Member Since: 3/12/2008
Band Website: www.grupomediterraneo.com
Band Members: Run early in the 70's. Alicante and its province had a large number of rock bands, funk, soul, progressive rock, etc. But the obligation to do military service forced to break these bands. As a result, many musicians were orphaned group. This circumstance makes the musicians who will be the germ of the Mediterraneo band coincide in a formation called "fried egg". Victor, voice; Lino, drums; Juanele, electric bass; Pedro, guitar and Pepe Rey, guitar, along with Andres, sax and Suqui Guerrero, clarinet are fried egg. When Pedro travels to Madrid in 1973 to finish his universitary studies, other guitarists joined the band that remained united some more time. Upon the return of Pedro from Madrid in 1975, recomposes the group, now under the name Mandrágora, which are, Victor, Lino, Juanele, Pepe Rey and Jose playing the saxophone. In addition to versions of famous singers or groups of rock, they began to compose their first songs played live, under Mediterraneo name, in festivals, schools, clubs, etc.. Inmediately, Mediterraneo used to bring a huge number of fans on every concert along Alicante and its province. It makes that a local record label, "Aphrodita records", proposes to make their first recording. "Narrow streets of Santa Cruz" emblematic neighborhood of Alicante, just the same that the Costablanca band were presenting their first LP in the “Il Paradiso†discoqtheque. We are in the year 1978. At that time, Jose the sax, had already left the band and “Tano†the pianist of the band Geyser, joins the group for the recording of the piano introduction in the “Estrechas calles de Santa Cruz†song, and helping in making some arrangements in other themes of the Mediterraneo first LP. The fame reaches Madrid and, immediately, the record company Zafiro, through its “Chapa Discos†label, sign a five years contract with the band. As a result a new record “Tabarca†is launched and distributed, with a huge success, all around Spain, in 1979. It was curious the signing with “Chapa Discosâ€â€¦ It was in 1979 when Miguel Rios was gigging with his show "The Red Night" throughout Spain, when they were performing in Alicante, Fernando Gonzalez (el Fara), speaker of the "Cadena 40" and friend of the group, presented the LP “Narrow streets of…. “ to Miguel Rios, just after some seconds listening the band, he organized a meeting in Madrid to deal with the recording company, another meeting came 15 days after. After returning to Alicante, just two hours after, Mediterraneo received a telephone call from Mariskal Romero proposing a five years contract and the possibility to begin a new recording just in seven days. Back again in Madrid and, in two hours, the contract was signed. In this moment two new member were joined the band: Luis Ivars, piano and keyboards and Gino Pavone, percussionist. "Tabarca" was recorded in Audiofilm under the production of Mariskal Romero. The band begins their first serious concerts all over Spain. In 1980, was recorded the third album, "No. 1 in USA", also with the assistance of Mariskal Romero in the production, in "Ibiza Sound" in Ibiza, with the participation of Javier Rodriguez on guitar. After presentation of the record, Pedro leaves the group, being Javier the only guitarist for a while. After the tour presenting “Nº 1 in USAâ€, Gino Pavone decides to try a personal musical career abandoning Mediterraneo. Gaspare Montalbano replaces Gino as percussionist. Javier Rodriguez goes to military service and Alfonso Carratalá (Napi), joins Mediterraneo. This new formation is responsible for composing and recording, again in Audiofilm with Mariskal Romero, the album "Algo Nuevo" in 1981, coinciding with the moment of maximum popularity of Mediterraneo. The tour presentation of the disc leads them to make more than 80 performances that year, being the most recruited in Spain. Gaspare returns to Italy and is replaced by the Colombian percussionist Alvaro "El Chévere" during a brief season. After "Algo Nuevo" follows "Mediterraneo 5", again recorded in Audiofilm. So much is the popularity of Mediterraneo at the time that one of the themes of the disc, "Dime que bebes (Tell me what you drink)" is used by a famous brand of vodka as a base for its advertising campaign on radio and television. After the contractual relationship with Chapa Records, the group decided to continue working with other companies. In 1985 with the company Tuboescape, a new recording “Tentaciones†is made in the Ibiza Sound studios, under the production of the group itself. Again a new variation on the components of the Group. Napi leaves the band returning to the group Gino, and Pedro, percussion and guitar. Following the launch of this production, in the year 1986, the band decides to have some free time. During the following years, until about 1990, forming a jazz group called SLAC Jazz. After this foray into a different style of music, which reaches a certain success, the band goes to a total inactivity period in which only Santiago (guitar) and Victor (vocals) remain working together composing new songs. A call to a local radio station in Alicante (1999), asking about the current whereabouts of the Mediterraneo group, makes the person responsible for the program to investigate to find Santiago and Victor and presenting some unplugged songs at that station. Such was the success that quickly the group members: Lino, Juanele, Victor and Pedro, with the help of f Luis Ivars and Paco Baeza (percussionist) made several concerts, between 1999 and today, but always as a matter of charity or testimonial. Demand from fans and friends within the world of broadcast and entertainment leads them to prepare a new production. It was decided to re-record some of the most successful songs, as well as some new songs proposed by Victor and Pedro. After testing various recording studios, it was decided to start recording in July 2002 in Sacramento studios in Alicante. Managed by Daniel Saiz, he son of Jose Manuel Saiz, the former sound engineer of Mediterraneo. The production culminates in November 2003. In the recording participated all the former group members, Gino Pavone included, as well as some other friend musicians.Alfonso Linares LINO BaterÃa-