POLIFEMO oye dios non-LP 45 7" SINGLE ARGENTINA HEAVY PSYCH PROG progressive

	£		25
	$		33

Polifemo: oye dios que me has dado / Buzios Blues
Rare early single with non album tracks where they still had a more heavier sound then on their albums. Original Chile pressing on the Odeon label from 1976. Promo copy with writing on the label.
Sleeve is VG+ and the record is in EX+ condition.

  From progarchives:
This band was like a who's who of Argentinian rock/prog.Basically they were an off shoot of the great Sui Generis.Legendary guitarist David Lebon(Color Humano,Pescado Rabioso,guest with Sui Generis),bassist Rinaldo Rafanelli(Sui Generis,Color Humano) and drummer Juan Rodrigez(Los Mentales,Sui Generis) came together in 1975 and recorded a couple of basic hard/blues rock singles that got them instant recognition.The following year they enlisted yet another important figure of the fertile Argentinian scene, keyboardist Ciro Fogliatta(Los Gatos,Sacramento,Espiritu) and started working on their first eponymus album.
The result was quite a departure from those two early singles,beign a blend of hard rock with the bombast and symphonism of prog.Most of the tracks are heavy and song based,yet the elaborated arrangements,instrumental sections and lush keyboards makes them more than your average run- of- the- mill hard rock band,although there are a few dud tracks(similar to their early singles) that seemed out of place on the album.Side two of the original vinyl was spectacular to say the least,with all three mid-lenght tracks spliced together in suite-like fashion.
The second album,released in 1977, was more of the same,yet this time the instrumental sections were longer,more elaborate and Fogliatta seemed to have more freedom and was let loose, along with Lebon,to produce some mind bogling solos of pyrotechnical proportions.There seemed to be more of a latin flair than on the first release too.
Unfortunately,before the album came out,the band broke out and Fogliatta was left ''holding the baby''.He apperantly finished producing the album by himself.
Both albums are recommended to those into the heavier side of 70's elaborated/prog rock such as Queen,Uriah Heep,Argent,mid-period Styx and maybe Santana.Both albums have been re-released on CD with the singles as bonus.
I suppose the heavy prog category would be apropriate,if not, at least crossover or at the very least prog-related.
Unfortunately there isn't much about them out there.
 

From the Magic Land:
A rock'n'roll trio formed by David Lebón (ex-Color Humano and Pescado Rabioso) now on guitar and vocals, Rinaldo Rafanelli (ex-Color Humano and Sui Generis) on bass and Juan Rodríguez (ex-Los Mentales and Sui Generis) on drums. In the heyday of progressive and fusion music, Polifemo - and other groups like Avalancha - dared to play straightforward rock'n'roll.

Their first single, "Suéltate rock and roll", was a huge success. Based on the same pattern they released a second and also successful 7", "Oye Dios, que me has dado". Lebón wrote both songs; Rafanelli wrote the b-sides (the best one being "Buzios blues").

In 1976, keyboard player Ciro Fogliatta (ex-Los Gatos, Sacramento and Espíritu) joined the trio for the recording of their debut album. The group turned fairly progressive with the use of mellotron and moogs. One track, "Tema de los devotos", written by Lebón, was dedicated to the Guru Maharaji and usually played at his Mission of the Divine Light reunions in Buenos Aires.

The album was heavily criticised, but the fans still bought it. This encouraged them to cut a second LP. However, Polifemo split during the sessions and Rafanelli took up the job to finish the album. This new effort went deeper into the symphonic rock territory; it was clear that by then they had abandoned the original idea.

After the break-up, Lebón went to Brazil and joined Charly García, Pedro Aznar and Oscar Moro for the super-group Seru Giran. They became the most popular rock group of the late 70s/early 80s over there.

Polifemo records are scarce and have not been reissued on vinyl. The singles were included on the best-of compilation LP, "Retrospectivo 75/77" (EMI 6467). The first album was released on CD with the first single as a bonus. A 2-CD set containing both albums and the singles is now out of print.

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