*. Blops .*

Album: Iquique (1979)

Genre: Prog Folk (Andean Folk)  /  Chile

Blops was originally rooted in '64, they started to play covers from The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Cream. From the early Seventies Blops turned into a more progressive band and when classical pianoplayer Juan Carlos Villegas joined los Blops, they became one of the pioneers from the Chilean progressive movement: their music changed from structureless jams to elaborated compositions with an important role for keyboardist Juan. In february 1972 Blops performed on the festival entitled "Los Caminos Que Se Abren", along with legends Los Jaivas, other young Chilean bands and the group Polen from Peru. Despite this strong competition the crowd named Blops as the most stunning gig but unfortunately no record company asked Blops to record an album. Then Argentine Jose 'Pepe' Romeu invited Blops for a concert in Buenos Aires and the band got the opportunity to record an album in the RCA studios, this was in 1973. In those days Blops featured Juan Pablo Orrego on bass and vocals, Eduardo Gatti on electric guitar and vocals, Juan Contreras on flute, keyboards and vocals, Juan Carlos Villegas on keyboards and synthesizers and Sergio Bezard on drums. The sound on their LP "Locomotora" has obvious echoes from Cream and The Doors and sometimes it brings early Focus on my mind. "Erik Neuteboom" (Prog Archives).

RATING:  7 / 10

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