''La Biblia'' (; Spanish for "The Bible") is the second studio album by the

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...

band Vox Dei, released as a

double album A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording i ...

on March 15, 1971 by Disc Jockey Records. Considered a milestone of nascent Argentine rock, as well as one of the first rock operas and

concept albums A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

of '' rock en español'', ''La Biblia'' centers on the Bible's narrative, starting from

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

and concluding with the

Apocalypse Apocalypse () is a literary genre in which a supernatural being reveals cosmic mysteries or the future to a human intermediary. The means of mediation include dreams, visions and heavenly journeys, and they typically feature symbolic imager ...

Background and details

A preview of some compositions were debuted at the "B.A. Rock Festival" in November 1970, and the album was presented with four shows at Teatro Presidente Alvear (Buenos Aires), followed by a tour throughout the country's major cities. The record was Vox Dei's breakthrough and it's widely considered their magnum opus. In 2007, the Argentine edition of '' Rolling Stone'' ranked it 14 on its list of " The 100 Greatest Albums of National Rock". In 1974 Jorge Álvarez, who produced the original album, and musician Billy Bond decided to undertake a recording of the album as a proper rock opera. Utilizing the classical musicians of the Ensamble Musical de Buenos Aires, the album featured various important Argentinian rock musicians including Bond, members of the band La Pesada del Rock & Roll, members of the band

Pescado Rabioso Pescado Rabioso (Rabid Fish) were an Argentinian rock band led by Argentine musician Luis Alberto Spinetta from 1971 to 1973. Initially a trio accompanied by drummer Black Amaya and bassist Osvaldo "Bocón" Frascino, they became a quartet with the ...

Raul Porchetto Raul, Raúl and Raül are the Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Galician, Asturian, Basque, Aragonese, and Catalan forms of the Anglo-Germanic given name Ralph or Rudolph. They are cognates of the French Raoul. Raul, Raúl or Raül may re ...

, and members of the band

Sui Generis ''Sui generis'' ( , ) is a Latin phrase that means "of its/their own kind", "in a class by itself", therefore "unique". A number of disciplines use the term to refer to unique entities. These include: * Biology, for species that do not fit in ...

, all under the artistic direction of pianist and composer Gustavo Beytelmann. Produced by Jorge Álvarez, the album, ''La Biblia'', was released in 1974 on the label Talent Cat# SE-515. "La Biblia" is considered by Argentinian rock fans to be Vox Dei's indisputable masterpiece; it has been called "magnificent for both its music and lyrics". Guitarist and vocalist

Ricardo Soulé Vox Dei (Latin, 'Voice of God') is an Argentine rock band credited for recording the country's first concept album, ''La Biblia''. Their most prolific years were the 1970s, when they recorded ten albums. Vox Dei have had several line-up changes ...

did a terrific job summarizing in just a few lines the most important stories of the

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

Holy Book Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual prac ...

''. Musically the band adopted a hard psychedelic direction, with chiming 12-string guitar and overdriven solos alternating with folky acoustic passages and harmony vocals sometimes reminiscent of The Moody Blues. The Argentinian

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

, while at first requesting to review the lyrics, ended up recommending that young people purchase and listen to the album. During the recording sessions, guitarist Juan Carlos "Yody" Godoy left the band. To promote the album live, guitarist Nacho Smilari (formerly member of La Barra de Chocolate) joined the band. The album was released earlier than expected, which caused two edition errors, "Apocalipsis" was recorded without vocals and "Libros Sapienciales" was credited as "Profecías" on the tracklist. It was clarified and corrected in ''

La Biblia En Vivo LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

'' in 1987. The songs that remained in the habitual Vox Dei set-list are "Genesis", "Libros Sapienciales" and "Las Guerras". In 1997 a re-recording of the album took place including a bonus track: "El Manto de Elías". This version featured Quiroga, Basoalto and Soulé, plus special guests Fito Páez, Andrés Calamaro and

Alejandro Lerner Alejandro Federico Lerner (born June 8, 1957) is an Argentine musician and singer-songwriter. He has written and sung countless songs including several hits, and his fame and recognition spread all over South America. Through his career, Lerner ...

Original release on vinyl (2 LP)

*All lyrics by

, music by

Willy Quiroga Vox Dei (Latin, 'Voice of God') is an Argentine rock band credited for recording the country's first concept album, ''La Biblia''. Their most prolific years were the 1970s, when they recorded ten albums. Vox Dei have had several line-up changes ...

, Juan Carlos "Yody" Godoy and Ricardo Soulé.Vox Dei
La Biblia
at Allmusic.com ;Side One #"Génesis" - 6:38 #"Moisés" - 7:26 ;Side Two #

"Las Guerras"

he Wars He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...

- 13:10 #"Profecías" rophecies- 2:17 ;Side Three #

"Libros Sapienciales" apiential books- 7:34 #"Cristo - Nacimiento" hrist - Birth- 3:14 ;Side Four #

"Cristo - Muerte y Resurrección"

hrist - Death and Resurrection In Norse mythology, a valkyrie (from Old Norse ''valkyrja'' "chooser of the fallen") is one of a host of female figures who decide who will die in battle. Selecting among half of those who die in battle (the other half go to the goddess Freyja's ...

- 10:34 #"Apocalípsis" pocalypse / Revelations- 4:47

Credits

;Vox Dei *Ricardo Soulé - Lead guitar, Harp, Violin, Piano and Vocals. *Willy Quiroga - Bass guitar and Vocals. *Juan Carlos "Yody" Godoy - Rhythm guitar and Vocals. *Rubén Basoalto - Drums. ;Guest *Roberto Lar - Orchestra director.

Additional Personnel

*Jorge Álvarez - Producer. *Tim Croatto, Osvaldo Casajus, Salvador Barresi, Julio Costa - Engineers. *Disc-Jockey - Executive producer.

Certifications

References

External links

Vox Dei's official webpage
(Spanish)
Vox Dei
at rock.com.ar (Spanish)

(Spanish) {{DEFAULTSORT:Biblia Vox Dei albums 1971 albums Concept albums Spanish-language albums