GRB - Cuentos Y Leyendas 1987

GRB began in mid-1984 as a quartet, consisting of Juanito (bass), Miguel (drums), both ex members by Último Resorte), Alberto (guitar, former member of the group and fanzine Drama Of Horror) and Ángel (vocals, Frenopaticss). Its name was inspired by the initials of the Guild of Restoration of Barcelona, that at the time they were seen in posters in bars and restaurants, although in some occasion they gave a different explanation for the acronyms, for example, that meant "Scrambled Eggs with Bacon". In summer of 1985 appears the GRB tape edited by the fanzine label Drama Of Horror. The tape, which in some unauthorized reissues was titled The Good Way or Persecuted By Law, was presented inside a bag that included some sheets with the lyrics of the eighteen songs and various collages related to the songs, made from cuts of comics and newspapers. On the cover of the cassette, printed on photocopied paper, was a photo in the foreground of the face of a rat. Also on the pages of the letters and collages were numerous drawings of rats and mice, in attitudes that expressed the feeling of each song. The rat become the group's mascot. In 1986 the band released their first vinyl Estoy Tan Contento! EP and for the cover they used an old photo from Life magazine that showed a baby sleeping peacefully on a float. In summer 1987, GRB gave a concert at the KGB venue in Barcelona with a view to raising money to record and edit their first album and Cuentos Y Leyendas was recorded @ Marathon Studios but took several months to be published, which took place in January 1988 (although a presentation concert was held, new in the KGB room, on December 19). Although it was properly, again, a self-publishing, was responsible for the distribution and press the Blau stamp. On the cover, sepia gray, an old gnome gives us a skeptical and resabic look. Other gnomes, original illustrations by David Lackin, populate the back cover and the inner insert. Musically, the group had evolved towards a more personal sound, and without feeling the obligation to run normally in hardcore groups. Although there are still very accelerated moments and abrupt changes of rhythm, altogether the tempo of the disc is more relaxed, gaining in intensity the riffs and punteos. But what has made the album legendary are mainly the lyrics, in which harsh reflections on life and the human condition dominate. The promising expectations that were opened by the excellent reception (not commercial success) of the LP were truncated after a succession of incidents that created a growing malaise within GRB. In the first place, in 1988 they were left without a rehearsal room, which, given the economic situation of the group, was not a trivial problem; Then, after returning from a small tour of the Basque Country, they suffered a near-fatal traffic accident, which further increased the discomfort and finally the band broke up shortly thereafter.

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