Azahara

This popular Spanish band from Cordoba was founded in the late Seventies. In 1979 Medina Azahara released their debut album "Paseando Por La Mezquita" (aka "Medina Azahara"). This album contains the exciting Andalusian rock and earned a double-platinum status.
On their debut album Medina Azahara delivers a very pleasant blend of melodic rock (mid-tempo songs like En La Manana and Se), neo prog in the vein of Marillion (lots of Mark Kelly-like synthesizer flights) and Prog Andaluz (mainly ballads and slow rhythms) with strong hints from Triana like in the exciting titletrack (a flamenco rhythm with heavy guitar riffs, howling guitar and emotional vocals) and En La Manana and Busco (parts with flamenco guitar). A very strong point on this album is the guitarwork, from sensitive and howling to electric rhythm guitar…

Triana is the most legendary progressive rockband in Spain. Formed in 1974, the band were known for blending elements of progressive rock and flamenco music to make a style known as Andalusian rock or flamenco rock. "Quiero Contarte" is a triple album paying homage to Triana featuring, on the one hand a selection of the most emblematic songs from the 7 recorded albums by the legendary Andalusian rock band on two of the CDs. On the other, a CD featuring the album "Tributo a Jesús de la Rosa". This CD, produced by Gonzalo García-Pelayo, features 17 cover versions of their songs and played by famous modern spanish musicians (andaluz bands Alameda & Medina Azahara among them).

Miguel Ríos is a best-selling, internationally renowned Spanish singer, songwriter, and actor whose career is intrinsic to the establishment of rock & roll as a serious art form in Spain. It has been written that without rock & roll it is impossible to understand Spain's contemporary history, and without Ríos, it is impossible to understand rock, so proclaimed King Juan I in 1993. Ríos began his recording career in 1963 with the single "El Rey del Twist," but spent most of the decade acting in films and television. He didn't release his debut album until 1969's Mira Hacia Ti; the following year, his single "Himno a la Alegría" (adapted from the final movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony) was also released in an Anglo version as "A Song of Joy" and hit number 14 on American charts, sold over three million copies, introduced the concept of "symphonic rock" to Spain…

Alameda is a band that has to be placed into the fascinating realm of andalusian rock movement (some would call it "prog-andaluz"). Their debut is from 1979 and they follow the wake of more famous bands such as the pioneer Triana or the contemporary Medina AzahAra. Unilkely to the said bands, their debut is closer to pop, romantic and slow for the most part, with massive use of piano (both classical and electric) and synth's flights, with hints of jazz here and there (in "Matices", for example). There's excellent flamenco guitar here and there, as in "Ojos de Triste Llanto"; "Aires de la Alameda" is particularly noteworthy also for the sweet melody and typical morish climate (even if not too original); palmas (handclapping) are even added in some tracks as in "La Pila del Pato".
The result is very good: elegant music with low rock quotient.