Las Grecas / Encarnita Polo Orgullo

• 1. Las Grecas – Orgullo
• 2. Encarnita Polo – Paco, Paco, Paco

Spanish popular music took some wonderfully strange turns during the final years of the Franco era, as artists began weaving elements of soul and funk into styles traditionally associated with flamenco. This excellent 45 pairs two of the finest examples. Madrid sisters Las Grecas open with 1974's 'Orgullo', a startling collision of distorted guitar and flamenco song that still sounds remarkably adventurous. It sits comfortably alongside the psychedelic experiments emerging elsewhere around the Mediterranean at the time. Flip it over and Encarnita Polo delivers the irresistible 'Paco, Paco, Paco', a playful soul-pop favourite driven by a syncopated groove and a wonderfully elastic bassline. Two genuine Spanish classics, finally reunited on a much-deserved reissue.