Super Sonido » Garage/Rock

Day 3: Ron & the Embracers + 1

josephfranko — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 01:51:22 +0000

Ron & the Embracers were a semi-obscure group from East Los Angeles, CA. That’s about all that I know of them. “Latin Blood” is the A-side to their highly sweated Brown-eyed Northern Soul tune “You Came Into My Life” on Spectrum, and it’s a heavy instrumental complete with nice keys, a reverbed-out guitar and loud horns a la Los Vampiros. I’ve personally been jamming this out all winter, since it has a nice vibe to it that suits this time of year. Perfect for a crisp, sunny winter day in California.

Now for the Northern Soul tune. The horns on this track are what it’s all about for me here, but really it has a lot going for it. For one, Ron’s voice is like butter over the backing soul music. I’ve never heard of this fellow named Al Maldonado, who apparently produced both of the songs on this 45, but I’d love to hear anything else he had a hand in!

- Adam Dunbar

1. Ron & the Embracers: Latin Blood

2. Ron & the Embracers: You Came Into My Heart

Thanks for the great songs Adam. Be sure to check out Adam’s blog Musica Del Alma - not only has Adam been a guest here before, but he’s the type of guy who’ll come to your house with a bottle of whiskey and bag full of records I’ve never seen or heard before. He is a gentleman and a scholar.

For the last 2 years I’ve been trying to somehow fit the Prime Mates 45 “Hot Tamales” into these February sessions. The thing is, if I put this song into the mix, I am kind of straying Super Sonido’s path of all things “Latin”. But if Alan Toussaint (you can hear him playing piano) didn’t have a production credit or if it wasn’t on the Sansu label, I probably would assume that it was some obscure East L.A. garage band doing this number. Also, to the credit of Mr. Dunbar and the amazing instrumental “Latin Blood”, I would have never thrown up this comparable gem. Nevertheless, this is my blog so I can do whatever I want – Latin or not. Toussaint, the Meters, Art Neville (organ?), fuzz guitar, and hot tamales? I’m sure I can be forgiven. Enjoy!

- Sonido Franko

3. Prime Mates: Hot Tamales Part 1

4. Prime Mates: Hot Tamales Part 2

Day 2: Yndio

josephfranko — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:00:25 +0000

In 1991, when I was 20 years old, I took a bus from the Oakland Greyhound to San Diego. From Tijuana I took a direct 52+ hour bus ride to Guanajuato, Mexico (the 2 lane highways really sucked back then). If I had a nickel for every time I heard Yndio‘s Sin Tu Amor (without your love) on the radio, I could have purchased a small house down there (the peso was very weak back then).

Although the do-wop sounding Mexican ballad had been around for a while, it was the 1972 Sin Tu Amor that is probably the most famous. It was a massive hit for this group of norteños from Hermosillo. They really tried to run with that sound, as you can see with the two other songs in this post – both of which are from their next two subsequent albums. They do have some psych/hard rock numbers in the mid-70′s and recorded garage rock under the name Los Pulpos (hard to find/very rare) in the late 60′s. Otherwise, they fell into the Norteño/Banda trap like so many other musicians did in the 80′s. It was like $3000 pesos to the dollar in 1991, remember? Enjoy.

1. Yndio: Sin Tu Amor

2. Yndio: Noches y Dias Perdidas

3. Yndio: Siempre De Novios

Day 1: Freddie Fender

josephfranko — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:04:25 +0000

Best known for his country singing in the 70′s and his American Tejano sound of the 90′s, it would have come as no surprise that Freddie Fender began his career as a rock and roll/rockabilly/ranchera cross-over musician. Born Baldemar Garza Huerta in San Benito, Texas - Fender, who legally changed his name in 1958, would first find fame in that era covering a Spanish version of Elvis Presley’s “Don’t Be Cruel”. However, stardom was cut short in the early 60′s due to a marijuana possession arrest, something which he wouldn’t emerge/recover from for several years later.

