HIJOS DEL AGOBIO

As much as I like the very impressive Triana's debut 'El Patio', I must say that their second album 'Hijos del Agobio' is my personal fav. Following in the same passionate flamenco-tinged PF/early KC-like symphonic prog, the group's overall sound feels more focused and cohesive, and the performances feel tighter and more precise. In fact, the word that I would use for this case is maturity. The bombastic title track opens the album with a melancholy and, at the same time optimistic view of a Spain free from Franco's military dictatorship; then comes 'Rumor', their legendary first hit single, which continues exploring the social feeling of a free country, this time with a more deccive optimism. Let's keep in mind that in 1977, most people were waiting for the Constitution to be officially validated - some impatience was generated beside the feelings of hope and liberation, and it's precisely impatience the message of the lyrics in '¡Ya está Bien!' (something like Come on!, enough!) - De la Rosa's ability to create songs that are catchy and representative of a generation's concerns is well reflected in all these tracks. The rest of the sung material is more focused on introspective matters (lost love in 'Sentimiento de Amor', mid-life crisis in tracks 6 and 8, a humanistic portrait of an alcoholic in 'Sr. Troncoso', the most acoutic piece in the album). 'Recuerdos de Triana' - written and performed by drummer/percussionist Palacios, who also plays some psych effects on Moog synthesizer - is a peculiar tribute to Ummagumma-era PF from the Flamenco point of view, with a tribal twist. 'Del Crepusculo Lento...' returns to the bombast of the opening title, with an almost magical display of eerie guitar solos and storming synth pyrotechnics: this piece written by Rodriguez serves as a stunning conclusion for a genuine prog gem. A must for any prog collector who feels specially connected with Southern Spain's peculiar sensibility.

After listening to this album of the band TRIANA, I've got to correct my assumption, that EL PATIO was their best effort. I really like HIJOS DEL AGOBIO more than that one, maybe because the flamenco influence is a bit less obvious. Still it's in some way difficult for me to cope with DeLaRosas passoniate vocals, but disregarding this it contains more features that sound interesting for my taste.

The title song is quite emotional, but having some nice electric guitar lines and mellotron tunes. Rumor is a more uptempo one, but nothing special in fact. The third one as well is only a passionate song about some lost love. Recuerdos de Triana has a quite nice percussion solo after starting with some electronic sounds. The first interesting one so far and starting from this one the album is really becoming a very good one. Best songs are !Ya esta bien!, has some flamenco-type acoustic guitar, but not too obvious, since the song is more dominated by electric guitar and Necesito with good electric guitar lines and nice atmospheric keyboard walls layered on top. Sr. Troncoso is a pure acoustic song and quite nice. Del crepusculo lento nacera el rocio, the last song again has great electric guitar play after a rather flamenco-type beginning. then there is again an acoustic part followed by a quite dramatic final with keyboards.

I'd like to say this is their most interesting one and the only one deserving to be called an essential album in any prog collection in myview.

Recommended as well for prog fans who are not that much into flamenco music.

This album is in the vein of their debut LP featuring a wonderful and exciting blend of symphonic rock and flamenco. This ethnic music comes from Andalusia where the poor gypsies sublimated their misery into music, this often culminated in very emotional results. The songs on "Hijos del agobio" delivers an unique tension between the the flamenco elements (waling Spanish vocals and the art of the flamenco guitar) and the electric guitar and keyboards (vintage sound). WHAT AN EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE! By the way, in the same year most members from Triana and Granada joined flamenco guitarist Diego De Moron on his eponymous album (on Fonomusic). If you like flamenco guitar DON'T MISS THIS CD: the focus is on playing the flamenco guitar but many songs delivers a combination with lush keyboards (string-ensemble, synthesizers), VERY EXCITING!!

Yet another stupendous artwork sleeve depicting some nightmarish scene with creatures that Salvadore Dali imitating Jerome Bosch would've drawn slightly different, but the effect is there - I just wish that the full "picture" was presented once in its entirety. Although still strongly influenced by Flamenco music, this album draws more from symphonic rock and lacks a bit the dramatics present on El Patio, but also the inspiration. The remasters are impeccable, but be sure to get one of them because I found some rather poor earlier pressings still on the market.

