Ensamble Musical de Buenos Aires- La Biblia [1974] @ 256 South American Progressive Masterpiece

Undoubtedly Argentina was, during the 70’s, the place where rock had its deeper roots in the Latin-American environment.. Of course there were great bands in Mexico, Perú, Brasil and Venezuela, but the Argentineans were more articulated and coherent, they had more venues for rock and psych and the music labels were bolder. They also have more bands, and better. One of them was Vox Dei, a seminal psych prog combo whose members had ( as any South American catholic) a love-hate relation with religion. Due to this obsession with religion images and tales, Vox Dei released La Biblia in 1970 and the album became and immediate successes although the band itself was never as big as others like the fantastic Charly García and Nito Mestres’ Sui Generis or the incredible psychedelic troupé Los Gatos.
Anyway, La Biblia was a conceptual album too big to be capitalized by only one band. This was soon understood by Jorge Alvarez, music producer, and Billy Bond, leader of the band Billy Bond and La Pesada. Both started planning a big event in which La Biblia was to be performed as an Opera Rock (going thus beyond the conceptual album format).
What had begun as a reflection on sacred scriptures was now a project of epic proportions. Bond convinced some academic musicians from the classical orchestra “Ensamble Musical de Buenos Aires” and all of a sudden everything was ready for La Biblia to become a glorious page in the history of South American prog.
It was recorded during 1974 for the second time with the Ensamble (more than 400 hours of work!) and performed at Buenos Aires national Theatre with a line up that was the Argentinean rock dream team of that era, including big names like. Mestre, García and Juan Rodriguez from Sui Generis, the singer author Raul Porchetto, the pop icon David Lebon, The pianist Carlos Cutaia, and many more, all of them produced by the guru Jorge Alvarez under the academical direction of Gustavo Beytelman.
The result is a very complex and baroque mix of symphonic prog rock, grandiloquence and pomposity, incredibly good encounters of the orchestra and the rock musicians, and overall a magnificent, bigger than life, piece of work, as any real symphonic progressive rock opera should be.
Those who don’t speak Spanish do not need to worry about the lyrics, just grab your grandma’s bible and start reading until you reach alpha state and fell in trance. Once under this hypnotic influence, travel back to Buenos Aires, 1974. And enjoy.

This album contains all that is great about prog, all that is ridiculous, silly, magnificent and glorious. Listen to the roar of the opening of the Red Sea Waters, Fear the Lord and His Wrath, Watch the God’s Opus, See the Archangels that Dwell in Heaven, listen to Miracles and Wonders and Inspiring stories from the Voice of the Prophets.


Welcome to The Bible.

Unforgettable.

Keep Listening…!!!


Link in comments as usual.

Ensamble Musical de Buenos Aires -Profecías...