Iceberg

Iceberg - Sentiments - 1977 - Bocaccio Records

Iceberg were easily one of the best Progressive bands to come from Spain, or anywhere else for that matter. Their music is a shifting, complex mixture of fusion guitar and symphonic keyboards. "Coses Nostres" is most similar to Return to Forever's "Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy". Anyone who like's that RTF album will flip over Iceberg. Guaranteed! The scorching guitar duelling it out with the sizzling synthesizer will make you drop your jaw. The rhythm section are mind blowing, riffing non-stop and enjoining battle with the guitar and keyboards. Vocals are too scared to get hear this hotbed so it's instrumental all the way. The subsequent albums reveal a more unique voice for Iceberg though still a very fusionesque form of symphonic progressive. Well worth searching out but the LPs are apt to set you back several dollars. I've seen "Coses Nostres" go for $50-60. It's worth it. An absolute must if you can find any of the albums. Try for "Coses Nostres" or "Sentiments" as they're a bit better than "En Directe" or "Arc En Ciel" though any of these are fantastic. I haven't heard "Tutankhamon". © Mike Taylor http://www.dlsi.ua.es/~inesta/Prog/SPE/iceberg.html

The Korean collector Si Wan has taken it upon himself to fill the void of Iceberg CDs, beginning with the follow-up to their landmark Coses Nostres, 1977's Sentiments. While Sentiments builds upon the sound developed on Coses Nostres, it turns away from the strong flamenco influence and further explores symphonic and jazz-fusion elements through a variety of approaches. The four piece of g/k/d/b open this set with the scorching "Sentiments/Andalusia,Andalusia," which features some searing lead guitar sounds, some far ahead of their time. Keyboardist Josep Mas uses electric piano for rhythm parts mostly and unleashes some very impressive leads, usually on the Moog. His interplay with guitarist Max Sunyer, whose soloing is equally impressive, is the heart of Iceberg, while drummer Jordi Colomer and bassist Primitiu Sancho constantly fill and riff underneath them. This is a hotbed of instrumental virtuosity, and only falls a tad short of Coses Nostres because the writing is a bit less consistent. But 'Sentiments' should be recognized as being unique from its predecessor, and Iceberg should be commended for pushing the band in a different (at least somewhat) direction. The reissue is clean sounding (not from vinyl, but not the master tapes either), but the reproduction of the packaging and liner notes are very hard to read unfortunately. This is a very strong reissue from the ultimate Spanish fusion ensemble. (Originally published in Exposé #6, p. 48, Edited for Gnosis 4/23/01) © Dan Casey © http://gnosis2000.net/reviews/iceberg.htm

Iceberg was a Catalan prog rock and jazz rock group from Barcelona, influenced by the sound of fusion bands like the Mahavishnu Orchestra. The band was founded in 1974 by Max Sunyer (guitar), Josep Mas "Kitflus" (keyboards), Primitivo Sancho (bass), Jordi Colomer (drums) and Ángel Riba (vocals, saxophone). They followed in the footsteps of the progressive jazz rock/fusion-rock movement started by bands like Maquina in Catalonia during the early ‘70s. “Sentiments” is a great Latin influenced jazz-fusion album with great interplay between the exorbitant guitar riffs of guitarist "Max" Suñé and the elegantly understated cadences of keyboardist J. Mas. Bassist Primitivo Sancho and drummer Jordi Colomer complemented the interplay with some brilliant dynamic and rhythmic work. On the original 1977 LP, Tracks 1 & 2 were joined as one track. CD sound sometimes lacks clarity especially during some of the guitar parts and you may have to increase your volume. It is unlikely that master tapes were used. However, this is a really worthwhile late ‘70’s jazz fusion album from a band which occupied an important place in the history of progressive jazz rock and fusion in the Iberian Peninsula, and well worth inclusion on this blog. It is HR by A.O.O.F.C. Listen to Iceberg’s "Coses Nostres" album [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 94.5 Mb]

TRACKS

1 Sentiments 1.50
2 Andalusia, Andalusia 5:39
3 A Sevilla 5:15
4 Ball De Les Fulles 6:34
5 Magic 6:55
6 Joguines 3:00
7 Alegries Del Mediterrani 9:19

All tracks composed by Joaquim "Max" Suñé except Track 3 by Josep “Kitflus” Mas

MUSICIANS

Joaquim "Max" Suñé - Acoustic & Electric Guitar
Primitivo Sancho - Electric Bass
Josep “Kitflus” Mas - Electric & Acoustic Piano, Clarinet, Synthesizer
Jordi Colomer - Drums