Eduardo Bort ~ Spain

Eduardo Bort (1975)

When I started collecting rare progressive rock in the mid to late 1980s, Eduardo Bort's album was considered by many a dealer as Spain's single best progressive rock album - and mighty expensive too (and oftentimes in the dealer world - most expensive=best). So I pounced on the first reissue commonly available, the Fonomusic CD, and anxiously awaited "this best" prog album from Spain. Huh? My inherent cynicism kicked into gear quickly, and my initial thoughts were more akin to "the xenophobes' choice of best album from Spain". In effect, it was in the comfort zone of your common 80s psychedelic dealer who dabbled in prog, but never could really accept any lyrical language but good ol' Engrish ("What's the point of music if you can't understand the words?"). Yes - I've read genius statements like this in the past. And with Spain, it's not just one language, but multiple, each adding a unique spice to the region they come from.

Over the years, I began to embrace Bort's album on its own terms, ignoring the cultural backdrop. The irony here is that Bort had no business singing in English, and is really the only weak element on the album. The music here evolves greatly from the psychedelic folk rock of 'Thoughts', onto the progressive hard rocking 'Walking on the Grass', and finishes in superb symphonic fashion, with multiple themes, meter shifts, and mellotron galore. Overall an excellent pan-European styled progressive rock album and definitely well worth owning.

Ownership: 1989 Fonomusic (CD). Acquired in 1990.

1990; 4/13/18 (review / new entry)