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Bubu - Anabelas CD (album) cover

ANABELAS

Bubu

 

Eclectic Prog

4.26 | 657 ratings

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zravkapt
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
5 stars I haven't yet discovered the South American prog scene. Besides this album from Argentina, the only other groups from that continent I know are Sepultura and Os Mutantes, both Brazilian. Anabelus was the only album from Bubu, recorded in 1978 but not released until the 1980s. Because of geographical, economic and political reasons, a lot of prog music from outside western Europe/North America never got to be heard by an international audience at the time of recording/release. This album is one of those lost prog gems that has been rediscovered.

It is hard to describe the music here or what to compare it to. Sometimes it can remind one of the Italian prog bands. Even though the lyrics are sung in Spanish, I assume some people could mistake them for Italian. There is no real Latin American influence in the music. Rather, it sounds very European instead. Like many great prog albums there is a nice balance between melody and dissonance, structure and improv here. The music can be both symphonic and jazzy, also rocking at times as well. There are both male and female vocals. There are no keyboards, instead different wind instruments and violin.

The music on the album was composed by Daniel Andreoli, who apparently does not appear here himself. Anabelus is divided up into a side-long epic and two other songs on the flip side. The epic is the best part but the other two tracks are great as well. "El Cortejo de un Dia Amarillo" has random sounds get faded in and then it gets all dissonant and noisy for a bit. Later goes into a nice rock groove with chorused guitar and shortly after violin and sax playing in unison. Tempo picks up and a guitar solo of sorts. Later changes to a part with some intense bass and guitar playing. Further on gets more melodic with some marching drums. Then all of a sudden changes to a section with skronking flute(!), followed by skronking sax.

Gets melodic again before the music gets freer and the instruments kind of wander all over the place. After awhile a steady drum roll with violin, guitar and flute playing repeated lines. Sax joins in playing a melody which the other instruments join. Then wordless harmony vocals. Later gets jazzy with some start/stop playing. Eventually more vocals and acoustic guitar. After awhile gets more rockin' with two overdubbed guitars soloing. Reprises the earlier intense section near the end. A great epic. It flows very well and I like the fact that the vocals don't have any lyrics to them.

"El Viaje de Anabelus" begins with harmonized wordless a capella vocals. Then some symphonic rock. Changes to a more jazzy section. Later some male vocals with great acoustic guitar playing. Then a slightly dissonant jazzy section that features some sax and violin soloing. The music stops and a different section comes in with wordless vocals before getting dissonant again. Afterwards a great part with marching drums as well as melodic violin and sax. Male vocals get responded to by female vocals, which are crazy and make me laugh. Later on some violin soloing with what sounds like volume pedal effects from guitar.. Afterwards some "lo-la" female vox, them a sinister symphonic rock ending.

"Suenos de Maniqui" you can listen to here on PA. I think this is the weakest of the three tracks, but this is still very good. It starts to pick up when the drums arrive. Some rockin' guitar in places. Almost gets punk sounding before getting more jazzy and symphonic. Goes back to the punky part and music gets more dissonant and atonal. In the middle the music stops all of a sudden, then a section with vocals. This part is generally symphonic. Gets jazzier with some start/stop playing. Goes back to the symphonic vocal section. Near the end switches to a repetative section with wordless female vocals. Ends jazzy and dissonant.

Possibly the best prog album recorded in 1978, and definately one of the better prog albums from the late 1970s. Prog never really died it just went underground, back to where it came from. Albums like Anabelus are evidence that prog was still alive when most considered it dead. Fans of RPI and the jazzier albums listed under 'Eclectic Prog' will most likely enjoy this. One of a kind album. 5 stars.

zravkapt | 5/5 |

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