Just as immaculately produced as the debut, this album veers more towards Yes, BJH and at times Grobschnitt (especially some guitar lines coupled with KB layers reminding you Solar Music), but remain distinctly Flamenco and resolutely Spanish, but more subtly so. However I noticed that Rodriguez's voice is too typically flamenco and less at ease for the more symphonic sound of this album. Slightly changed singing might have been more suitable IMHO, but then again would this have been Triana if he had done so? The ARP strings synths are still used beautifully (so is the Moog) as in El Patio. Some tracks are slightly sticking out such as Recuerdos (rather experimental), Necessito (more Italian prog sounding) and the closing track with its finale between Kosmische and symphonic keyboards.

If the debut is more immediately pleasing than HDA, this album will probably retain more interest in the long run even if the arrangements are not as lush. However, I find that I also tire of this album before it reaches the end, just as I do for the debut. One of their definite talents is to fuse Flamenco with prog rock so well, that you'd swear they were never different styles before they did it. I find that this band, however superb and impressive they are, is rather over-reputed because repeated listenings is rendered rather difficult. Impressive nevertheless.

I never been a fan of Spanish music except for the incredible acoustic guitar, but the vocals (specially when close to Cante Hondo) have too hard accent for my taste (something that probably English speakers won't notice), so each time I had the chance to get a TRIANA album used to let it pass. But about a month ago while checking the Symphonic band list from Prog Archives found TRIANA and bought "Hijos del Agobio", more for curiosity than for real conviction, and thanks God I did it because their work is outstanding

Jesus de la Rosa (who died in on October 13, 1983 on a car accident) had a very nice voice, and his accent is moderate in comparison to what I expected, the band has an absolutely unique approach to their music, their essence is clearly Spanish and Gypsy with a Moorish touch but is softened in most of the cases by the excellent use of Mellotron and synths giving a Symphonic atmosphere that lead to their wrong inclusion in this sub-genre instead of Folk Prog where they can be found today.

After the economic disaster of their first and excellent album "El Patio" (Between April and December of 1975 they sold only 75 copies) and after the death of the dictator Francisco Franco (A well known enemy of free expression) TRIANA released "Hijos del Agobio" with the advantage of cultural opening and reaction of thepeople against 40 years of oppression, this album sold much better but not enough to make them leave the status of cult band among university students and young people hungry for the new smell of liberty.

What songs impressed me more? Most of the album so lets give an overview.

My introduction to TRIANA was "Hijos del Agobio", the self titled track starts with a beautiful mixture of lush keyboards and a subtle acoustic guitar playing the background, incredibly enhanced by the peculiar voice and accent of Jesús de La Rosa, by moments it seems the band is taking the path of a classical symphonic sound but sudden explosions of Spanish soul make us remember we're in front of one of the most representative bands from this country, the vocals are extremely emotive and blend with magic the expectation, hope and fear for a new unknown era.

The second track is the legendary "Rumor" which became the first TRIANA single, this time the ethnic Flamenco sound is more evident as if they were opening their true identity to the rest of the world, still we can easily find the Symphonic sound, but the true nature of the band is there for all of us to listen.

"Sentimientos de Amor" is a beautiful ballad more oriented towards the classical guitar sound than to the free gypsy spirit, this time Tele Palacios with his Moog creates the effect of a second acoustic guitar to add a touch of sublimated Prog Rock, again a masterpiece, with all the flavor of Spain and the brilliance of a good Symphonic band.

Probably the only song that I really don't like too much is "Recuerdos de Triana", based only in percussion, some confusing vocals and shouts by Miguel Angel Iglesias (Atmospheric voices and shouts of "microphonic" relief) plus some electronic sounds a la Pink Floyd.

!Ya Está Bien¡ is an interesting blues variation and "Necesito" is a track sung by the guitarist Eduardo Rodriguez, none of them spectacular, but keep the interest of the listener, just enough to mention them but not to make a detailled comment.

