Centro Penitenciario de Murcia

Members of the band showing-off newly acquired instruments, prior to this they had a couple of "classical guitars" from the recently started "taller de musica" the prisons first music workshop. 

The late Juanjo Gomez Ayala a renowned jazz guitarist, who also ran a music academy, saw  Allan at one of the first music workshops and suggested getting a band together to enter "Murcia Joven" a "battle of the bands" competition organized by radio station ORM with sponsorship from CAM bank & Murcia council.

Shortly after the band was formed they began to attract good publicity and it wasn't long before they were playing live for the other inmates.

This was the first time some of the band had been outside their own "module" in years. It might only have been a few hundred metres but a visit to the open section or the women's section meant passing through various security checks. 

It was during these early "concerts" that the prison authorities started to invite guests which included the press.  The word must have spread as various off-duty staff would also attend.

When the band started to gain recognition they were allowed to rehearse in one of the prison's multi-use areas which was normally used for showing films or for meetings.

The hall where the band rehearsed soon became everyone's favourite "shortcut", with staff finding any excuse to pass through and listen to the latest song or catch-up on the latest news.

Our social workers had "pulled strings" getting our instruments, somewhere to rehearse and permission to come and go, almost as we pleased.

What we didn't realize at the time was that we had created a division within the staff & the prison officials. 

We later found out although many of the staff supported us others may have felt we should have a diet of "bread and water" and instead of playing music our time might have been better spent "breaking rocks"

One of the earliest newspaper articles on the band from the early 90's

"Click" on the image for an English translation

This could be the first time "Jailhouse rock" was  a newspaper headline for the band

From the first rough songs recorded on a borrowed tape recorder and sent out more in hope than anything else, Angel Sopena "Spain's John Peel" has been a constant support.

Part of the band's prize from Murcia Joven was the opportunity to record at Pepe Moreno's STUDIOS PM in Murcia.

The recordings took place at the end of July 1991 with Pepe Moreno as Engineer

"Stormy waters" 

The song was written for "Murcia Joven" by Allan McCarthy Berlin90's guitarist/vocalist 

"It´s you girl"

Like most of the Berlin90's music this track was composed by Scottish lead guitarist & vocalist Allan McCarthy.

Carabanchel Prison was constructed by political prisoners after the Spanish Civil War between 1940 and 1944 in the Madrid neighbourhood of Carabanchel.

During the prison’s relatively short lifespan of 55 years, it saw thousands of inmates walk in, but fewer walk out. 

There was torture, abuse, accidental deaths and numerous executions

 At the time of its decommissioning in 1998, the around 2,000 men and 500 women detained there were transferred to surrounding prisons. The building was then heavily looted – its railings, doors and all accessible scrap metal were taken – and for 10 years la cárcel de Carabanchel stood abandoned.