Saturday, June 01, 2024

Relax - Padre ... (1975)



don't hang around, enjoy good music!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Obscure but good argentinean band Relax. psych/prog hard rock with excellent lead guitars of Daniel Grasso and occasional use of flute..
(3,52/5,00)

Anonymous said...

Mid-70's, very obscure Argentinian group with scarce info regarding their history.The line-up was Daniel Grasso on vocals/rhythm guitar/flute, Hector Grasso (propably his brother?) on bass/vocals, Juan Rodriguez on drums/percussion and Ruben Campas on lead guitar/vocals.They recorded their sole album ''Padre'' in 1975 for the Vedette label.

Very short (just about 30 minutes long) and undiscovered pearl of Heavy/Psych Prog with a fantastic opening side and a weaker flipside.All tracks on side A are very close to Italian Hard Prog acts such as IBIS, I CALIFFI and CAPITOLO 6, with plenty of fuzzed-out complex moves and frenetic rhythmic parts, blistering solos and unexpected breaks.One of the pieces, ''Padre un amigo que se fue'', clocks at 11 min., opening in a more melodic, Psych Rock style, before rising again into a more sharp mood with dual electric guitars in evidence and a pretty melancholic atmosphere overall.Well-played, even if a bit repetitive due to the same theme driving the whole piece.Side B is definitely weaker.Its more straightforward Hard/Psychedelic Rock with groovy tunes and a solid rhythm section, drawing some folky influences due to the use of flute on ''Ganar el sol'', with ''Esencia real'' being the strongest piece, led by a variation on tempos and the always sufficient guitar executions of Daniel Grasso and Campas.Vocals are typical of a Hard Prog band, rather high-pitched with a limited vocal range.

The album was reissued on CD twenty years after its original pressing and reached the markets of Argentina, USA and Europe.Good album for anyone into mascular Hard Prog with electric guitars being the dominant, instrument leaders.Recommended.