NADIE EN ESPECIAL

Chac Mool is (were) a great Mexican band of progressive rock, their latest album El Mensajero de los Dioses was a very good stuff, and with Nadie en Especial, i think are their onlly 2 very prog albums, this is their debut album, and the most well known in Mexico, this album is a very good one, it has 7 studio songs, the songs on Nadie en Especial, but it also has bonus tracks, that bonus tracks were recorded from their first concert in Mexico City, so here we can listen to their early notes, and it is a good experience. The album is not the best, is not the most complex or the best arrangements, but is really good, here we can find a clear Pink Floyd`s influecne, in fact, in one track we can hear some notes as in Have a Cigar, they are quite similar, also, this album has a good mix of instruments as a good keyboard work, some strings like cellos and a bit of flute, is totally a symphonic album, with sthe unique sound of the coming 80`s era, the opening song Un Mundo Feliz and Salamandra are my favorites, after all, this is a good album, but not essential, i cant really suggest it to you. 3 stars

This very confidential band (at least outside Mexico) plays a pleasant symphonic and spacey music.

Some numbers are tinted with ethnic sounds like "Aymara" which could remind the very ancient times of this beautiful country. A great piece of music to meditate while sitting in front of the Kukulcán pyramid in Chitchen Itzà. Not far from there (200 metres) you can find the little statue of Chac Mool from where the band got its name from.

This is my preferred song from this album. A great combination of Mexican rooted music and a spacey and relaxing part.

This album opens with rare synth sounds. Almost sci-fi and chaotic for two minutes. Fortunately "Un Mundo Feliz" (a happy world) switches to an excellent spacey atmosphere. Floyd is very much present, but it will be a consistent aspect of their music on this album.

"Nade Especial" for instance. It automatically reminds me of the end of "Welcome To The Machine". This album features lots of synthesizers and privileged the instrumental parts. Which is good because I am not always convinced by the lead vocalist (Mauricio Bieletto). His tone of voice is rather uniform and not really captivating.

This is mostly noticeable during "Salamandra". It's a pity because there are lots of very good music featured on this album. Very much space-rock oriented (more than prog folk actually).

Still, a song as "El Día Que Murió El Rey Camaleón" holds any Tull aspects you could imagine. Flute of course is very much the key factor to enhance this feeling. Some improvised moments can also relate this number with Crimson (early period).

The weak point of this band is definitely the vocals. If the singer would be a little more demonstrative and emotional, this album would have been really good. As such I can't go over three stars. Arriba México!

Mexican progressive rock band Chac Mool delivered their Spanish-language debut album in 1980, `Nadie en Especial', a mix of atmospheric rock songs, sometimes enhanced with ethnic and exotic qualities, symphonic reaches and light folk elements, and it's proven to be an interesting if somewhat frustrating work! Sadly what holds the album back are Mauricio Bieletto's just serviceable vocals that are frequently a bit dreary, and there's barely a truly memorable tune to be found on the majority of the disc. The band, however, at least dowsed the entire disc in thick Mellotron and spacey synths ala bands like Eloy and Pulsar that at least make everything sound more exciting and colourful, even if it's a kind of superficial surface gloss, but they still achieve a few moments of real greatness throughout.

The wisps of fizzing electronics and machine noise around middle-eastern flavours that begins the seven minute opener `Un Mundo Feliz' almost remind of Agitation Free's first few albums, but the piece reveals itself to be a softly grooving but slightly unengaging rocker not far away from German band Jane with a touch of the Alan Parsons Project. Carlos Alvarado's plentiful swirling synths make the unremarkable song of ` En Visitante' and its unlovable group-chorus vocal that little bit more bearable, but thankfully the grander title-track `Nadie en Enspecial' offers a warmer and more urgent lead vocal, Jorge Reyes' electric guitar that broods with danger and dramatic Mellotron passages over Armando Suarez's thick bass that reminds of Eloy at their best. The intense `Salamandra' closes the first side with a droning vocal, regal Mellotron choirs and shimmering Pink Floyd-like guitar reaches, and there's a lovely passage of Jorge's drifting flute over bubbling panning spacey synth drifts.

Eastern flavours mix with airy electronics throughout Side 2's `Aymara', sounding like a mix of Kitaro and his early Far East Family Band in parts, and it includes everything from Vocoder-treated spoken word passages, reflective meditative flutes that carry a spirited folk Deuter-like quality, eerie Mellotron veils, weeping cello and even effusive Klaus Schulze-flavoured backgrounds. `El Dia en Que Murio el Rey Camaleon' has lengthy instrumental stretches across a range of tempos with plenty of extended spacey passages of wavering synths, Carlos Castro's punchy drumming, a mysterious flute interlude and even a psych-era Beatles-like chorus, wrapping on a scorching burst of Mellotron majesty. `Bienvenidos al fin del Mundo' is a sterling symphonic closer with frequent reprises of big booming Mellotron themes, although some tormented screeching in the middle is extremely intrusive and off-putting, and a bizarre fade back in after a perfect closing moment with a further abrupt cut-off is equally jarring.

Thankfully the positives far outweigh the earlier-mentioned cons on this disc, and if you're not worried too much about slightly forgettable tunes (it could be worse, there's nothing that actually screams too overly commercial or insultingly radio- aimed), then `Nadie en Especial' has much to offer, and it's one that the Mellotron freaks should especially enjoy!

Three and a half stars.

3.75: band formed by Carlos Alvarado and Jorge Reyes, among other members, two persons important for the development in Mexico of the prog movement, they met first in Nuevo Mexico at 1971, a most folk, hard rock oriented band with the same prehispanic elements that they would use in this band too. Lyrically, it is not as good as the music, I mean, not in the meaning or the purpose of them, but by the way they were written, I think they could be better. It talks about several topics, mainly a critic to the society and most of their activities, but also imaging a "better" society without feelings, for example in un Mundo Feliz. Musically, it has really good moments, showing element of prehispanic music combined with folk passages and synths. there are also some space rock passages. The song that I liked most was mundo feliz, aymara (mainly is introduction part), Nadie en especial, El dia que murio el Rey Camaleon. Finally, a very good record including a mix of prehispanic music, combined with folk, symphonic and space rock that delivers a a very good progresive record. Excellent addition to any prog collection and a important piece of history for the Mexican prog.