An outstanding effort by the
Nador-born though Spanish resident singer/songwriter.
Noel Soto was pioneer in the
introduction of the conceptual album in Spain and his second LP, topic of
today’s entry, called “Alfa y Omega” is often credited as the first opera rock
published in that country.
An unusual and risky project it was
–especially for a neophyte in the genre- yet the results are incredible.
Thought not selling properly in the release, the album has gained deserved cult
status and is considered one of the pinnacles of the progressive pop edited in
the Iberian Peninsula.
The musicianship behind this record
is praiseworthy. There’s a good dose of majestic organ and mellotron,
delightful flutes and great guitar work which match so well with Noel caressing
voice. And stunning large instrumentals can be heard here and there, thing that
enriches a lot the experience.
The song assortment is very well
balanced. There’s absolutely nothing left in the eight tracks that compose the
LP but it is so addictive and is so well made you will certainly stand wanting
for more. There’s time for progressive instrumentals in the introductory
“obertura alfa”, for rocking in “vamos a hacer el amor”, for smoth-jazz vibes
in “nos falta comunicación”, some delightful moody pop in “ahora que somos dos”
and “tu” or even prophetic progressive experimentations in “misere nobis
omega”. References to “Lucy in the sky with diamonds” and to “I can’t get
enough (Satisfaction)" can be heard in “flechas en el aire”, which is always
a good thing.
I have decided to preserve the
original conception of the record consisting in no time separations between
cuts, so I fussed all the songs in two major files: side A and side B.
Man, it’s a
shame the author has taken literally the meaning of the album title, not
releasing more marvelous material like that!
Tracks
A1. obertura
alfa (J.L. de la Fuente; J.L. Izaguirre; L. Forner)
A2. ahora
que somos dos (J.L. de la Fuente; J.L. Izaguirre; M.E. Soto)
A3. vamos a
hacer el amor (M.E. Soto)
A4. tu (M.E.
Soto)
B1. nos
falta comunicación (M.E. Soto)
B2. flechas
en el aire (M.E. Soto)
B3. sueños
de cristal (J.L. de la Fuente; J.L. Izaguirre; M.E. Soto)
B4. miserere
nobis omega (J.L. de la Fuente; J.L. Izaguirre; L. Forner; M.E. Soto)
Personnel
Produced by Angel Velázquez;
Izaguirre Jr.
