Studio Album, released in 1974
CD Reissue by Sunny Perrot 2012
Songs / Tracks Listing
La divina madre
La morada de los dioses
En las cumbres bas bus, si el senor bas bus
aurora boreal
las luces eternas
el regreso del pajaro dorado
la nova madre
el arcangel miguel
agitor
sendero de marcahuasi
Paraiso sideral
Un tiempo y tiempo y la mitad de un tiempo
lucens V
Las huestes de avion
Saimo a Cristo
Line-up / Musicians
Ara Tokatlian - sax, organ and voice
Gustavo Sentaolalla - guitars and voice
Guillermo Bordarampe - bass and voice
Horacio Giarello - drums, percussions and voice
Dana - Guia esperitual
Arco Iris
was an Argentinian group that started off as a psych band before
falling under the influence of Dana, a female guru, who they continued
to follow for thirty years. They went on to a long career in prog before
eventually relocating to the U.S. to do more of a traditional Andean
folk thing. This ambitious double album from 1975 is certainly one of
the better South American prog albums. It appears to have a concept
about aliens visiting ancient South Americans. Arco Iris's sound, like
Los Jaivas, has a lot of Andean folk influences, though not to the same
extent. There is also a pronounced jazz rock edge to the more up-tempo
pieces and an occasional Floydian spaciness. A double album was not
always the best idea for prog groups, which often lost focus over 80+
minutes, but in this case it allowed the band to stretch out without
getting too boring. The songs vary from delicate acoustic pieces to the
aforementioned sax-driven jazzy numbers. The quality of musicianship is
very impressive, particularly in the guitar department. The band was
also very strong vocally. Though the album occasionally slips into a
less interesting and more typical jammy organ-driven 70s prog sound, it
is rescued from the mundane by the disarming South American folk
melodies in the acoustic pieces. Anyone into Los Jaivas or South
American 70s prog in general will really enjoy this record.
Arco Iris biography
A leading
band in the developpement of the South America progressive rock scene
with Los Jaivas and a few others. Their music is a solid combination of
jazz rock, ethnic folk with sometimes subtle "spacey" symphonic
arrengements. The initial formation is composed by Altar Tokatlián
(winds), Gustavo Santaolalla (voice and guitar), Guillermo Bordarampé.
They first formed several bands in the 60s (The Rovers, The Blackbyrds,
The Crows) to play covers. They finally recorded their first effort back
at the end of the 60´s. It´s an orinal mixture of typical Latin folk,
acoustic music and 60´s "acid" rock. After the departure of Alberto
Cascino, the drummer Horacio Droopy Gianello integrates the band. They
record "Suite numero 1" in 1972 also for RCA. The album "Tiempo de
resurrección" published the same year will affirm the own musical
identity of the band: an outstanding blend of fusion "folk" music with
jazz rock. The double LP "Sudamerica o il regresso a la Aurora"
represents the summit of the band in term of orchestral achievement. The
music offers an unique multi influences rock universe, made of blues,
native music, jazz...Released in 1973 "Inti-Raymi" is a good following
to their previous effort but generally seen as less captivating. After
the spiritual "Ara Tokatlián & Enrique Villegas : inspiracion"
(1975) "Los elementales" (1977) will largely put the stress on freak out
jazzy rock improvisations. After this classic period the band has
continued to produce records until today, reaching their sound in a more
new age and mellow jazz direction.