ERROBI - AMETSAREN BIDEA - 1979

Of all Basque folk rock groups, Errobi is the one that ventured the furthest away from their musical heritage. If Haizea stayed rather "wisely" in a psych folk rock a bit like Itziar, and Izukaitz stayed plaily in acoustic folk with ancient music, Errobi was keen to experiment more in the sense of Itoiz. After their first two rather "standard" folk albums and a live third, their fourth Ametsaren Bidea (Road to dream) was a complete change of direction.

As the rather short (and not very memorable) instrumental opener segues into the 17-min title track, a full-blown progressive rock track, the soft psych feels (induced a bit by a Gilmour or Hillage-sounding guitar) dominates and the superb pastoral ambiances (ranging from a lazy but great bass line to duet vocal and a piccolo-like flute >> simply a masterstroke. The following Andere (Lady Liberty) is only a mere 13-min+, but it has not much to envy to its forerunner, and actually surpasses it in some respects including one of the most interesting percussions/drums duet ever recorded. After two monster tracks such as these, the following track was only to pale in comparison, so Errobi chose to put a very calm acoustic guitared è-min Oraino as a closer. A slow starter, the track develops into a charming typical folk rock tune

I do not think there was much to have prepared the Errobi fans for this album, and I can imagine, they lost many when this came out, but one thing is sure, some almost 30 years later, this album is now the highest regarded of their discography. Much recommended if you are into folk prog.
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