The Storm - The Storm (1974 Spanish proto-prog hard rock, 2006 Wah Wah records reissue - FLAC)

Saudações; saindo um pouco do eixo Reino Unido-Estados Unidos com relação a origem das pérolas setentistas, estou a postar um grande álbum de hard rock oriundo da Espanha. Disponibilizarei também um vídeo com uma apresentação ao vivo, feita em estúdio, que eu retirei de um track vídeo que veio como bônus no auto-intitulado CD dessa banda. Se alguém se interessar, eu posso ripar e fazer o post do DVD aqui no bordel! Boa audição!

1970 brought the climax for the progressive & underground rock in Spain, with Barcelona (Máquina!, Pan & Regaliz, Música Dispersa, Vértice, Tapiman) and Seville (Nuevos Tiempos, Gong y Smash) on top.

A committed and up-to-date musical movement is done for first time, leaving behind the deep backward and inferiority complex that were the companion on the Spanish music during the 60's.

However, the lack of resources an infrastructures and the existence of a non helpful atmosphere (but open and widely hostile) prevented the scene from developing a musical culture which warranties its own continuity.

1971 means the beginning of the fall, and by 1972 the premature disappearance of almost the whole of all of these bands is confirmed.

Forecast for 1973 is disappointing; the "pertinaz sequia" is felt in music as well, an someone able to move away the ghost of mediocrity and underdevelopment that flies over the Spanish musical panorama is wait as the rain; and the rain comes in the shape of a storm: a storm of Hard Rock called The Storm.

The disband of Smash brought a deep crisis in the Sevillian rock scene. The few groups that are formed have a very short life, instigated by the lack of opportunities and means (a second-hand guitar and an amp are out of reach for the most of the young Sevillian musicians), andno project is consolidated during two years. Things do not run better for The Storm, when an entertainment businessman from León called Luis Fernández de Córdoba appears, and assumes the role of manager and who will become a key character during the group life.

So far The Storm have been playing together for years; Angel (guitar), Diego (drums) and José (guitar) met at school, where they formed a band called Los Tormentos.

Luis (organ) will join later, and José will take bass, a line-up that will stand stable during the whole group existence.

At first they will make covers of The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Guess Who, but is after discovering Deep Purple when they decide to lead his sound towards Hard-Rock.

After a gig in a discotheque in Torremolinos called Barbarella, they are contracted for a show in another Barbarella located in Palma de Mallorca, but the band name is not of the likes of the manager of that place because "its sounds like Flamenco". At this point they are suggested to change their name to "The Storm".

1974 it's the year for The Storm. In April their first LP is released. A solid, forceful and thundering hard rock effort (and perhaps the only real hard rock record ever made in Spain, if we exclude the Tapiman one), made exclusively with own cuts and where the band find their own musical style without renouncing to their influences (Storm will be "the Spanish Deep Purple" in our collective memory forever).

Their debut album, originally released on Basf in 1974, is one of the Crown jewels of Spanish hard rock, and changes hands for a small fortune among collectors all over the world. This LP really rocks. 

It's high energy hard rock that follows the line marked by the big organ outfits of the era: DEEP PURPLE, ATOMIC ROOSTER, BRAM STOKER, MEGATON, a.o. It has also a deep classic prog sound root, which reaches the top on 'Un Señor Llamado Fernández De Córdoba'. 

Now it gets the deserved well-done CD treatment at last, with great remastered sound, nice booklet incl. up to 30 minutes of images with a concert of the group and an interview, all circa '74-'75 !!!! An incredible document available for the first time, don't miss this!!!