Ave Rock - Espacios. 1977 Argentina

I was most excited when this album came up for a relisten. It had been many years since I last heard it (probably the late 90s), and since that time I've really warmed up to their debut on a few revisits. And the album didn't let me down - and I enjoyed a +1 listen. Espacios falls into that category of no-doubt-this-is-prog music. 3 long tracks that go through many twists and turns. All the usual suspects are brought forth, especially Yes, but also Genesis, King Crimson et al. Sung in Spanish, and recalls other bands operating in this territory during this period like Agnus, Crucis, and MIA. One of those slam dunk classics if a fan of the genre. Even after all these years, prog music such as this is my comfort food. It appears at this stage I will never tire of it.

Ownership: LP: 2019 Svart (Finland). Recent online acquisition that replaces the PRW CD (Brazil) that I purchased real time in 1996 and was my introduction to the album. It was this CD that I initially heard on this revisit. I do like the PRW label and I'm happy with most of their output, but their reissues of both Ave Rock albums leave something to be desired. I had remembered that Svart had recently reissued these on vinyl, and they're an even higher quality label. So off I went to purchase both. I updated the debut album already (didn't move forward, so you'll have to look it up). But I didn't have any prior notes on this title, so this is a new entry. I have to say that other than the wonderful gatefold covers, these reissues aren't stellar either. I will say that Espacios does sound better, but not by much. There are no bonus tracks or additional photos. The liner notes are the exact same as the ones found in the debut, which is disappointing. The only difference is the obi liner notes, and they fixed the mechanism on this release, since it's open ended. Again, see my notes on the debut for this hilarious mistake. I'm glad I upgraded both of these, but honestly I had wished for better. Regardless of the format, be sure to buy this album if a diehard prog head like me.

8/5/22 (new entry)

Ave Rock. 1974 Argentina

Understanding the poor sound quality, as mentioned below, plays a major role in one's appreciation of Ave Rock's debut. My opinion has flip-flopped over the years, and I'm now of the mindset that this is a very fine progressive rock album. As with many records from Argentina, the style of music recalls the 1970s Italian scene, which makes sense given their ancestry. Imagine heavy organ rock like Uriah Heep and Deep Purple that is suddenly tipped on its head with all sorts of crazy rhythms, counterpoint, melodic dissonance, and general madness. Bands like Triade, Alphataurus, and L'Uovo di Colombo all come to mind here. And with the good comes the bad, which includes the whiny singer-songwriter bits and the straight up rock and roll segments. But that's the music of the early 70s Italian era - and the music here on Ave Rock's debut. I highly recommend you listen to this with headphones, and focus intently through the grime of the original recording. Casual listening will leave a negative impression.

Ownership: LP: 2019 Svart (Finland). Gatefold. Recent online acquisition (2022). Fine reissue that replicates the original cover, with an additional insert of liner notes, not particularly that in-depth. The sound is not very much improved from the CD (see below), so that was disappointing. Also they goofed up on the "obi" strip. For gatefolds, you either keep it open ended or it fits on the front panel. Here they put it over both panels so you can't open it lol. Fortunately it slides off easily. They caught their mistake for Espacios.

This LP replaces the CD on PRW (Brazil), which is of good quality, typical of the label, with photos, lyrics, and a nice layout. However the sound is not good at all. It's taken from a noisy LP - and if I had to guess - it probably was a minty copy too. I've never owned the original but I have to suspect, based on personal experience, that it doesn't sound very good. And this tells us the masters are probably long lost.  My first copy to own was on the LP on Marcoumar. The packaging was very well done, but of course the sound was no better (sourced from the CD I'm sure). And then I found out it was a pirate edition and ditched it to auction a few years ago. 

12//9; 1/18/15 (new entry); 8/4/22 (LP upgrade)