HIJOS DEL AGOBIO

Triana is a Spanish progressive rock band. It was formed as a trio in the early 70's. The three musicians came more or less battered to play around and seek life, the drummer Juan Jos' Palacios, the guitarist Eduardo Rodr'guez and the keyboardist and singer Jes's de la Rosa. Jes's de la Rosa was the poet and the absolute soul of the group. Unfortunately, in 1983, he died in a tragic car accident, and with him the group died, for more spurious play-offs that have seen the light since then. The band remained under the name of Triana, without any original member in ts ranks.

In their origin, Triana practiced a unique and incomparable mixture of musical elements of marked Andalusian roots with others from newly discovered progressive paradises and which weren't strange to them. Not was in vain that they were called 'the Andalusian Pink Floyd'. It's still admirable even today how they were able to mixed the psychedelic atmospheres, with the Spanish guitar, the buler'as rhythm, the cadence and the typical cante Andalusian with palmas.

The first three albums of Triana, those of their progressive/psychedelic era or as we want to call it, release a parsimony, a tranquility, a certainty in what is said and in what is done. Triana's first album, 'El Patio' of 1975, already had everything it had to have. Without promotion, without any support, it spread like wildfire among the youth, among the progressive lovers, among the hippies. However, economically it was a disaster because it only sold 75 copies. The fact is that their second album, 'Hijos Del Agobio' of 1977, wasn't anything more than a logical continuation of what was made in 'El Patio'. In its turn, 'Sombra Y Luz' on 1979, took beyond all what was proposed on both two first albums.

Triana is perhaps the best known and most successful prog rock band to come out of Spain and it's really not hard to see why. Certainly the band was off with a slow start with their debut, but their second album sold better than their debut thanks to a high profile festival held in Madrid. There's a big reason why Triana was popular in their home country. Their music was quite accessible, included local cultural elements in their music, and unlike Gentle Giant's albums, you don't need to listen to it many times to get in it. It's actually pretty accessible prog. In fact, someone had pretty much described them as a flamenco version of The Moody Blues. I notice some Pink Floyd and King Crimson elements as well. Like the more obscure early 70's British prog rock acts, Triana was more interested in writing and recording great songs, and giving it that Spanish touch which obviously differentiate them from those British acts, than going for tons of tempo changes every second. Yet, the music is progressive enough for the prog rock fan that doesn't always need Gentle Giant's complexity to enjoy it. Triana has that instantly recognizable sound, helped by the vocals.

'Hijos Del Agobio' has eight tracks. The first track is the title track. Lyrically, the poetry of Jes's de la Rosa, always full of symbolism and enigma, is deep and heartbreaking, but not for that desperate. Musically, it has lots of flamenco guitar and tasteful keyboards. The second track 'Rumour' can be described by a torn and wonderful melody that rides on the trepidante and subtle battery work, undoubtedly one of the architects of the incredible and peculiar sound of the group.The third track 'Sentimento De Amor' is a calm and slow track that speaks of departure, of search of oneself and of encounter. It's a beautiful ballad more oriented towards the classical guitar sound than to the free gypsy spirit. The fourth track 'Recuerdos De Triana' is signed and played almost entirely in the same musical line all over the album and is accompanied by the end of voices unleashed. Again, everything on this track reflects the magical music of the all album. The fifth track 'Ya Esta Bien' is on the other hand the band from their more 'energetic' side. The music ain't very complex or challenging, and it wouldn't be too far from the truth to call Triana a flamenco-version of The Moody Blues. The sixth track 'Necesito' is the logical continuation of the argument that they sustained in the last song. The music is as flamenco as heavy as the psychedelic music, but with very interesting lyrics. The seventh track 'Sr. Troncoso' is a nice ballad, whose rhythmic concept is very curious, in principle accompanied only by a Spanish guitar. Step by step, with a progressive increase in speed, it can bring to us a balsamic climax, beautiful and unique. The eighth track 'Del Crepusculo Lento Nacera El Rocio' closes the album with a touch of a very special variety that blends excellent guitar solos and a spectacular synthesizer work. The lyrics are marvelous. It's a perfect end to a nice album.

Conclusion: 'Hijos Del Agobio' is a very good album and is very well balanced too. It has some very good tracks, of which standout, in terms of prog, the title track, 'Sentimiento De Amor' and 'Necesito'. But, in general, all tracks on the album are good. They played quite simple soft symphonic prog rock music with a very strong flamenco-influence. 'Hijos Del Agobio' is, definitely, one of the highlights of the playful, highly melodic flamenco-prog. Triana can by added to Carmen, as one of the best and most representative prog bands with a cross between prog and the flamenco music.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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