Panal - Panal (CD)

A great little group from early 70s Chile -- a scene we know very little about, but which we're ready to dig a lot more, given the strength of this set! Panal have a style that's partly psych, partly hard rock -- kind of the blend that was coming out of the Peruvian scene in the early 70s, but a bit more straightforward overall -- lots of bold guitar bits wrapped up with Hammond lines, and occasionally a few Latin touches in percussion -- so that some of the best cuts here have a cool Chicano Rock-styled groove. Most tracks have vocals, but the instrumentation clearly is the main focus here -- taking off with a jamming groove that would have made some of the Bay Area scene up north take notice. Titles include Limena, Cucurrucucu Paloma, Lamento Borincano, Recuerdos De Ipacarai, Paisajes De Catamarca, and Si Somos Americanos.