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POLIFEMO II

Polifemo

Crossover Prog


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Polifemo Polifemo II album cover
3.19 | 20 ratings | 2 reviews | 15% 5 stars

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Studio Album, released in 1977

Songs / Tracks Listing


1- El sueno terminó
2- Viene del sol
3- Superhombre
4- Trópico de Cáncer
5- Dualidad
6- Pie
7- Oye Dios, qué me has dado
8- Buzios blues

Line-up / Musicians


DAVID LEBÓN / guitar,vocals
RINALDO RAFANELLI / bass,keyboards,vocals
JUAN RODRIGUEZ / drums
CIRO FOGLIATTA / keyboards

Releases information

EMI 8406

Thanks to Sean Trane for the addition
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POLIFEMO Polifemo II ratings distribution


3.19
(20 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(15%)
15%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(25%)
25%
Good, but non-essential (60%)
60%
Collectors/fans only (0%)
0%
Poor. Only for completionists (0%)
0%

POLIFEMO Polifemo II reviews


Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by Cesar Inca
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
3 stars With their second album, Polifemo reached their artistic peak in terms of versatility, in the framed context of rock'n'roll and blues-rock that marked the band's very essence. Two things happened in the minds of Lebón and Rafanelli, the two main writers: the former was interested in exploring the melancholic side of melodic rock, while the later became momentarily obsessed with bands such as Return to Forever and Mahavishnu Orchestra, an obsession that he eventually translated into the writing of long instrumentals. Between these two sonic columns, the one of introspective atmospheres and the one of extroverted colors, the general feeling in the band was that the band was losing focus. Of course, this situation can be better appreciated by the average prog-rock fan, and since this is what I am, I think that this is the album that justifies Polifemo's entry in the Archives. 'El Sueño Terminó' is a long blues-rocker that may remind us of Poco, Doobie Brothers and Allman Brothers, while 'Súper Hombre' sets a compromise between heavy prog (a la Ave Rock) and symphonic rock (a la Espíritu), with a little more emphasis on the former trend: the 5 minute span is properly worked on through the varying moods and tempos. Between the two is 'Viene el Sol', a mid-tempo rock ballad that included enough ornaments as to meet the artsy standards that were infiltrating the band's creative process at that point. The proggiest things are encapsulated in 'Trópico de Cáncer' and 'Pie'. 'Trópico de Cáncer' is very permeable to the inclusion of jazz-rock and funky overtones in many cadences and many places of the rhythm section, with the final result sounding quite close to a hybrid of "Agitor Lucens V"-era Arco Iris with pre-"Romantic Warrior"-era Return to Forever. There is a recognizable opening motif that will only be reprised for the closing section. Rafanelli displays an enthusiastic bass solo somewhere in the middle, taking full advantage of the jam-track's friendly nature. 'Pie' is more emphatically jam-based than the aforesaid track: a very attractive excursion that shows, more than any other track in the album, what a proficient drummer Juan Rodríguez is. These two tracks, plus 'Dualidad' and 'Súper Hombre', are accountable for what Polifemo does offer to the art- rock lover. 'Dualidad' is the other Lebón-penned ballad, reiterating the melancholic mood of track 2 and even reinforcing it until a fast-paced jazz-rock coda settles in with an effective attitude. This song's mood bears an undisputed family resemblance to most of the songs that he will eventually write during his Serú Girán tenure. By the time you listen to the final notes of 'Pie', you will be reliving the band's final moments: by the time this album was in the post-production phase, Polifemo was almost officially terminated.
Review by ZowieZiggy
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars The least one can say about the opening track, is that it is quite a ride! Lots of genre are mixed here: from a bluesy / lousy start, this song evolves brilliantly into the most complex genre of prog. Truly eclectic, but melodic and catchy: over eight minutes of a musical fantasy which are quite challenging.

To be honest, this album shows some very good numbers. A composition as ''Viene Del Sul'' offers such great blends of symph combined with this incredible Latin touch: a second highlight for sure.

''Superhombre'' (superman) is probably the most symphonic track of all and is quite moving: the keys here are just ''estupendos''. The rocking feel might sound a bit old- fashioned but the whole of this song is quite enjoyable.

I guess that they band thought very much of dear old Carlos while they were recording ''Trópico De Cáncer'': the guitar sounds from the master are here, some wonderful drumming along with a symphonic jazz feel are the great ingredients of this very good number. But so far, there are only excellent songs featured on this album.

The band also offer some upbeat songs (almost heavy) with the great ''Dualidad'' which starts very timidly but grows up crescendo in such a beautiful way. Vocals are great and the final rhythm is just wonderful.

It is also needed to mention that there is a certain jazzy atmosphere that can be felt in this abum (''Pie''). Although this number didn't start at all as a jazzy tune, it wis quickly evolving into these territories. But it is the type of flavours that were available on the ''Welcome'' album from who you might know.

Lots of instrumental portions were available on this album, and while you are listening to the rocking ''Oye Dios?'', you can only be grateful for this. Press next (unless you are willing to listen to a poor hard-rock Spanish song).

It is a bit of a shame that the last two songs from this album are not really on par. The closing ''Buzos...'' being the poorest of all.

Three stars (but seven out of ten is more appropriate).

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