Asfalto -

Asfalto are a Spanish symphonic/hard-rock band that released two 1978 albums, Asfalto and Al Otro Lado, followed by the 1979–81 titles ¡¡Ahora!! and Déjalo Así.

Members: José Luis Jiménez (vocals, bass, 1972-78, 1990-95), Julio Castejón (guitar, vocals, 1974-95, 2008-present), Enrique Cajide (drums, 1974-87, 1993-95), Lele Laina (guitar, vocals, 1975-78, 1990-95), Jorge Walter García Banegas (keyboards, 1978-87), José Ramón Pérez [aka Guny] (bass, 1978-87), Miguel Oñate (vocals, 1983-85), Ricardo Benítez [aka Richie] (vocals, 1986), Terry Barrios (drums, vocals 1987-92)

Background

Asfalto formed in Madrid in 1972 when the Tickets trio of bassist-singer José Luis Jiménez, guitarist-singer Mario del Olmo, and drummer-singer Pancho Company adopted a new name for a Discos Acción contract.

In 1970, Tickets accompanied Vainica Doble on the Jaime de Armiñán series Fábulas and covered the female’s “El rigor de las desdichas,” released on Columbia (b/w “Someone Like You”). They debuted under the Asfalto name with the 1972 single “Jenny” (b/w “Razones”), followed in 1973 with “Quiero” (b/w “Primer baile”), both produced by Manolo Díaz for Acción. Los Zurdos guitarist Lele Laina played on the sessions but left for a ship engagement.

Drummer Félix García replaced Company in 1973 and introduced guitarist Armando de Castro, whom he knew through engagements with the folk-pop duo José y Manuel. Jiménez and del Olmo remained from the original trio, but the lineup collapsed the following spring. The split left Jiménez as the remaining link to Asfalto.

Classic Lineup

Jiménez contacted guitarist-singer Julio Castejón in May 1974 about a new lineup. Castejón knew Jiménez from the late Sixties, when Handicap shared rehearsal space with Tickets. Castejón rebuilt Handicap with drummer Enrique Cajide after military service; Jiménez joined them at the Asfalto rehearsal room in Carabanchel. Guitarist Chema Arrillaga completed the summer lineup for bookings under the Handicap name. Castejón then proposed Asfalto as the permanent name because Jiménez already had records under that billing.

After Arrillaga’s December 1974 departure, Jiménez contacted Lele Laina for the vacant guitar-singer position. Laina played beforehand in Los Zurdos with schoolmate Terry Barrios. His friendship with Jiménez also led to a guitar appearance on the first Asfalto sessions. Jiménez, Castejón, Cajide, and Laina debuted as a quartet in February 1975 with two bookings at Club Playboy in Aranda de Duero.

Asfalto spent the next three years on the Spanish club and festival circuit and added more Spanish-language originals to the repertoire. The group accepted a paid studio assignment in 1976 to record Homenaje a los Beatles, a 12-song cassette distributed through gas stations and roadside bars. Asfalto also developed “Ya está bien” and “Días de escuela” for the live set. Jiménez proposed a rock-opera project in autumn 1976, which produced “Rocinante,” “Ser urbano,” “La huida,” and “La isla del amor.”

Asfalto

Asfalto released their self-titled debut album proper in March 1978 on Chapa.

A1. “Ya está bien” (5:59)
A2. “Capitán trueno” (3:52)
A3. “Ser urbano” (3:19)
A4. “Días de escuela” (6:37)
A5. “Todos los días” (2:35)

B1. “Quiero irme: la huida” (10:58)
B2. “Rocinante” (5:38)
B3. “La isla del amor” (3:56)
B4. “El emigrante” (2:53)

– José Luis Jiménez / vocals, bass
– Julio Castejón / guitars, vocals
– Enrique Cajide / drums
– Lele Laina / guitars, vocals

Al Otro Lado

Asfalto released their second album, Al Otro Lado, in December 1978 on Chapa.

A1. “No estás sólo” (5:07)
A2. “Mujer de plástico” (4:10)
A3. “Expectativa” (6:24)
A4. “¿Dónde estais?” (3:24)

B1. “El viejo” (5:58)
B2. “Nadie ha gritado” (3:42)
B3. “Al otro lado” (10:43)

– Julio Castejón / guitars, vocals
– Enrique Cajide / drums
– Jorge Walter García Banegas / keyboards
– José Ramón Pérez / bass

¡¡Ahora!!

Asfalto released their third album, ¡¡Ahora!!, in August 1979 on Chapa.

A1. “Señor violento” (3:55)
A2. “La hora de los perros” (4:30)
A3. “Dios de otro planeta” (3:15)
A4. “Fantasía” (7:47)

B1. “Nada” (3:07)
B2. “La otra María” (5:11)
B3. “¿Cómo lo llevais?” (3:39)
B4. “En nombre de la moral” (4:25)
B5. “El intruso” (3:55)

Déjalo Así

Asfalto released their fourth album, Déjalo Así, in 1981 on Chapa.