I’m thinking that the 45′s in this post come right at a time prior to his incarceration. Nevertheless, the same kind of musical fusion, like that of the country/rock/tejano music he was popular for in the late period of his life, is apparent throughout these tracks. A mix of rock, calypso, to an old school Mexican party standard with ”La Banda Esta Borracha” (the band is drunk) is a reflection of varying genres he was able to perform. Even his distinctive voice and dark emotional ballad like Que Tal Amor (how are you my love) reminded me instantly of Roy Orbison, another cross-over Texas native. Anyway, some super rare tejano roots music from the legend Freddie Fender. Be sure to check out an older post of a rare boogaloo number he did, still one of my favorite guest post/songs on this site. Enjoy!

1. Freddie Fender y Los Comancheros: Que Tal Amor

2.Freddie Fender y Los Comancheros: Por Que Eres Tan Mala

3. Freddie Fender: Las Cerezas

4. Freddie Fender: Dime

5. Freddie Fender: Mi Kingston Town

6. Freddie Fender: Cuando Te Conoci

7. Freddie Fender and the Streamliners: Todos Dicen

8. Freddie Fender y Los Comancheros: La Banda Esta Borracha

Alceu Valença & Geraldo Azevedo

josephfranko — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 04:30:22 +0000

Great 70′s psychedelia from the northeastern state of Pernambuco, Brazil. Composers/vocalists Alceu Valença & Geraldo Azevedo would eventually end up being part of a more main-stream/popular Brazilian rock scene later in their careers - but the Tropicalia/Veloso and Minas Geraes/Milton Nascimento sound can be heard throughout this debut album. Musically considered a regional take on what was happening throughout Brazil in the early 70′s. A great mixture of guitar driven folk, psychedelia, cabaret, with some splashes of percussive tropical sounds. Not a ground breaking record, but a solid effort from this obscure Brazilian gem. Enjoy!

1. Alceu Valença & Geraldo Azevedo: Mister Mistério

2. Alceu Valença & Geraldo Azevedo: Me Dá Um Beijo

3. Alceu Valença & Geraldo Azevedo: Seis Horas

4. Alceu Valença & Geraldo Azevedo: Horrivel

Rumba Rock with Peret

josephfranko — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 05:24:00 +0000

It’s kind of a sad thing that the Gypsy Kings had to put crossover gypsy rock on the global map. It’s not that their music is all that bad – but every time I go to a mediocre Italian restaurant, much to my chagrin, I’m subjected to their music playing in the background. I’ve even heard Bandolero blaring out of a lime green convertible Mustang once. Oh lord.

Before all that, there was a true king of this genre: Peret - the Spanish Romaní singer, guitarist and composer, who was pretty much the embassador of the Catalan Rumba sound. If you are interested in this music please do check out the articles Soul-Sides has about Peret and Los Amaya (O-dub always has the finger on the pulse). What I wanted to add was that I found this in the KRMX lot of 45′s I have. So even though Peret is Spanish, his music was still heard in Latin America, although I am not quite sure what impact it had, if any. Either way, two really solid tunes from El Rey de La Rumba Catalana. Enjoy!

1. Peret: A Mi Las Mujers, Ni Fu Ni Fa

2. Peret: Lo Mato

Awesome CD’s from Nicaragua

josephfranko — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 04:08:58 +0000

Sorry folks…I kinda ripped off the above title from another audioblog. But everything in this post is either bootlegged or stolen, so at least I’m consistent.

Anyway, I was in Nicaragua for about a week visiting family and came across some bootleg CD vendors – which is the pretty much how Nicaraguans get down with their music. I didn’t dig for any vinyl because I only had a smaller carry-on suitcase. Plus it was so fucking hot that I really didn’t want to stray to far from my cold beer. But I did get a few contacts for vinyl collections in both Managua and Leon, which I will exploit the next time I go back (October perhaps).

