Spanish top ten of all times

This page has been developed compiling the opinions of tens of spanish fans in order to provide a high qualified opinion on what are the best records ever recorded by spanish bands.

Your opinion is welcome to increase the number of comments about the albums or to have more votes that make the overall scores more significative. Send your opinion to me if you want to: VOTE. Thanks!

37 votes

Triana

"El Patio"

Movieplay | Fonomusic

1975 | 1989

Triana were not top class instrumentists, but they created an innovative style and beautiful compositions. Spanish prog of the 70's was very influenced by local folkclor. In Andalucía it resulted in a mix with flamenco music. The early fusion appeared like bands like Smash in the very early 70s, but was people like Triana who push this fusion into the charts. In 1975 with this historic record they created a unique album that succeeded joining a symphonism betwee Crimson and ELP with the flamenco feeling. They were the Andalusian Rock band with a most important presence and personality. In 1983 Jesús de la Rosa, keyboards, voice and leader of the band died in a car accident and they became a legend.

31 votes

Canarios

"Ciclos"

Ariola | Si-Wan

1974 | 1992

"Ciclos" is probably the best cover of the Vivaldi's Four Seasons ever made. It makes a parallelism between the four seasons and the four stages of human kind history: from the creation to the future. But also describes the four stages of human life: born and childhood, youth, madurity and eldery. This is a masterpiece of progressive music, not only at a spanish level. Instrumentation is perfect, using the most technologically advanced instrument at that time: synths, sequencers, theremins, mellotrons, etc. It's a must of symphonic rock.

24 votes

Gotic

"Escenes"

Movieplay | Fonomusic

1978 | 1988

Gotic was a single-album band: this one. It has all the qualities and features of the catalan progressive: instrumental and with a strong jazz fusion component. Here, jazz-rock mixes with the progressive rock of bands like Camel in a masterpiece. Some call it the "Spanish Snow Goose". The leadership of the flute of Jep Nuix rules songs like "Escenes de la Terra en Festa i de la Mar en Calma" or "Joc d’Ocells". In others likeo "La Revolucio", "Dança d’Estiu" and "I Tu Que Ho Veies Tot Tan Facil" the influence of traditional catalan music is evident. The album ends with a perfect short theme in terms of an unforgetable melody: "Historia d’una Gota d’Aigua", with a constant crescendo plenty of feeling.

23 votes

Crack

"Si Todo Hiciera Crack"

Chapa | Si-wan

1978 | 1998

Crack were from Gijón, Asturias. This record is, undoubtly, one of the best spanish symphonic rock albums ever made. Their main influences came from bands in the Itailian progressive, like: Premiata Forneria Marconi, Locanda delle Fate, etc. Their music is full of the resource that synthesizers put on the hands of the musicians and for a remarkable flute sound. Also guitars are well positioned. The best of all are powerful themes like "El Descenso en el Mahellstrong", "Amantes del la Irrealidad" and the title track. The level is a bit lower with the balads.

21 votes

Bloque

"Hombre, Tierra y Alma"

Chapa | Zafiro

1979 | 1992

"Hombre, Tierra y Alma" is one of the most coherent and emotional symphonic rock evger made in Spain. Absolutely a must. While spanish progressive in the 70's was mainly influenced by jazz, flamenco and hard, Bloque and other bands from the north of Spain, like Crack, followed a more symphonic line, creating pieces of art like this historic album. It is a record full of power, twin lead guitars, mellotrons, choirs, poetry and everything you could expect from a pure symphonic rock concept. An album that can be compared with any other world-class band of this genre made by that time.

20 votes

Iceberg

"Coses Nostres"

Bocaccio | Actual

1976 | 1997

Every single minute out of its 48 are pure gold, where the electric guitar of Max Sunyer shines energic, creative and dynamic like few others. The bass is also groovy and the same applies to drums and keyboards. Iceberg was a luxury band with highly professional musicians. They started making symphonic rock but they turned to jazz-rock. Among the traks there's a small gem, like "Preludi i Record" that was very popular among the spanish proggers because it was the tune of a TV show and is great. Iceberg is a saucerful of surprises, plenty of strength, punch, intelligence, musicality and iinterpretative richness. Themes like "L'acustica" or "11/8" are examples of that. They were probably the best progessive rock band in Spain and probably this was their best album.

19 votes

Iceberg

"Sentiments"

Bocaccio | Actual

1977 | 1997

Sentiments is a fantástic power jazz rock album in the vein of any from the most powerful Return to Forever or Mahavishnu Orchestra. The main role is taken, as in most of their career, by the Max Sunyer guitar and Kitflus minimoog duels. Tracks like "Alegries del Mediterrani", "Ball de les Fulles" or "Magic" provide a range of sounds from tipically 70's jazz rock to more funky ones, everything wrapped up in compositive and interpretative quality.

18 votes

Atila

"Intención"

BASF | Lost Vinyl

1976 | 1993/td>

"Intencion" consists of four songs where the guitar and moog work explore a variety of time signature and key changes throughout each song, trading licks, providing counterpoint and rhythmic underpinning during solos and so forth. I can't compare the moog style to anyone off the top of my head, except for perhaps the moog work in Mezquita or Crack, two other excellent Spanish symphonic progressive bands. The guitar influences range from David Gilmour to Carlos Santana to Andy Latimer to Jan Akkerman and beyond. Vocals can be found in one or two songs but not often and they aren't a detraction when present. Excellent symphonic that is particularly recommended to fans of the moog synth. Side two is a rework of the debut album, here titled as "El Principio del Fin." Starting with a Phantom of the Opera-like organ, the piece explodes into a Black Sabbath guitar riff before settling into an easy groove with moog, organ, fuzz guitar jamming, and drum solo. A must for progressive fans who like psychedelic sounds.