A1. “Déjalo Así” (4:33)
A2. “Baila Madre (La Máquina del Tiempo)” (3:41)
A3. “Vendedor Furtivo” (4:00)
A4. “Lucy Escóndete” (3:11)
A5. “No Puedo Retener tus Ojos en mi Mente” (3:36)

B1. “Adiós al Sol” (4:33)
B2. “Miedo” (4:28)
B3. “Juega tu Carta” (3:51)
B4. “El Maniquí” (5:35)

C1. “Demasiado a Prisa” (3:10)
C2. “Decepción” (3:55)
C3. “Nada que Decir” (4:13)
C4. “Sólo por Amor” (2:53)
C5. “La Rara…!” (4:01)

D1. “Ahora No” (3:47)
D2. “Díselo” (3:01)
D3. “Rainbow Warrior 8-11-80” (3:00)
D4. “La Generación Perdida” (6:26)
D5. “Benvinguti” (3:45)

Más que una Intención

Asfalto released their fifth album, Más que una Intención, in 1983 on Snif.

A1. “Concierto fatal” (4:12)
A2. “La batalla” (4:31)
A3. “Joven ruso” (3:40)
A4. “El hijo de Lindbergh” (4:36)
A5. “Richi (Estrella del rock)” (3:51)

B1. “La paz es verde” (3:47)
B2. “Más que una intención” (5:26)
B3. “Tiempo gris” (4:35)
B4. “Tenías razón” (4:33)

CD Bonus
10. “Justo y traidor” (4:23)

Cronophobia

Asfalto released their sixth album, Cronophobia, in 1984 on Snif.

A1. “Nada, nadie, núnca” (4:05)
A2. “Es nuestro momento” (3:07)
A3. “Desaparecido” (3:57)
A4. “Frente al espejo” (4:06)
A5. “Contra reloj” (3:43)

B1. “El regreso” (5:45)
B2. “¡Que siga el show!” (4:08)
B3. “Buffalo Vil” (5:12)
B4. “Secuestro legal” (4:17)

Corredor de Fondo

Asfalto released their seventh album, Corredor de Fondo, in 1986 on Snif.

A1. “No es sólo amor” (4:37)
A2. “Corredor de fondo” (4:47)
A3. “Prisionera enmarcada” (4:59)
A4. “Conexión Berlín” (4:38)

B1. “Halley” (3:58)
B2. “No es este tu lugar” (4:02)
B3. “La segunda oportunidad” (4:08)
B4. “Parque sur” (5:20)

Discography:

Asfalto (1978)
Al Otro Lado (1978)
¡¡Ahora!! (1979)
Déjalo Así (1981)
Más que una Intención (1983)
Cronophobia (1984)
Corredor de Fondo (1986)

Sources:

References and notes

Julio Castejón interview, Musicópolis. Best first-person account of the transition from Tickets-era Asfalto to the LP lineup. Castejón dates the Acción singles to winter 1972–73, places the Jiménez call in May 1974, identifies the Carabanchel rehearsal room and Handicap phase, names Chema Arrillaga and Lele Laina, and estimates roughly 300 concerts across the three-year buildup to the LP. He also explains the paid Beatles-cover project. (Musicópolis)
Lele Laina interview, Ruta 66. Laina describes his teenage start on guitar, Los Zurdos with schoolmate Terry Barrios, club and residency bookings, his friendship with Jiménez, his guitar contribution to the first Asfalto singles, and the gradual move toward Spanish-language originals. His account also places the Asfalto name change around the Manolo Díaz sessions. (Ruta 66)
José Luis Jiménez and Lele Laina interview, The Sentinel. Jiménez confirms Armando de Castro in the 1973–74 lineup, Arrillaga in the rebuilt group, Laina entering in January 1975, and an exceptionally heavy live schedule that reached 32 engagements in February 1977. (The Sentinel)
Julio Castejón, personal blog. Castejón dates the George McCrae package to April 1975 and names Alicante, Málaga, Palma de Mallorca, and Madrid. He states that Asfalto joined the tour in exchange for use of the group PA. (Julio Castejón)
Rock Culture — Primer Enrollamiento Internacional del Rock Ciudad de León. Confirms Asfalto on the June 26, 1976 festival bill with Iceberg, Triana, Bloque, Coz, Atila, Brakamán and other acts. (Rock Culture)
La Fonoteca — Tickets / Homenaje a Los Beatles. Useful cross-check on the 1970 Columbia single, the Vainica Doble connection, the move from Tickets to Asfalto, and the 1976 cassette distribution through gas stations and roadside outlets. (La Fonoteca)
MariskalRock — 40th-anniversary history of the debut. Supplies the detailed 1974 Handicap-to-Asfalto sequence, the 1976 rock-opera project, Romero and Chapa negotiations, and the late-November 1977 Audiofilm entry with Romero and Santiago Lardíes. (Mariskal Rock)
Chronology caution — Campo de Criptana. Castejón called the rain-cancelled festival a summer 1977 event in a 2002 interview, while the later Chapa history places the encounter in summer 1975 and connects it to Romero’s two-year effort to establish the label. I left the year out of the BK because the surviving accounts conflict. (The Sentinel)