Proyecto A ~ Spain

Proyecto A (1970)

Proyecto A were a band from Barcelona lead by a one Frank Dube, and who could arguably be considered Spain's first progressive rock band, predating Maquina and Pan y Regaliz by at least one year. The music is at the meeting point of late psychedelia and early progressive rock, with a strong dose of horn rock. A surprisingly sophisticated sound for an album coming from Spain during the Franco era (especially as early as 1970). Mucho use of fuzz bass and guitar, along with the aforementioned fine horn section. The album tracks are planet names, and it's a concept album inspired by the recent moon landing as well as Gustav Holst's famous work. Borderline between the very good and excellent fence line here, but weighting favorably given the pioneering spirit, just like the album's inspiration itself.

---8/8/26

I wasn't as aware of the late 60s and early 70s 45 scene when I wrote the above review. In retrospect, Proyecto A's album is like the best two siders one can hear. It's psychedelic funky horn rock heaven. Fuzzy guitars and tight horn charts. When taken in this light, the music elevates a full point.

Ownership: 

1970 RCA (LP). Gatefold. Acquired in 2006.

2015 Sommor (CD). Includes Proyecto B. Booklet features full liner notes (in English, Spanish, and Catalan). Acquired in 2016.

2006; 2009; 3/19/16 (review); 8/8/26 (update)

Proyecto B (1974 / 2015)

In addition to the original album, the CD and LP reissues include a full unreleased second album called Proyecto B which is from 1974. The irony of the material presented is that whereas the 1970 debut was a groundbreaking work for Spain, Proyecto B would have to be considered charmingly antiquated for 1974. There's a bit of Hullabaloo and lounge crooning interspersed amongst the late psychedelia aspects. Whereas fellow travelers The Canaries had progressed to Los Canarios doing a double LP full blown symphonic work called Cyclos, Proyecto A were well on their way to doing The Hustle (do it... doo do doooo doodoodoo do doooo de doo). Despite what it may seem, I still found the music highly enjoyable and the melodies are quite engaging. And there's still plenty of period fuzzy instrumentation to sink one's teeth into. A superb addition to the original LP, and fascinating archival material. 

---8/8/26

Same observation as above, most of these tracks would have made for killer 45's. The melodicism is at a very high level. I did not realize that the genesis of the jazz rock group Iceberg was the foundation for this second Proyecto A album. The liner notes of the CD don't discuss why this album was never released. It sounds considerably better than the debut, and is for certain a studio recording.

Ownership: 2015 Sommor (CD). As noted above.

3/19/16 (review); 8/8/26 (update)

7/27/16 (new entry)