More from Juan Carlos Calderon with hisTaller de Musica Vols. 1-3 (1974-1976)

Obviously, I went looking for more from him after the knockout blow of last post's Solea album from 1978.  This series or trilogy which came out just before looked promising, albeit mutilated somewhat by the presence of a handful of cover songs e.g. Eleanor Rigby.

It turned out unfortunately to comprise easy listening instrumentals which occasionally rise above the playing-by-numbers quality.  On the first Taller, a track called Oh My Guitar is highly representative:

On the second I was surprised the track called California was as good as it was:





I mean, I love the golden state to death, I just don't expect much from easy listening songs that refer to it so directly.  And I guess thanks for not throwing in that mariachi sound in the end.

I think I'll stay away from the follow-up to Solea from 1979, called Disco.  There's even a track on it called "Latin Lover."  Were Antonio Banderas and Julio Iglesias around at that time?  I sure hope those horrible infectious diseases, today eradicated, came later.

We'll assume that Solea was a one-off masterpiece or perhaps, momentary lapse in judgement.