Comments Off on New online retailer for Francisco’s CDs
Hello
This is Joules, the owner of Analogue Rock Records.
I have decided to close down Analogue Rock Records so I can dedicate more time to my family and my day job. This has been a difficult decision, but the costs involved are only fractionally covered by the income, and now I have a young family, I am increasingly struggling to find the time.
I will continue to keep an eye on this website on behalf of Francisco, but I have now stopped selling CDs, and Francisco’s album “Este es Francisco Yglesia” will start to disappear from download and streaming sites soon.
Fortunately I have a good friend who owns an excellent Internet and mail order record and CD store, and they will be selling Francisco’s CDs very soon. I will post details here when ready.
I hope to find a solution soon to make the “Este es Francisco Yglesia” album online again very soon.
It has been a pleasure to know so many of Francisco’s fans who have bought his CDs and listened to his wonderful music. But most of all, it has been a tremendous pleasure and joy to have worked with my good friend, the finest musician I have ever met, Francisco Yglesia.
Francisco has just mailed me a scan of this photograph. As you can see, it is a publicity photograph to promote the release of “Theme from M*A*S*H”, which he released as a single in 1980. We presume the photograph dates from the same year.
Theme from M*A*S*H, and its B-side Shimmering Harp, can both be found on the album Shimmering Harp, available in the store.
Comments Off on Full Circle: the surprising tale of “Sleepyhead”
“Este es Francisco Yglesia” is mostly an album of traditional Paraguayan and Latin music, including some of Francisco’s own compositions. “Sleepyhead”, however, is an arrangement of an anthemic 2008 single by the Massachusetts indie rock band Passion Pit:
So, what on earth is it doing on a Francisco Yglesia album?
I should know better, but I am still amazed when I watch Francisco hear a tune just once, any tune at all, then almost immediately reproduce it on the harp. He makes this look very easy, but of course, he has been practising for the best part of six decades.
When we were planning the first “Este es” recording session, my brother (Dan) and I had been listening to a lot of Passion Pit. Dan was then a producer for Channel M Television in Manchester (UK), and had recently recorded Passion Pit for a TV show of his. And, Dan’s Channel M colleague Rachel had a band called Run Toto Run, and their cover of Passion Pit’s “Sleepyhead” was becoming a YouTube hit:
The night before the recording session, we played Francisco both versions of Sleepyhead, and asked “what do you think of this”? He smiled, particularly at the Run Toto Run version, and in front of Dan’s rolling camera, basically did the following:
Everyone loved it. “We’ve got to have that on the album”, I insisted, impatiently. But, ever the perfectionist, Francisco said “No. I think I can do better. Give me some time”. It hadn’t been the plan, but we booked a follow-up recording session for a few months time.
By the time session #2 came around, I’d almost forgotten about Sleepyhead. But towards the end of the day, Francisco said through the intercom “OK, I think we should try Sleepyhead now”. What we heard then is what you can hear now on the album. When he’d finished, the team in the control room just sat in stunned silence. One of us might have said out loud “That’s a take!”, but there was no need to state the obvious.
Francisco had been listening to both the Passion Pit and Run Toto Run versions very carefully. Despite being the same song, the two versions differed greatly, yet Francisco had created something both beautiful and unique again. But it wasn’t until some months later that the any of us (Francisco included) got the whole picture…
We eventually learned that the main riff from Passion Pit’s “Sleeepyhead” is actually based on a sample from the traditional Celtic song “Óró Mo Bháidín”, as recorded by Mary O’Hara. And on what instrument does Mary O’Hara play “Óró Mo Bháidín”? Well, it’s not a Paraguyan Harp, but it’s a harp nonetheless. The Clàrsach and the Paraguyan Harp certainly share a common ancestor.
It will come as no surprise to anyone, that since “Este es Francisco Ygleisa“ was released digitally in April 2010, the most popular download from the album has consistently been “Pajaro Campana“. No other song is more closely associated with Apra Paraguaya. But, what is the second-most popular download? Is it “Milk Train“? “Colorado“? No. Even Francisco was surprised when I told him it was actually “Sleepyhead”.
But why not? From Mary O’Hara, to Passion Pit, to Run Toto Run to Francisco Yglesia. From Ireland, to Massachusetts, to Manchester. From Harp to Harp. The circle is complete.
As I am sure you can see, Francisco has a brand new website!
We’ve only just launched, so there still could be some teething troubles. Please let me know if you have any issues, comments or suggestions.
Over the coming weeks, we’ll be adding extra pages to enable you to purchase Francisco’s albums online.
Finally, if you were subscribed to Francisco’s RSS feed from his previous site, you will need to subscribe again to make sure you don’t miss out on any update.
Comments Off on Castaway Sir David Attenborough selects “Pajaro Campana”
One of the world’s longest running radio programmes, BBC Radio Four’s Desert Island Discs, celebrated its seventieth anniversary yesterday. The featured “castaway” for this special episode was the broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough, who chose “Pajaro Campana (The Bell Bird)” as one of his eight pieces of music to accompany him on his theoretical exile. Francisco Yglesia’s 2009 recording of this piece was played in the show!
Of course, Pajaro Campana is one one of the most popular Paraguayan folklore songs, and perhaps the signature tune of the Paraguayan Harp. It is inspired by the distinctive call of the Bell Bird, which is native to the Paraguayan Forest. You can hear the call of the Bell Bird for yourself here.
Pajaro Campana, as performed by Los Paraguayos, also featured in David Attenborough’s first nature program Zoo Quest in the 1950s and early 1960s. Francisco joined the band Los Paraguayos some years later.
You can listen to the full show on the BBC’s Desert Island Discs website, and hear what Sir David has to say about the Pajaro Campana. The full recording is available on iTunes, Amazon, and in most online music stores worldwide.
Today is the release date for the new album, and it has already started to appear in many online digital stores, including iTunes. It is also available on Play, 7Digital and Amazon.co.uk.
You can read all about the album and hear tracks from it here.
We can confirm that Francisco’s new album will be released, worldwide as a digital download, on Monday 12th April 2010. It will be available in all the usual digital stores, including Amazon and iTunes.
Recording and mastering on Francisco’s next album is finally complete!
Recorded in the summer at St. Thomas’s Church Stockport, England, “This is Francisco Yglesia” is a dramatic and joyous testament to the awe and wonder of the Paraguayan harp.
The track selection is a mixture of traditional Paraguayan and other Latin pieces (including his signature ‘Pajaro Campana’), plus several of his own striking compositions (not least the often-covered ‘Vamos Amigos’). Also included is a mesmerising acoustic re-recording of ‘Shimmering Harp’ from his debut 1980 album of the same name, and an all-new cover of Passion Pit’s contemporary and evocative “Sleepyhead”.
Full track listing:
El Tren Lechero (Milk Train)
Isla Saca
Shimmering Harp
Ñanduti (Spider’s Web)
Carreta Güy (Under the Oxcart)
Espejos (Mirrors)
Pajaro Campana (Bell Bird)
Misionera
Colorado
Cascada
Sleepyhead
Vamos Amigos
The album showcases Francisco, and the Paraguayan harp, like neither have been recorded before. He plays all 12 tracks live, solo & unaccompanied, and they’ve been in captured in pin-sharp high fidelity. This is the definitive Paraguayan Harp album.
We hope to confirm a release date very soon. Keep an eye on this website for further news, or follow Francisco on Facebook or Twitter.
One of the world’s 
Today is the release date for the new album, and it has already started to appear in many online digital stores, including 
