Red Diamond
Red Diamond | |
|---|---|
 The ancient Amphitheater in Albarca where Red Diamond opened their 1980 Herdanza tour. It is one of the highest grossing concerts in revenue and attendance, with over 750,000 attendees. | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Rucesion, Temuair |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1969 - 2002 |
| Past members | Seán Augas Leoncio Baeza Basilio Feliz Roderic Merida Lorccán Rafael |
Red Diamond were an Aisling rock band formed in Rucesion in 1965. They achieved international acclaim with their progressive and psychedelic music. Distinguished by their philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, extended compositions, and elaborate live shows, they are one of the most commercially successful and influential groups in popular music history. The band has won more Cartelera Act of the Year awards than any of preforming group in history, having been awarded the Act of the Year award a total of five times; in 1978 for Wish Upon A Falling Star, in 1979 for Beasts, in 1983 for Stási, in 1987 for Forgetting to Remember to Forget, and finally in 1991 for Disjuncture in Time. In addition, Red Diamond is one of only a few performers to ever win two or more Act of the Year awards consecutively, sharing this honor with arena rock band Viaxe.
History
Founded by three college friends Seán Augas, Leoncio Baeza, Roderic Merida, and who had traveled to Rucesion to attend college, They gained popularity performing in Rucesion underground music scene during the late 1960s, and under Baeza' leadership released two charting singles and a successful debut album in 1970. Follow the release of their first successful album, they recruited guitarist Basilio Feliz and went on to release three more successful albums in 1971 and 1972.
Leoncio Baeza passed away in 1973 following a bad trip after taking a large amount of lysergic acid diethylamide. According to statements from fellow band members, they had been discussing letting Baeza go from the band, citing the excessive amount of mind altering narcotics he was consuming. Baeza was alone with his girlfriend Rebeca Zara when he died, reportedly experiencing a psychedelic experience and plunging to his death from the couple's 18th story apartment in Rucesion. Zara testified to police investigators that Baeza was using illegal narcotics and that he "became unreasonably afraid of something, was seized by something that cause him to experience abject terror. He tore around the house trying to escape 'it', whatever it was. He attacked me when I tried to restrain him, and crashed through the balcony window and over the railing." Investigators noted that Zara did have several defense wounds and that the apartment was in a state of disarray upon their arrival. Zara was eliminated as a suspect in the death and it was ruled a suicide. However, theories claiming that Zara actually pushed Baeza through the glass door and over the ledge were rampant, and fueled by both Seán Augas and Lorccán Rafael, who stated that the couple often fought viciously, especially when Baeza was using narcotics. In a 1986 interview with Cartelera, Augas stated that there was "absolutely no doubt" in his mind that Zara murdered Baeza.
Red Diamond enjoyed their highest popularity between 1976 and 1985, releasing a total of 5 critically acclaimed albums; What Lies Beyond, Wish Upon A Falling Star, Beasts, Then Came The Final Days of Fellows, and Stási.
In 1980, Red Diamond embarked upon its most ambitious tour, seeking to only play in venues situated in ancient ruins, natural wonders or sites of cultural significance. The Herdanza tour lasted from May of 1980 until December of 1981 and included <> stops in <> nations. It is one of the most critically acclaimed live tours of all time, as well as one of the highest grossing in both attendance and revenue.
Red Diamonds 1983 album Stási is arguably their most critically acclaimed and popular album. The bands first lyrical narrative concept album and rock opera, it was written by Augas during the bands 1982 Final Days tour, and explores the life of a floundering rock artist named Elfin, who heavily implied to be a pseudonym for Augas himself, though aspect of former band member Leoncio Baeza are also evident. Elfin grows up an orphan living on the streets of an unknown metropolis, battling first hunger and cold, while later facing nefarious criminals and his own addicition to narcotics. Elfin learns to play a stolen guitar and joins a band, and is suddenly showered in monetary wealth. Unable to handle the sudden change in his life, and rocked by the failure of his marriage to a manipulative and unfaithful spouse, Elfin seeks first to curtail his contact with others, and later attempts suicide. Though his attempt is a failure, he is left in a coma. During his coma, he relives his life, seeing things not as they were, but how they could have been, leading him to believe that his issues were of his own creation and could be rectified with effort. The ending of the story is ambiguous, implying that Elfin either recovers and wakes up, and passes away into a happier afterlife. Though initially receiving mixed reviews, Stási became one of Red Diamonds most defining albums, selling over 35 million copies as of November 2018. The album was ranked number 51 of 100 by Cartelera in its 1999 "Best Music of the Century" listing.
In 1985, the band broke up over difference between the members regarding the direction of the band, with both Augas and Rafael departing from the band in the middle of the production of their ninth album, Forgetting to Remember to Forget. Feliz and Merida were able to retain the Red Diamond name and went on to release Forgetting to Remember to Forget in 1987 and a second album Disjuncture in Time in 1992, both of which met with success. The two continued to tour until 1995. Rafael rejoined the band in 1993 to participate in two tours.
In 1999, Augas and rejoined the band for a final farewell tour, and asked Valerio Ras and Regente to tour with them. Regente, founded by Rosa in 1996, is a progressive heavy metal that derives much of its style from Red Diamonds most popular works. According to Rosa, touring with Red Diamond on their farewell tour was the "proudest moment" of his life. Following the end of the tour, which made stops all across Aisling and in several foreign nations, the members of Red Diamond formally dissolved the band,and vowed that they would never, together or individually, preform any of its music again.
Members
- Seán Augas - bass, vocals, rhythm guitar (1969 – 1985, 1999)
- Leoncio Baeza - Lead and rhythm guitars, vocals (1969–1973)
- Basilio Feliz - Lead and rhythm guitars, vocals, bass, keyboards (1970 - 1995, 1999)
- Roderic Merida - Drums, percussion, vocals (1969 - 1995, 1999)
- Lorccán Rafael - Keyboards, piano, organ, vocals (1969 - 1985, 1993 - 1995, 1999)
Discography
| Year | Album | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certification | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cartelera | Cartelera Hot 100 |
AMCIA | Anikatia Hot 100 | Koryfaía | Le Pouls Roche Psychédélique |
|||||||||||
| 1970 | The Mighty Wings of Eagles |
|
42 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 1971 | Journey Through Paradise (Lost) |
|
11 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 1972 | Hinder |
|
6 | 22 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 1976 | What Lies Beyond |
|
2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 1978 | Wish Upon A Falling Star |
|
1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 1979 | Beasts |
|
2 | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 1982 | Then Came The Final Days of Fellows |
|
3 | 9 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 1983 | Stási |
|
1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 1987 | Forgetting to Remember to Forget |
|
4 | 15 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 1991 | Disjuncture in Time |
|
1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||||||||||||||||
Tours
Herdanza Tour
In 1980, Red Diamond embarked upon its most ambitious tour, seeking to only play in venues situated in ancient ruins, natural wonders or sites of cultural significance. The Herdanza tour lasted from May of 1980 until December of 1981 and included <> stops in <> nations. It is one of the most critically acclaimed live tours of all time, as well as one of the highest grossing in both attendance and revenue.
| Date | Venue | Attendance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 11, 1980 |  Ancient Albarca amphitheater |
750,000 | One of the highest concert attendances in history |
| May 25, 1980 | |||
| July 14, 1980 |  |
||
| October 31, 1981 | Valerius Mausoleum |
||
| Decmeber, 31, 1981 | |