Despite all that, Nicaragua doesn’t really have a large music tradition like Mexico, Brazil or Colombia. I still did find some pretty cool stuff from the 60′s and 70′s. Most the music is 60′s rock, but I did manage to find a pretty dope descaraga track from Leon’s Los Hermanos Cortez, a group which was featured in Adam’s Musica Del Alma audioblog. Also, I found some music from the Atlantic coast, palo de mayo stuff, which I wrote about a while back aswell. I was going to throw up some Carlos Mejía Godoy (famous Nicaraguan folk singer), but COMMUNIST MUSIC IS BORING. ¡a la gran púchica!

1. Los Hermanos Cortez: El Apolo 9

2. Los Barbaros del Ritmo de Bluefields: Canción Desconocida

3. Los Pancho 5 Hippie: Cocktel Margarita

4. Los Rockets: Tema de William

Day 22: Rocanroleros Mexicanos

josephfranko — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 06:42:11 +0000

Sorry about the quality of these 45′s – judging from their condition, the owner probably locked themselves in their room and really grinded these suckers down. But I guess that’s what teenage angst and rock-n-roll is all about.

The history of rocanrol Mexicano is pretty extensive, something that is carried over and still lasts to this day. It’s apparent that some of the best rock/garage bands of the 60′s era hailed from border towns like Tijuana (Los Rockin Devil’s, Tijuana 5, Los Hermanos Carrion ect). I suspect they had easier access to what was happening north of the border. And most these acts do justice to cover songs and bands they were influenced by.

I’m not going to delve too much into that, these songs are what they are – cover songs. What I wanted to mention, and what is worth noting, was that most these groups ended up being part of the onda grupera in the early 70′s - a mixture of cumbia, norteño, rock and ranchera. Groups like Los Freddy’s and Los Yonics are great examples of this. Bands that left their rock roots and blended it with a more northern/traditional type of sound. But the whole tradition of covering an American song, how the band is set up, and instrumentation is very similar in the norteño style to this day (sans the accordian). Enjoy!

1. Los Rockin Devil’s: Gloria

2. Los Rockin Devil’s: Loco Me Patina El Coco

3. Los Americans: Al Final Del Dia

4. Los Freddy’s: Vuelve Mi Amor

5. Los Belmonts: Brinquen

6. Los Belmonts: Enciende La Luz

7. Los Rockin Devil’s Juego De Amor

8. Los Yaki: Vuelve A Mi

Day 6: More Spanish Freakbeat

josephfranko — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 10:24:50 +0000

I kind of deviate from the whole subtext of my audioblog when I start putting up music from Spain. Even though some music from Latin America is intertwined with certain Spanish cultural traditions, it would be difficult for me to make that case about a musical act from Barcelona trying to copy a bunch of guys from Liverpool. With all that removed, I still think it sounds really cool. I’ve always had an interest in English cover songs done in the Spanish language (be it from Spain or Latin America). Perhaps its the correlation of both languages, the understanding of the idioms, or if the song gets completely lost in translation or not.

Nevertheless, I picked up these two 45′s when I was in Barcelona a few months back. If Los Salvajes were the Rolling Stones of Spain, then Los Mustang were the Beatles of the Iberian Peninsula. Hailing from the Poble Sec neighborhood of Barcelona, Los Mustang really cut out a niche for themselves copying Beatles songs. In fact, Submarino Amarillo (Yellow Submarine) was a huge hit for them in Spain. It appears that they tried to mount a comeback in the early 90′s, but judging them from how old they looked and how high they pulled their pants up, I think that endeavor wasn’t met with much success. Anyway, Dj Lengua article tomorrow. Packers to win the Super Bowl. Please enjoy!

