Crack biographyThis Spanish band came from Gijon, the northern part of the Iberian Peninsula. The members were Alex Cakrul (bass), Alberto Fontaneda (guitar, flute and vocals), Mento Heria (keybaords and vocals), Manda Jimenez (drums) and Rafael Rodriguez (guitar).
Their only album "Si Todo Hiciera Crack" from CRACK is one of the jewels of the Spanish progressive rock. It contains seven tracks, all with a beautiful harmony between keyboards, guitar and flute. There are hints of early GENESIS (sensitive piano chords and moving Mellotron waves) and JETHRO TULL (flute) but the typical Spanish climate and the elaborate compositions makes this album to an enthralling and emotional experience.
4 stars A beautiful album from this Spanish band! (review by memowakeman)
Crack was the name of this band from the north of Spain, Gijón to be more precise. And this was sadly one of those bands that only released one album and then disappeared; I said sadly because when you hear this kind of brilliant music, you wonder why they did not continue composing and sharing their talent with us.
Their only album was entitled "Si Todo Hiciera Crack", released in 1979 and composed of 7 songs that together reach 40 minutes. The first one is "Descenso en el Mahëllstrong". An instrumental and exciting opener that will let you appreciate the talent they had. The piano plays a main role here, having first a delicate sound but later turning faster and in some way powerful. There is also a magnificent flute sound all over the song. The symphonic and Spanish passage is obvious here, so with this song you can expect what's next.
"Amantes de la Irrealidad" is the first track that features vocals, of course in Spanish. There is a predominant male voice but you will also appreciate some female ones. The music is softer with nice piano and acoustic guitar. Later it changes and sounds like if you were inside a fairy tale, walking through a happy land, I believe that feeling was made on purpose because if you translate the title it would say "Fantasy Lovers", so I believe it has something to do. The music in general is beautiful, with excellent keyboard passages and nice guitar solos.
"Cobarde o Desertor" begins with vocals since the very first minute, those vocals have that distinctive Spanish sound. The music is nice, good bass notes and odd sporadic keyboard moments, this is not a bad, but by far not the best song on this album. "Buenos Deseos" is another short song, folk with symphonic, great keyboards and drums and there is also a choir, I believe made as well by keyboards. The sound is gentle and comfortable, the vocals are good and the bass lines sound strong but also gentle.
"Marchando una del Cid" starts precisely with a sound of people marching, military drums you know. Then it changes with the introduction of that special flute sound. All the instruments make an excellent job: bass, drums, piano and guitars, of course accompanied by those flute and keyboard masters. A couple of minutes later vocals appear and a classical piano appear. The music has its ups and downs, changes everytime on both music and atmosphere. The vocals are showing a lot of passion, while the music sounds fast and sometimes even nervous. The symphonic sound prevails here. There is a kind of interlude where the piano disappears for a second but later it returns faster and powerful. Later some brilliant keyboard solo appears while the rhythm of the whole song keeps the same form. This is an extraordinary composition.
"Si Todo Hiciera Crack" is the longest track. Melodic, melancholic in moments and adventurous in others. With a soft and charming sound produced by the vocals (male and female) and by the instruments. This time I feel again like a character of a fairy tale, the music has fantasy inherent so you can travel to new lands and worlds. The keyboards are the best thing here, sometimes with exceptional solos and sometimes just as "filler" which are not really. The previous song and this one are the strongest points of this brilliant album.
"Epílogo" represents what the name suggest, just the final part of this story. It is short and instrumental passage full of flute and exquisite drumming. A Beautiful way to finish this great album.
This is an album I like so much, forty minutes of great music made by this one shot Spanish band. Though it is not especially a masterpiece, it could be considered as a fabulous addition to any prog lover, and a must have for the symphonic prog ones
Crack - Si Todo Hiciera Crack 1979 {Si-Wan Records 1998}:
Tracks
1. Descenso en el Mahellstrong (5:27)
2. Amantes de le Irrealidad (6:15)
3. Cobarde O Desertor (4:56)
4. Buenos Deseos (3:54)
5. Marchanda Una del Cid (Pt. 1, 2) (7:45)
6. Si Todo Hiciera Crack (10:11)
7. Epillogo (2:19)
Total Time: 40:47
Musicians
- Alex Cabral / bass
- Alberto Fontaneda / guitar, flute, vocals
- Mento Hevia / keyboards, vocals
- Manolo Jiménez / drums
- Rafael Rodríguez / guitar
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