In The Land Of FREE we still Keep on Rockin'

I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now

Plain and Fancy


Monday, January 21, 2013

Spiteri - Spiteri (1973 venezuela, excellent latin jazz psych rock, 2010 Distrolux digi pack extra tracks edition)

In love with the British band Traffic and full of Latin American feeling, brothers Charles and Jorge Spiteri decided to move to London at the start of the 70s and try their luck as musicians. In that adventure they did all Kinds of things: washing dishes, studying cinema, flirting, drifting around and honing their instruments and songwriting style. The tracks that make up this album were born in the middle of the cold weather, poverty and the contact with the epicenter of London's rock scene. 

'Spiteri' - or 'the snake record', as it was known in Venezuela in 1973 - became a cult record for Venezuela's rock. They were Venezuelans recording in Europe and making fusion rock that hadn't been heard before: it was Venezuelan music but in a completely contemporary format, almost before its time. Jorge and Charles rubbed shoulders with Georgie Fame. Alan Price, Steve Winwood. Bob Marley. Osibisa and the whole UK underground Scene. They soon became the British answer to the Santana phenomenon.

35 years later, 'Spiteri' still sounds fresh. We can listen to this record and travel to a specific moment in rock's evolution, but we can equally appreciate how some of its elements could be taken up again, like a DNA that must be passed on. 

1. Campesina (Stelio Bosch Cabruja. Arranged Jorge Spiteri) - 5:26
2. Hey Tono (Jorge Spiteri) - 5:07
3. Monday Morning (Jorge Spiteri) - 4:34
4. Barlovento (Eduardo Serrano, Arranged Charlie Spiteri) - 1:53
5. Don't You Look Behind (Jorge Spiteri) - 2:53
6. No Time For Hesitation (O Mai O Mai) (Jorge Spiteri) - 2:28
7. Soul Inside (Joe Romero) - 8:30
8. Summer After Winter (Jorge Spiteri) - 3:14
9. Piroro (Jorge Spireri) - 2:45
10.Girl (Jorge Spiteri) - 3:33
11.Stop Now You' Re Wasting My Time (Jorge Spiteri, R Valera) - 4:14
12.Retorno #2 (Charlie Spiteri) - 4:40
13.I'm A Man (Winwood, Miller, Arranged Spiteri) - 4:22
14.Voz Charlie - 0:14
15.Piroro (Demo) (Jorge Spiteri) - 2:44
16.Knowing Someone (Jorge Spiteri) - 2:31
17.Girl (Demo) (Jorge Spiteri) - 4:43
18.Summer After Winter (Demo) (Jorge Spiteri) - 2:28
19.Voz Charlie - 0:46
Bonus Tracks 12-19

*Jorge Spiteri - Acoustic Guitar, Some Piano, Lead Vocals
*Charlie Spiteri - Congas, Lead Vocals
*Joe Romero - Electric Guitar, Timbales, Sax, Lead Vocals on 'Soul Inside'
*Chema - Bass Guitar
*Micho - Flute
*Bernardo Ball - Drums, Percussion
*Barry Kirsch - Piano

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