rockabilly and about Ibiza which, as I mentioned, people always identify with chill-out electronica. Now these boys don't seem too chill: they seem passionate about the music and culture of a long-gone era, the era that gave birth to the greatest musical revolution since the first guitar was plugged into an amplifier. When I saw them on the cover I was immediately reminded of Athens rockabillies I grew up with: same pose, same clothes, hair, and faces (I guess we Mediterraneans look alike). As for the island town on the background, that also looked familiar: the boats on the port, the three-story buildings on the front line (in Greece these are typically holiday rentals with cafeterias or taverns on the ground floor), church and defensive walls on the top for protection against pirates... all like a typical Greek island. The most complete bio of this band can be found in this Spanish blog. With a bit of help from google translation, this seems to be their story: the band was formed by 4 teenage boys in 1986, and won second place in a 1990 Ibiza Battle-Of-The-Bands-style contest leading to a split LP with the winners, Falsa Alarma. In '93 they traveled to Mérida, Spain, to record this, their only, LP. They never seem to have made a serious attempt for a national (let alone international) career, other than supporting visiting rockers, and dissolved soon after, with the exception of a short 2004 reunion. For what seems to be an unambitious bunch, the band's playing and record production is surprisingly professional, akin to a Spanish version of The Stray Cats - which means a retro sound with a more contemporary alt-rock production. Mostly ultra fast -but still quite danceable- good-timey rockabilly featuring boogie woogie piano, just the right amount of guitar solos, and confident vocals to the effect that the Spanish lyrics roll naturally - which is not always a given. There's some stylistic variation with a couple of Elvis-style ballads ("Cuando Pienso En Ti", "Corazon Solitario"), jump-blues "Amiga Fiel", and Southern Rock "Lookin' Out My Back Door". The latter (originally written by John Fogerty) is the only cover, and one of just two tracks sung in English - the other being "Movin' Shack". Apparently there's no re-release or CD edition of this album. Never been sold on discogs - possibly a rare, though not necessarily sought-after, item. Concerning the rating, I was divided between 3* and 4*. On the one hand there's little, other than geography, to distinguish Rock A Vila from other revival bands. On the other hand, this is a decent rockabilly record which any lover of classic rock'n'roll is bound to enjoy. It is the fun factor, along with the fact that this obviously a labor of love, that drove me to award it 4*.
**** for Goza La Vida, Camino De Destruccion, Viejo Sam, Movin' Shack
*** for Amiga Fiel, Hoy Volvere,Lookin' Out My Back Door, Sobre Dos Ruedas, Corazon Solitario, Dulce Azul, El Diablo De La Carretera
Now I know you don't go to Mallorca for the shopping. You go there for the sea and sun, for the Gothic and Moorish monuments if you're a history buff, and eventually the local culture and food. I only stayed in its capital Palma for 1,5 day, but I do have a suggestion for the foodies: it's called the Celler de la Premsa. Nice atmosphere and local dishes which I haven't tried before, including the only soup I've tasted which isn't liquid, as it's filled with brown bread and vegetables until the bread absorbs almost all of the broth. I also loved the pork loin with cabbage (I know, the pork and cabbage combination sounds like something a German might think of, but this tastes purely Mediterranean), beef stew and stuffed aubergines. The paella also looked delicious, but I didn't order it as I had paella the previous evening. What a difference from what I saw in the touristic Cala d'Or: nice beach for sure, though being a Greek myself I wasn't that impressed, but no real local colour. I went to meet some Dutch friends who happened to be there on the same day, and my God it was like being in another country: you could order the same bitterballen and hapjes they sell at Dutch pubs, and eat fast food burritos (which probably tourists think are Latin and therefore local) or pizza. But don't get me talking about food when I really wanted to tell you about Palma's record shops. So the tourists just pass by on their way to the beaches, but I thought it's a big town (400.000+ inhabitants) there are bound to be some record shops to browse for music. Indeed there are a few, but pretty cool, ones. The coolest probably is Espai Xocolat at Font i Monteros 18. If the title seems strangely written, it's because it's not Spanish but Catalan, which is the primary language in the Balearic islands. It doubles as a coffee bar and live music space as well. It's pretty big with a wide selection of all genres. About 60% of the shop is dedicated to new CD's (mostly below €10, many on offer 3-for-2). Lots of jazz, rock, and local (Spanish and Catalan) titles. 40% of the shop is taken by vinyl both new and 2nd hand. Typical prices for used records are €6-10 but there are also many offers for €2. Some books and DVD's are also on sale. The second record shop is only a 5-minute walk away and a few steps down a shady gallery (Passatge Particular Antoni Torrandell 2). As the name Mais Vinilo suggests, it's completely dedicated to vinyl, both new (€20+) and used (mostly €6-15 but also some under €5 in less than mint condition). Again all kinds of music, but above all a very good selection of Garage/Psychedelia (mostly reissues), Punk/Alternative and local bands. Also a lot of 7' singles on sale. Both shops, as well as the tavern I mentioned earlier, are very close to each other and in the more modern part of the city, about 10-15 minutes walk from Plaça Major.
About the same distance from Plaça to a different direction, you can find Palma's 3rd record shop, which was closed during my visit. It's called Disco Loco and, judging by the photos of the interior at Google, it seems quite big and offers mainly CD's as well as vinyl, DVD, T-shirts and various trinkets. Should you want to look for music during siesta hours (roughly 2-5 pm) when most shops are closed, there are always the El Corte Inglés department stores. They have a limited variety of new CD (€5-15) and vinyl (€17-25) but I did find some good bargains during my visit. Well, as I said before, I know you don't go Mallorca for shopping, but it's worth spending a day in the beautiful old town, visiting the Palacio Real de La Almudaina and Catedral, and -for music lovers- browse the records in Espai Xocolat en Mais Vinilo. The prices are rather good, and I sincerely suggest to do some searching on local bands and music and get an aural souvenir of your visit. Immerse yourself a little in Balearic culture, music and cuisine, don't just lie under the sun. You won't regret it!
