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Tiempo de otoño 1979
Album · by José Luis Perales ↗ View artist

Tiempo de otoño

In Tiempo de otoño, Spanish singer-songwriter José Luis Perales marks a turning point in his career with a sound that is no longer the same as the previous year’s Año, but one that is more urban, where guitars and arrangements take center stage without losing the melodic essence that defines him. The album was released in 1979 under the Hispavox label, with Rafael Trabucchelli and Danilo Vaona at the helm of production, and from day one it was clear that this was no ordinary album: in Spain it remained among the most listened-to records for an entire year, while in South America it also struck a deep chord. Sales figures were no different: in his home country, certifications pushed it past double platinum, a feat few albums of the era achieved.

Year
1979
Songs
10
Duration
38 min 47 seg
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About the album

Tiempo de otoño, according to DoReSol

Two songs became the hallmark of this work. On one hand, Un velero llamado Libertad, a track whose evocative lyrics and catchy rhythm turned it into one of those anthems people hum without realizing it. On the other, Me llamas, which in Argentina saw a minor tweak in the first stanza—where “cama” was changed to “mesa”—but beyond that detail, resonated just as strongly. Neither success was a coincidence: the album spawned four double singles, proving that Perales was no longer just writing songs but building a catalog of tracks people wanted to take everywhere.

What makes Tiempo de otoño interesting is that, beyond the numbers, it connected with audiences at a time when Spanish music was seeking renewal. It wasn’t the album of an artist content with the known, but of someone who, with Hispavox as a partner, explored new paths without losing sight of what made him unique. And it worked: by the time EMI absorbed the label in 1985, this album was already part of the soundtrack of a generation.