| How to submit new MP3s
![]() | La Maquina de Hacer Pajaros Import, Limited Edition Sony Bmg Europe (Audio CD 2003) | $8.89 $14.39 (used) |
![]() | Sigo Siendo el Maestro Platino Records (Audio CD 2009) | $7.46 $7.47 (used) |
![]() | 20 Ma Quinazos Fonovisa Inc. (Audio CD 2003) | $12.70 $7.65 (used) |
| 12 Super Exitos Con Puro Ritmo Y Sabor Lideres Ent. Group (Audio CD 2002) | $15.99 | |
![]() | Peliculas Import (Audio CD 2008) | $8.60 $4.00 (used) |
![]() | En la Cumbre Fonovisa Inc. (Audio CD 2004) | $2.49 $0.45 (used) |
![]() | Peliculas Import, Limited Edition Sony (Audio CD 2003) | $18.54 $13.87 (used) |
| Los Mejores 15 Exitos Import Salvavision (Audio CD ) | $15.99 $12.79 (used) | |
![]() | Para Ti... Mi Historia Fonovisa Inc. (Audio CD 2006) | $7.07 $4.97 (used) |
![]() | Nortenismos Fonovisa Inc. (Audio CD 2007) | $5.15 $4.06 (used) |
![]() 3.94 | 5 ratings Why? Máquina! 1970 |
![]() 3.00 | 1 ratings En Directo 1972 |
Review by komun
"Why? Máquina" is the first album of MÁQUINA!, a Catalan progressive rock's band, the first progressive band in Spain. In
1970 Franco was still in the government in Spain, so Spain was not a democratic country and it wasn't easy to make
progressive rock.Máquina! didn't use the Spanish or Catalan language to do their album; all the songs are in English. I think that thing is because Máquina! wanted to be more "European" and to make a different music, nearer to the progressive underground than the sixties pop.
The fantastic cover was an idea of Jordi Batiste and it seems it's a calling to "wake up" in Spain. Why? is, musically, excellent, but I think the songs 5 and 6 are more pop than progressive rock. The rest of the album is excellent. Moreover, both "Why?" and "Why? (continuació)" make Máquina! a "Spanish Soft Machine".
Four stars; it would be five, but the song number 5 and 6 are clearly inferior.
As a registered member (register here if not), you can post rating/reviews (& edit later), comments reviews and submit new albums.
You are not logged, please complete authentication before continuing (use forum credentials).
Review by
Sean Trane
Special Collaborator Prog-Folk Specialist
Máquina!'s second album is a rather different affair than the debut, but just as good in
its own way . Almost two years had gone since the release of that groundbreaking (on
a Spanish scale) album, and the two guitarists had gone and the drummer also. Leaving
no solution for Batiste and Herrera rebuilding the group, they had to settle for
different musical horizons even enlisting two German citizens as their brass section on
top of the three newcomers. Just as laden with energy as their debut album, this double vinyl is however quite different developing a more bluesy, funky, brassier sound not far away from Chicago Transit Authority's debut album but also maybe the funky War combo (remember them with Eric Burdon). The Hammond organ is still the centre of the band and one can feel that Herrera is maybe the main ingredient behind this machine! ;-) Tracks like the lenghty Chains (used a bit as a showcase for the musos to display their aptitude at their respective instruments) or heavy blues Time Is Over are major fun and have a real impressive sound (given what was probably amateurish conditions of then-Spain) and the other great blues (In F) track is full of solos that most fans love to die for. A superb, adapted and extended rendition of their first single Look Away Our Happiness is another great moment. The lenghty track called Sonata is definitely deceiving but in name only as it yet again another scoarcher that could be on any of the first five Chicago albums.
Not quite essential for the proghead, this is nevertheless a great album, which should please all 70's music lovers. Whatever happened to these guys after this is still a mystery to this writer.
As a registered member (register here if not), you can post rating/reviews (& edit later), comments reviews and submit new albums.
You are not logged, please complete authentication before continuing (use forum credentials).
Review by
Sean Trane
Special Collaborator Prog-Folk Specialist
With this stunning debut, Máquina! scored heavily for posterity as this is the first
known ROCK album to come from Spain and what an astounding one it is!!! Really
these guys made one hell of rebellious record given the context in which Spain was
being submitted to Franco's dictature. A stunning artwork depicting a clock rising
from a croissant was clearly a call for Spanish youth to wake-up (and have a good
breakfast) and get ready for a new day. Quite a revolution knowing the ultra
conservateur nature of El Caudillo, even if by that time Spain was letting loose
things as European tourist money was flowing in (including this writer spending a
few Easter holidays as a kid around those years;-) but although the end was near, it
was incredibly risky.Stylistically, we are dealing with a psych/prog rock with extended and excellent interplay, somewhere in between live Cream (with KBs) and early Floyd or even a live Grateful Dead. The twin guitars are one of the features but one of them played bass when the bassist was busy with the flute or singing. The opening track is simply a superb atmospheric instrumental with organ-piano KB attack doubled by a superb and orgasmic guitar, a pure delight! Then comes the 25 min title track (broken over the two sides of the vinyl) with superb organs, twin guitar attack and rather enjoyable but muffled-in vocals, the whole thing going on an not too extended jam and evolving to one of the more entertaining drum solo I have ever been given to listen - maybe because it is not a pure solo as the KB outlines a few phase here and there. The second part of Why? opens the second side of the vinyl and picks up where the first part had left: a superb mostly instrumental enthusiastic prog-tinged rock jam. Quite enjoyable, especially when discovering this in 05, some 35 years after it was recorded. There are some particularly exhilarating moments in this track! The last track is yet another great tune
The two bonus tracks are the afore-mentioned single tracks and although a bit different than the album (especially in the vocal dept but the Earth's Daughter track sounds like some David Bowie spin-off), they do not interfere in the continuous ambiance of the album and they add to the album's incredibly short duration. This album is a relative minor gem for progheads but is a 24-carat nugget for the psych-jam group fans!! Impressive, although I must be careful in not over- rating it!! But I think rounding it up to the upper star is not insulting the album or the proghead.
As a registered member (register here if not), you can post rating/reviews (& edit later), comments reviews and submit new albums.
You are not logged, please complete authentication before continuing (use forum credentials).
Copyright © Prog Archives, All rights reserved. | Legal Notice | Privacy Policy | Advertise
| GeoIP Services by MaxMind