Now it's time for one of the strongest tracks "Sr Troncozo", the whole spirit of musicians as Segovia will always remain alive in this kind of songs, emotional, heartbreaking and purely ethnic, the acoustic guitar almost makes me cry. The vocals are not so close to Cante Hondo replacing this approach for a more conventional style enhanced by palmas (hand clapping), simply delightful.

"Del Crepúsculo Lento Nacerá el Rocío" closes the album with a bombastic ending that blends excellent guitar solos and spectacular synth, the perfect track to finish a great album, a bit short, but as we, Spanish speakers say: It's better to leave the audience the taste of the honey in the lips.

Honestly I didn't expected so much of "Hijos del Agobio" because for what I had heard,. their debut album also known as "El Patio" is supposedly much better, but if this is the example of a "not as good as" release, I can't wait to listen the rest of the TRIANA discography. Four solid stars.

Edit July, 20, 2008: Rised to 5 stars by the author after revision of all their material of the band, this album is superb.

Hijos del Agobio is not really a step below its noble predecessor. The fact is that this time flamenco structure is slightly less plentiful. The general mood of the album is darker. There are not those luminous and optimistic musical fragments you can hear in El Patio. Now all becomes more serious. And it's hard to think differently after you listen Jesus De La Rosa singing ... hijos del agobio y del dolor...

Don't know why of this change in Triana imagery. The result is still intriguing. The only negative remark is the too short running time (only 33 minutes!). More rougher vocals this time, more space for keyboards than in the past, more crepuscolar atmospheres. Exciting, I think. Songs as the title track, Rumor or Necesito are superb highlights. Wonderful oppressive feel. Another classic without any doubt.

To use the words of Erik: what an emotional experience!

After a very personal debut album, this very good Spanish band just went on with their great symphonic music.

When you listen to the title and opening track, these words come to my mind: gigantic, wonderful, fabulous. A truly symphonic and passionate song which is full of sweetness and bombastic music at the same time. It is a highlight of course.

The flamenco feeling is much less present than in their debut. Even if Eduardo Rodriguez is still in charge, he is playing electric guitar on this album. He was responsible for all the flamenco guitar parts on "El Patio" and these are almost absent on these "Hijos.".

Still the Andalusia passion is fully felt during the great "Sentimiento De Amor (love feeling)". It is a jewel of passionate vocals, superb keyboards and some flamenco music. It is such a rare mix (actually never matched), such inventive. "Triana" is really a band that should need much more exposure on such a site. This song is the second highlight from "Hijos".

The quality of the album drops after this excellent first half. It sounds less symphonic and is closer to their debut which was much more Flamenco oriented. "Triana" reverts to some more bombastic feeling with the closing number "Del Crespúsculo Lento Nacerá El Rocío". Song writing is more complex and ranges from acoustic and tranquil guitar to the most furious electric ones; vocals are also more in the flamenco style. This is another highlight from this very good album.

Seven out of ten, upgraded to four stars.

Second album from the best 70's prog band from my country!

Being not so outstanding as the first "El Patio", "Hijos del Agobio" is another gem of pure psychedelic prog with a lot of influences of Andalucia's flamenco music. This second Triana's statement is maybe less folk than its predecessor, and more psychedelic and symphonic, with an obvious dominance of keyboards in the structure of the songs... The title track is a perfect example. Rumor is another great and catchy song, in the vein of their first release.

The band's evolution towards psychedelic elements is evident in songs like Sentimiento de Amor and Necesito, but it's still far from the complexity of the later "Sombra Y Luz", a boring album lost in its own attemp to be a psychedelic masterpiece.

The lyrics on "Hijos del Agobio", are similar to "El Patio", but a lot more of variety... Jesús de la Rosa makes a melancholic aproaching to love (Sentimiento de Amor), about nature (Señor Troncoso) and sometimes they talk about andalucian social themes (Hijos del Agobio). These lyrics are, like usual in Triana, a bit cryptic but over the top.

It's a pity this album has some songs under good level of the album: the silly Recuerdos de Triana and the odd ¡Ya está bien!. And the fact that "El Patio" is the best spanish symphonic prog album, makes "Hijos del Agobio" to turn little bit pale in comparision.

