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Los Blops are truly one of the lost great bands, and their three albums are some of the great lost classic albums. Descriptions like "lost classic" get thrown around all the time, but when it comes to the Blops it is true, because, not only do they earn the title "great," they also earn the title "lost." In their brief lifespan in Chile in the early '70s, they had some success. When Pinochet took over, they, unlike the legendary Victor Jara, escaped with their lives, but the master tapes of their albums were destroyed and their music was censored. Thirty years later, CDs have been made from vinyl copies of their albums. The music is very good. The Blops combined Spanish and Andean folk traditions with Anglo-American prog-rock and folk-rock and managed to emphasize only the best elements of each style. Their first album is extremely mellow, even when the drummer plays hard and the guitars get plugged in, but manages to not be lethargic. The second, which I haven't listened to much yet, is both more rock and more Latin American. The third is more reminiscent of jazz fusion and prog rock, while being more tasteful and less excessive than either of those styles are known for. The albums all come in a good-looking, sturdy box, which gives them a collectible appeal that many CDs don't have. English liner notes are BADLY translated from Spanish (The CDs were made in Germany, which explains why the horrible English got by.) but that makes the collection feel a bit more exotic, so it's OK. This has been a glowing review so far, but there is a reason that I did not give it five stars. It's not that I'm one of those people who refuses to say that anything deserves the highest rating. I do not think that many things deserve the highest rating, but some things do. This almost does. But it has one weird, freaky, obnoxious problem. The second track of the first album - Los Momentos, which is perhaps the catchiest and prettiest song in the whole set - is missing its ending. It's not a shorter version of the song. It ends in the middle of a note and skips to the next song. I thought maybe it was a glitch with my CD, but it's not. If you download the album from itunes, you get the same version of the song- you're hearing the song, and then suddenly the next song starts. I thought that maybe the tape had been destroyed, but no- if you search for "los momentos" on youtube, you will find a video with the song in the background, and it contains the full song. The skip is not even cool in an avante-garde kind of way. It's just obnoxious. And it's a shame that Shadoks, who are preserving and selling music that might otherwise disappear, let it happen.Read full review
One of the greatest Chilean Folk-Rock bands. "El Volar de las Palomas" and "Los Blops" is very recommended for those who like Folk music. "Los Momentos" and "El Volar de las Palomas" are anthems of latin american sounds of the Seventies. But, "Locomotora" is, probably, the best rock album in Chilean Rock History. Pure Jazz-Fusion and Psychedelia. Recorded in Buenos Aires (Argentina) in just a few hours. They couldn´t record vocals to the album so it is fully instrumental. One of the greatest albums of the genre.
Nothing but love, epic music from a golden age in Chile. This particular item was a gift for my mother. I hope enjoys it! Thank you very much!
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