17 votes

Imán

"Califato Independiente"

CBS | Sony

1978 | 1997

Imán was an atypical band in andalusian rock, since although they had the unavoidable "accent" from andalusia, they did not follow the andalusian rock mainstream, but a more jazzy one (in the same line as other bands like Guadalquivir, for example). Let's call it andalusian jazz-rock, just to have a name for it. The four members of Imán were musicians of a very good quality and Manuel Rodríguez and Iñaki Egaña keep on working as professional musicans after Imán splitted. Both Imán records are of a similar quality and any of them could be in this position.

15 votes

Máquina!

"Why?"

Diábolo | PDI

1970 | 1993

Máquina! was one of the pioneer bands of the spanish progressive, still having their roots in psychedelic music, with long instrumental developments of electric fuzzy guitars and Hammond organs. Their only studio album, "Why?", was recorded in 1969 and it's a collectors' item, with a suite 25 minutes long, divided into two parts of 12 and 13 minutes (in the LP, it was splitted into the both sides) and two short numbers of 4 and 3 minutes. Occasionaly the music turns into too much derivative and experimental, losing the guiding line, specially in the long tracks. The CD version, edited in 1993 by PDI, contains extra tracks, but I don't know where they came from. Any idea?

14 votes

Mezquita

"Recuerdos de mi Tierra"

Chapa | Zafiro

1979 | 1994

An excelent album of andalusian rock, very energic, plenty of rhythmic changes and with some calmed and melodic passages. This album by Mezquita is the most symphonic one from the so-called "Rock Andaluz", and the most progressive one, together with "Hijos del Agobio" by Triana. Good rhythmic base, complex compositions, and a powerful beat. Also flamenco fussion, jazz rock, and arabic sounds appear. The vocals are very appropiated for this sub-genre. Mezquita is pure symphony. The track "Recuerdos de mi Tierra" has passages where one can remind of Triana, Alameda, Cai, Iman, Medina Azahara, etc.

12 votes

Fusioon

"Minorisa"

Ariola | Ariola

1975 | 1997

Fusioon made an instrumental progressive plenty of tempo and key changes. Some bizarre, but interesting, vocal arrangements once in a while. The music is focused in the melodic guitar and keyboards, but there is always a touch of disonance and sharpness that provide a special touch to their music. Fusioon does not sound like any known reference, but Gentle Giant, Pulsar and other 70's italian touches can be identified. There is a interesting use of sequencers and weird guitar processors, providing a chilling athmosphere. The influence of Klaus Schulze or Tangerine Dream is also present here. Fusioon's records are very valued by collectors.

12 votes

Guadalquivir

"Guadalquivir"

Rama Lama

1978

Heavily influenced by Return to Forever and post-74 Weather Report, Guadalquivir stood musically closer to Iceberg and Gotic than to their neighbor bands ImÃ¡n, Cai, Mezquita and others, because they were closer to jazz fusion then to the symphonic prog realms. The repertoire is solid and very energetic, and its power is based on the use the sax/flute player and the guitarists. Flamenco roots are expanded all over the melodic lines and their arrangements. In short, "Guadalquivir" is an excellent album from an excellent band.

12 votes

Imán

"Camino del Águila"

CBS | Musea

1980

Instrumental blend of jazzrock, andalusian sounds, and symphonic rock. The rhythm-section is tight and adventurous, the guitarplay strong and the keyboards sound pleasant. The most captivating element of IMAN is the interplay between guitar and keyboards (at some moments evoking Iceberg). The instrumental ensemble works fluidly in a well-oiled manner, and the level of performance is superb and full of ravaging finesse. Lots of influences from Camel, 76-78 era Genesis and Return to Forever.

11 votes

Bloque

"El Hijo del Alba"

Chapa | Zafiro

1980 | 1994

The band from Santander at their best time released this record. They followed in the same line of powerful guitars, doubled phrases, guitar duels, and with the presence of those mellotrons, moogs, and all of what characterised the classic symphonic rock. Nevertheless, it did not reached the leavel of their "Hombre, Tierra y Alma", former to this one, in spite of the presence of gems like "Quimérica Laxitud", for example.

11 votes

Tabletom

"Mezclalina"

RCA

1979

This was the first record by Tabletom back in 1979. A first recording and it was for RCA!. This seemed to be an excellent point but the label didn't put much intereset in their own production and they just released 600 copies of the vynil, without any promotional support, becoming a collector's item. This LP ahs 3 song in side "A" and 2 in side "B": "Tipos duros", "Ininteligible", "Mezclalina", "Zero-Zero" and "La Guerra". Each song has its own history through time. Tabletom remains after 25 years and through different generations.

11 votes

Triana

"Hijos del Agobio"

Movieplay

1977

The emotional lyrics (about hope after the end of general Franco's dictatorship) were embraced by the Spanish youth when the radio started to play "Rumor". TRIANA's music boosted the youth's identity and it gave them a way to show their emotions. Following in the same passionate flamenco-tinged early-Pink Floyd, King Crimson-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. A must for any prog collector who feels specially connected with Southern Spain's peculiar sensibility.