Best tracks: Hijos del Agobio, Rumor and Sr. Troncoso.

Conclusion: if you want to hear a really special prog band, wich mixes King Crimson, Van deer Gran Generator and Yes elements with a lof of andalucian flamenco folk influences, then give Triana an opportunity... Although "El Patio" is without a doubt their best album and the right point to start with them, "Hijos del Agobio" is another excellent collection of music. Recommended!

My rating: ****

I appear to be in the minority on this site as I feel their debut is much better than this one. It just seems like the vocals are the focus here and they really try to make things dramatic at times and at others it very Folky. I'm not a fan of either style.

"Hijos Del Agobia" starts things off on the wrong foot for me. My least favourite track. This is all about the vocals. He reminds me of some of the Italian vocalists on this one. Synths are in the background and we get some brief lead guitar 1 1/2 minutes in. "Rumor" is catchy with vocals and some nice guitar. "Sentimiento De Amor" opens dramatically then it settles when the vocals arrive. A calm before 3 minutes as the vocals stop. It's very Spanish sounding a minute later then the vocals return.

"Recuerdos De Triana" features a drum solo early and ends with what sounds like a party. Drums and synths stand out early on "Ya Esta Bien !". It settles to a spacey vibe then the vocals take over and it picks up. It settles again later. "Necesito" is my favourite track and one of only two tracks that I really enjoy. The guitar is prominant as the vocals join in. Love this tune. Strummed guitar, drums and vocals stand out on "Sr. Troncoso". "Del Crepusculo Lento Nacera El Rocio" is the other track I like.The acoustic guitar intro sounds great, very intricate. Vocals are theatrical and we get background synths as well. It picks up 1 1/2 minutes in then settles again as the vocals return.

Good album but not one I enjoy that much hence the 3 star rating.

If my Spanish is correct, the English translation of the album title is "children of the oppression." For me, this is a solid record with some excellent moments. The vocals tend to be lazy but boisterous- not bad, but not really what I like. However, the various displays of guitar- both acoustic and electric- when paired with a more experimental keyboardist is the outstanding aspect of this album. Fans of Steve Hackett and Camel will likely enjoy this casual, Spanish-flavored light symphonic rock.

"Hijos del Agobio" Relaxed keyboards and a thick vocal open the record, while the bass offers occasional arpeggios. The electric guitar interruptions are very similar to those of early Steve Hackett.

"Rumor" While more buoyant and with a danceable Hispanic flair, the second piece still retains the comfortably loose symphonic texture of the first song. The guitar playing is more impassioned and heavier, with some wildly creative leads.

"Sentimiento de Amor" Pounding percussion gives way to an easygoing piece with slowly swirling synthesizer and nylon-stringed guitar.

"Recuerdos de Triana" This is a more experimental track, with strange keyboard tones and a bland drum solo- not exactly something I care for.

"¡Ya esta bien!" A quick drum fill brings in a heavy song consisting of noisy guitars and sleek synthesizer. I don't really enjoying the overbearing, rolling vocals, but that's just me. More Eloy-like swirling synthesizer serves as a basis for an electric piano solo. "Necesito" The sixth song starts with powerful guitars. With large vocals and simplistic keyboard runs, Triana sounds like a thick, muddier version of Camel.

"Sr. Troncoso" After the loudness of the previous song, it's nice to have a peaceful acoustic tune to balance out the album. It steadily picks up tempo with handclapping and distant electric guitar.

"Del Crepusculo Lento Nacera el Rocio" Lovely acoustic guitar is juxtaposed with more discordant synthesizer. The electric guitar is layered and ghostly- one of the most wonderful moments of the album. What soon follows are disharmonious strata of keyboards and thudding percussion.

Suitably for its unusual cover art, Hijos del Agobio is a more mysterious and less inviting release than Triana's debut (El Patio). The intervening time had been a dramatic era for Spain, with the death of Franco in 1975 beginning a gradual transition to democracy which would lead to elections a few months after this album's release, and with more directly political songs Triana here flex their wings and see just how far they can take their newfound freedom. The progressive side of their sound remains intact thanks to the keyboard contributions of Juna José Palacios and the album's combination of serious and then-timely subject matter and continued musical development makes it a worthy successor to El Patio.

