“Arrebol” (1972) – Congregación * Written by Antonio Smith * Chile LP: Congregación Viene… * Label: IRT
Congregación recorded their lone Chilean folk rock one year before the 1973 coup that placed the murderous dictator Augusto Pinochet in power. When you listen to this song in particular, you’re hearing the sunset of a lost era. The word “arrebol” is one of those beautiful words with no precise translation, referring to the glow of clouds at dusk. “What is the arrebol’s color?” asks the singer, a philosophical innocent surrounded by chirping birds. “Is the color even a color, or is it something else? Something from inside of you?” In retrospect, his arrebol’s reddish hue had more ominous implications. Antonio Smith was the name of Congregación’s driving force, and he escaped to Argentina in 1973, after which he apparently kept musically active. The Congregación viene (Congregation comes) album, though, is the only one he left behind for future treasure seekers.