Miguel Ros A Song Of Joy -1970 – Rock, Latin (vinyl)

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Ros was born in La Cartuja, a neighborhood of Granada. The youngest of seven children, he went to work in a local bar at the age of fifteen after little formal education. His interest in rock and roll led him to participate in a song contest at Cenicienta 60radio station, in which he and his friends won a prize for singing thePaul Ankasong”You Are My Destiny”.

With his mother’s permission (his father had died a few months earlier), he moved toMadridin 1961 at the age of sixteen, where herecordedhis first foursongs. In popular circles he became known asMike Ros, the King of Twist.

As Mike Ros he obtained sometelevisionpopularity during the first half of the 1960s. In 1964 he resumed using his real name which cost him the support of his group, Los Relmpagos (the Lightning). He made his first incursion intocinemawith amovietitledDos chicas locas, locas(Two Crazy Girls).

An introspective search for his true identity resulted in some rocky times. In 1967 he recorded“Vuelvo a Granada”,”El ro”, “Contra el cristal”, “El cartel”, and “Mira hacia ti”. It was in 1970 that he came to be known as asuperstarin Spain. His song “Himno de la alegra” (Hymn of Joy) was an extract of the last movement of theninth symphonyofBeethovenand appeared at the height of what was known assymphonic rock. It was released in both theUnited Statesand theUnited Kingdomas “A Song of Joy” in May 1970 on theA&M Recordslabel, where combined sales in the U.S. andCanadareached the one million mark in July.[1]It reached No. 16 in the UK singles charts in August 1970. It was awarded agold recordby theRecording Industry Association of America.[1]

He sold three million copies worldwide and was number one on some foreign musiccharts. It reached Number 14 on theBillboardHot 100chart in 1970.

The artistic career of Rios came to a sudden stop when he was arrested and jailed for possession ofhashishshortly after hisRock y Amor(Rock and Love)concert. In the mid seventies he recorded threeprogressive rockalbums, but they were not commercially successful.

In 1982 Rios releasedRock and Riosalivedouble albumrecorded during the 5 and 6 March in Madrid at the Pabelln del Real Madrid and published in June of the same year. This album is considered by manymusic criticsandfansas one of the most important works of modern Spanish (Iberian)rockand a turning point for themusic industryin Spain. Rios sold over 450,000 copies in less than one year, a feat he never again came close to surpassing. Ironically this concert was a celebration of his 20 years in the music business, yet most of the audience members had not even been born when he began his career. One of the unique aspects of this album was its release. While most live albums at the time were released after atourwas over, Rios released his at the same time as he started his tour. The success of both made him one of the wealthiest entertainers of the era.Rock and Riosis also considered a cultural marker for the transformation of Spanish society as it slowly begun to enjoy the freedoms of a democracy born only six years earlier. It is also thought of as the precursor to Spain’s “La Gran Movida” (literal translation: The Great Movement or The Great Flow – conceptual translation: The Great Vibe) which is a term that loosely defines the street youth culture of the 1980s in Spain.

Sleeve Condition (Out of 10) ~ 9 slight age wear
Label Condition (Out of 10) ~ 10
Vinyl Condition ~ (Out of 10)
Side 1 -10
side 2 – 10
BIN # *193

Label:A&M Records SPX-4267Format:Vinyl, LP, CompilationCountry:CanadaReleased:1970Genre:Rock,Latin

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