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BLOPS

Blops

Prog Folk


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Blops Blops album cover
3.32 | 28 ratings | 4 reviews | 4% 5 stars

Good, but non-essential

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Studio Album, released in 1970

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Barroquita (4:22)
2. Los Momentos (2:52)
3. La Muerte del Rey (4:11)
4. Niebla (1:57)
5. Vértigo (8:37)
6. La Mañana y el Jardin (3:51)
7. Santiago Oscurece el pelo en el Agua (5:28)
8. Patita (3:47)
9. Atlántico (2:35)
10. Maquinaria (7:05)

2001 CD bonus track:
11. Valle de Los Espejos (4:14)

Total time 48:59

Line-up / Musicians

- Eduardo Gatti / guitar, accordion (hexatron)
- Julio Villalobos / guitar, accordion (hexatron)
- Juan Contreras / flute, organ
- Juan Pablo Orrego / bass
- Sergio Bezard / percussion

Releases information

LP Dicap DCP-4 (1970, Chile, mono)

CD BMG Chile S.A., RCA 74321 87875-2 (2001, Chile, different artwork)

Thanks to ProgLucky for the addition
and to NotAProghead for the last updates
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BLOPS Blops ratings distribution


3.32
(28 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music (4%)
4%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection (39%)
39%
Good, but non-essential (39%)
39%
Collectors/fans only (18%)
18%
Poor. Only for completionists (0%)
0%

BLOPS Blops reviews


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

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by ClemofNazareth
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Prog Folk Researcher
4 stars Los Blops’ first album is without a doubt the most engaging and interesting of their three official studio releases from the early seventies. Like so much acid folk of that era, these are compositions recorded in simply and earnestly by young university students (on only two-track recordings, I believe). Today many of these artists would be considered naïve and almost primitive, but of course for those of us who count ourselves fans that is precisely where their charms and appeal lie.

The opening “Barroquita” is also the first song the band composed together. Like most of the rest of the album this is an acoustic instrumental with a hauntingly familiar and sedate tone. The song highlights the exquisite blend of Western influences and native instrumentation that made the Blops and their Chilean countrymen El Congreso, Los Jaivas and Congregacion such powerful and regionally popular progressive folk voices at a difficult time in their homeland.

The instrumentals are the stars of this album; along with “Barroquita”, the songs “La Muerte del Rey”, “Patita” and “Atlantico” are solid, melodic and Latin-tinged folk delights that show a band of musicians who may still be developing their technical skills but are clearly in-synch as a single-minded collective. The intricate acoustic guitar fingering and simple piano set the tone for each, while the breathy flute and liberally-sprinkled percussion spice each up and give them contextual meaning.

Elsewhere the tracks with vocals such as “Los Momentos” and “Maquinaria” are decent enough, but their appeal is probably stronger with those of the same language families than to a broader prog folk audience. The band does manage to showcase the breadth of their musical influences on the ranging and moody “Santiago Oscurece El Pelo en El Agua” though, which undoubtedly included many British acid folk acts as well as psych masters of the day including Hendrix and the Doors (check out the ambitious electric guitar work on the second half of this tune as well as the spacey vocals and tempo of “Valle De Los Espejos”).

This is a band that never got the sort of recognition they deserved, unlike their more well-known and publicized Chilean counterparts like Los Jaivas and El Congreso. To bad, because this album, and to a slightly lesser extent their second one as well, have a definite place in the collections of any serious progressive folk fan. I’m torn between three and four stars so in the interest of this warm and uplifting spring day I’m going to err on the positive side and go with four stars. Well recommended to folks who appreciate South American modern folk, as well as acid folk fans of all stripes and persuasion.

peace

Review by siLLy puPPy
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR PSIKE, JRF/Canterbury, P Metal, Eclectic
3 stars The oddly named BLOPS along with Los Jaivas and Congreso is one of Chile's most famous and enduring progressive folk bands that dates all the way back to 1964 when it was formed in the coastal city of El Quisco. Initially hugely influenced by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, BLOPS slowly gravitated towards the worlds of progressive rock and folk as well as incorporating its own indigenous Chilean folk music. The name simply resulted from an onomatopoeia of the world "Plop" which was presented to the band by a comedian named Condorito and obviously made enough impression for an entire musical career to be built on!

The band released four albums all in the 1970s with the first three all emerging as eponymous releases! Oh i hate that! This debut album simply titled BLOPS was actually the second major lineup of the band which featured Eduardo Gatti (keyboards, guitar), Julio Villalobos (keyboards, guitar), Juan Contreras (flute, organ), Juan Pablo Orrego (bass) and Sergio Bezard (percussion). By this time the band had mastered the art of writing its own songs that featured basically contemporary folk arrangements sung in the Spanish languages and embellished with extensive improvisations with both acoustic and electric instruments adding to the overall sound.

This first album featured 10 tracks at around 45 minutes and was recorded on a two-channel monophonic machine and was released in 1970 on the DICAP label. The album is mostly instrumental but features a few vocal tracks including the classic Chilean traditional "Los Momentos" and because the first three albums are all self-titled, this one has earned the secondary title LOS MOMENTOS to distinguish it. The popularity of the band has been strong since the beginning with the 2008 Chilean edition of Rolling Stone ranking this BLOPS debt as the 37th best Chilean album of all time. While starting out as a crossover beat band throughout the 1960s, on this debut the band developed its own unique style of psychedelic folk rock with both acoustic and electric guitars, flute, organ, various percussive sounds, xylophone and interesting songwriting arrangements.

The debut actually was released simultaneously with two different album covers with the black and white cover of the band being the most popular. Overall the album is fairly dreamy and psychedelic in its nonchalant delivery of gently strummed acoustic guitar chords accompanied by flute and faint tribal drumming however some of the vocal performances get a little fiery with electric guitar accompaniments including soloing. The band hit the big league immediately and spent much of its time touring and playing the festival scene. Generally speaking the first two BLOPS albums feature this same style of dreamy pastoral folk music only occasional amplified for contrast along with a touch of indigenous sounds to give it an exotic flair to European and North American ears. The band's third album is the most famous with more advanced songwriting and a heftier presence of progressive rock with jazz and psychedelic influences.

Overall this is a decent slice of early Chilean prog folk but it's a bit of a one trick pony in many regards as the songs don't really deviate substantially from the same formula throughout. There are basically dreamy acoustic instrumental jamming sessions and more song oriented folk traditionals. It's a fine start to the career of BLOPS but not nearly as inventive or outrageously original as what neighboring Los Jaivas were cranking out at the same time. This band was more about appealing to a mass audience which they achieved practically before they even released this debut album. Obviously with lyric oriented music in another language, it's difficult for many to relate to it but the music is pleasant enough in its own right even if not the most cutting edge and experimental of the era.

Latest members reviews

3 stars In my route across the Prog folk of my country i decided to stop a moment to analyze the work of an important Chilean band: LOS BLOPS, contemporary with their colleages; Los Jaivas and Congreso, but much less long- lived, "Los Blops" are a forgotten jewel, while Los Jaivas and Congreso are living ... (read more)

Report this review (#1424248) | Posted by Hannibal_20 | Sunday, June 7, 2015 | Review Permanlink

3 stars I had heard of the band several times, and finally decided to have a listen. I was disappointed, expecting a much better album. Don't get me wrong, it is good. However, it's neither a masterpiece nor a necessity. The three tracks that stood out to me on the album are "Barroquita", "La Muerte De ... (read more)

Report this review (#230774) | Posted by Concentration Moon | Sunday, August 9, 2009 | Review Permanlink

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