Leader Music Arco Iris : Los Elementales (ARG,1977,re.2006)****° Arco Iris is one of the many important 70s Argentine bands, a country and group still highly underestimated by prog/psych lovers amateurs. The group received attention only with a few reissues of which their most famous folk-rock opera, "Sudamerica o il regresso a la Aurora" (1972) with a Spanish and perhaps also limited English version. Also reissued was not their best effort, "Tiempo de Resureccion" (1972), under the name of “Manana Tampestre”. I still consider “Agitor Lucens V" (1974), as their best, and most advanced and progressive album, but also their later album "Los Elementales", (1977), now reissued, is absolutely worth discovering. Around this time, 1977, they were a highly experienced and perfected band, guided by a daily hard discipline, led by the Tibetan Dana, who guided the group like a spiritual guru. On this stage their music had evolved further away from folk, and often showed a kind of Canterbury-esque kind of progressive rock, with an experience close to jazzrock. The remastered sound makes the album sounds brilliant, and also better than I remember it. The music and theme (“the elements”) is very much conceptualised, and starts with Canterbury-like disciplines and complexity (Egg, Caravan, Soft Machine). On other tracks people might recall Frank Zappa or Mahavishnu Orchestra at their best, thanks to a great rhythm section, beautiful melodic electric guitar arrangements, and their highly professional skills which makes them sound as good as their mostly English like-focused bands. The last track has an incredible multiplexity with clearly structured layers of interactions with guitars/keyboards/drums/rhythm changes which makes this a must to hear. A few softer tracks and harmonies with vocals (also Dana sings a part) brings nice alternations. The single bonus tracks fits well with the album, are a bit more tempered rock compared to the ambitious spontaneous complexity of the album.