TRIANA (named after a neighborhood in their native Seville, Spain) formed in 1974, just a year before the dictatorship would finally end of the long reign of Franco whose death in 1975 would officially begin the transition of Spain into a more liberal democracy. While the progressive rock scene was rather limited due to the oppressive climate, a few bands including TRIANA managed to record albums before the transition begin. After the eponymous debut album (better known as "El Patio") was released to critical acclaim the band didn't really see much success in terms of commercial exposure but yet over time the album has become an undisputed classic of Spanish prog. The band was amongst the first to take the Italian symphonic prog sound and add their homegrown flamenco roots to the mix and in the process created a unique sound penned Andalusian rock however i prefer to call it Andalusian symphonic prog since the rock crossover had begun way back in the 60s.

Soon after the release of the debut the band would experience the turn of events that would transform the entire nation but not without the pains of sudden change thrust upon everyone. The second album HIJOS DE AGOBIO (Sons of Stress) was recorded throughout the turbulent year of 1976, a critical time in the history of modern Spain when the political themes resulted in a time when true liberty and artistic freedom were finally allowed their day in the sun. The album title reflects the events that were experienced during these times and reflected in the Spanish language lyrics on the album which was released in February 1977. The prog scene had finally taken off in Spain as the Iberian nation was playing catch up with its European neighbors and suddenly many bands were jumping on the bandwagon. It was a time of hope for the future as well as a realization of what has been lost or prolonged in the past and HIJOS DEL AGOBIO reflects this melancholy as the album exudes a melancholy as if a dark shadow still lingered above.

At only 33 minutes, this sophomore release is a decidedly short one but still exhibits an impressive mix of the debut album's signature mix of Italian symphonic prog, Andalusian flamenco and touches of English prog via King Crimson amongst others. While the elements were more clearly pronounced on the debut, they are woven together in a tighter tapestry of sound on this one with more creative expressionisms which find the flamenco aspects tamped down and subdued into the background with the exception of the closing tracks "Sr. Troncoso" and "Del Crepúsculo Lento Nacerá el Rocío" which sounds closer to the debut. The album engages in a much more symphonic prog sound with the suffocating emphasis of heavily used synthesizers and mellotrons which create dark overcasts. Likewise the flamenco rhythmic drives of the debut have been replaced by the more angular time signature deviations expressed by the Italian prog greats of PFM, Banco and Le Orme and the like.

While "El Patio" had heavy guitar outbursts that brought in overt references to hard rock, HIJOS DEL AGOBIO is a much more sombre affair with less emphasis on heaviness and more attention paid to the thick atmospheric constructs that allow the majority of the tracks to float along in mid-tempo or slower form. A notable exception is the heavy drum solo beginning of "Ya Está Bien" and the following "Necesito" which offers a heavier guitar presence as well as a more dynamic flamenco presence. Once again TRIANA's main members are the trio of Jesús De La Rosa (vocals, keyboards), Eduardo Rodríguez Rodway (guitar, vocals) and Juan José Palacios (percussion, Fx, Moog) but are joined by four guests who contribute vocals, guitars and bass. The melodies are more subdued Andalusian rock melodies yet they seem to be the driving force underneath the heavy symphonic prog dominance. The musicians once again perform brilliantly in tandem and soloing is rare.

HIJOS DEL AGOBIO doesn't have the instant impact that the debut "El Patio" may have had upon first listen but this one is actually the more sophisticated album of the two as the band learned how to craft their hybridization into cleverer territories. The melodies are more complex and the entire album sounds less overtly commercial than its predecessor but yet it was this album that actually was more commercially successfully and launched TRIANA into the limelight of becoming Spain's most revered prog band as it lamented the instability of the political climate of the era by capturing sounds of the past and melding them with the current trends of the European prog scene. The results of which tied the nation to the long rich history through the sounds of flamenco but also connected it to the larger music scene that was well established in the lands of their neighbors. A much darker and varied album this second one is and what it lacks in instant gratification, it more than makes up for in mysterious charm.

Review Nº 585

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*)