Granada-España, Año 75 (1976)

Granada was a Spanish symphonic rock band that, with a very particular and unique style, released three magnificent albums in the 1970s. Led by multi-instrumentalist Carlos Cárcamo, the band also included drummer Juan Bona, bassist Antonio García, and guitarist Michael Vortreflich. In 1975, the group released their debut album, "Hablo de una Tierra" (I Speak of a Land), an eclectic work that fused different styles such as blues and rock, always through a progressive lens. On this debut, the sound of the sharp guitars and the omnipresent Mellotron take us on pleasant journeys with a Mediterranean and Andalusian flavor. A year later came their second album, "España Año 75" (Spain Year 75), an ironic title for a crucial year in Spanish history. The entire album is full of magnificent displays of symphonic progressive music with abundant folkloric allusions. The jazzy nuances and Mediterranean atmospheres, along with the atmospheric and tranquil passages, are the highlights of an album that features standout tracks such as the epic "El Calor que pasando este verano" (The Heat We Experienced This Summer), the atmospheric "Septiembre" (September), and the progressive folk songs "Noviembre Florido" (Flowery November) and "Ahora vamos a ver que pasa (vámonos para el Mediterráneo)" (Now Let's See What Happens (Let's Go to the Mediterranean)). With this album, Granada and Spanish progressive rock in general demonstrated the solid style that the Spanish music scene was producing during the musically fertile 1970s.