1. Los Mustang: Sargento Peppers

2. Los Mustang: No Vendras

Big Breaks from Los Relámpagos

josephfranko — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 04:01:51 +0000

My jet lag is kicking in – so before I pass out on my sofa I wanted to toss up something I found in Barcelona. Even though Los Relámpagos (the lightning) actually hail from Granada, this was probably my best find while I was in Spain. The group consists of singer/composer Miguel Ríos who seems to have had a pretty successful career in the modern Spanish (Iberian) rock genre. Anyway, that’s all I can write for now without falling to the ground. Enjoy…….

1. Los Relámpagos: Bwana

Gal Costa: 1968 to 1974

josephfranko — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 09:00:13 +0000

The arrival of Tropicália on the Brazilian music scene began in 1968 with the seminal collaboration album Tropicália: ou Panis et Circencis. Although this new genre was also embraced by the visual arts community, it was largely seen as a musically driven movement. The key to the Tropicália manifesto was antropofagia, or the cultural cannibalism of all societies. Essentially it was the digestion of all other influences, from all other genres, in order to create something totally new.

Musically it consisted of a fusion between regional Brazilian and American/British psychedelic rock. Also, the experimentation with studio production was another key element . Take the first song Mamãe, Coragem, which I couldn’t record on its own. Most tracks on the Tropicália album segway directly into each other – the whole album is on some Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club trip.

Please know that Brazil was experiencing their third military dictatorship at the time, which lasted from 1964 to 1984. So a new musical movement that rejected most conventions could only be deemed as politically engaging or a form of activism, to say the least. And the Tropicalismo movement pretty much ended with founders Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil being forced into exile in 1971.

It is ironic to think that even though Gal Costa was a big part of the Tropicália movement, she never wrote any of her own songs. Most of her music was composed either by Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, or both. While the two were in exile, it’s as if Gal became their default artist in their absence. However, her strength really lies in the way she expressed herself through other composer’s music and lyrics. Gal has the ability to take any genre and turn it into her own. She really captured the movement’s dense lyricism with her voice. Her singing appears unorthodox at times, with unusual time structures, always creating a thin line between happiness and sadness. It’s in my opinion that she is probably has one of the most unusual, original and beautiful female singing voices I’ve ever heard.

Presented here are a few tracks from each album in chronological order. I tried to select songs from multiple genres as an example of what was going on with the movement at the time. I am missing a few of her late 70’s records, which I’ve partially heard and appear to be impressive as well. If you like what you hear, don’t hesitate to pick any album up for yourselves, most songs on the albums given are amazing from beginning to end. On a side note, popular Forró musician/singer Dominguinhos plays accordion on a few of her records. Forró is a popular regional music from the Northeast of Brazil. It’s almost like Zydeco. I find it amazing that he played and toured with Gal for many years, really a reflection on the influence, longevity and all-inclusive nature of the Tropicalismo movement. Peep the funky track Relance. Enjoy!

1. Gal Costa: Mamãe Coragem + Gal/Caetano/Gil/Os Mutantes: Batmacumba

2. Gal Costa w/ Gilberto Gil: Sebastiana

3. Gal Costa: Vou Recomecar

4. Gal Costa: Tuareg

5. Gal Costa: Com Medo, Com Pedro

6. Gal Costa: Lingua Do P

7. Gal Costa: Acauã

8. Gal Costa: Fruta Gogóia

9. Gal Costa: Presente Cotidiano

10. Gal Costa: Relance

11. Gal Costa: Da Maior Importancia

12. Gal Costa: Pontos De Luz

13. Gal Costa: Barato Total

14. Lua, Lua, Lua, Lua

15. Gal Costa: Flor Do Cerrado

Barcelona Freakbeat with Los Salvajes

josephfranko — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 06:32:09 +0000

I really have Spain on my mind right now and it has nothing to do with the World Cup. Eamon Ore-Giron and Dimitry Lvovsky, two of my best friends on this planet, are hanging out in Barcelona as I write this. Dimitry has been living in the BCN for over a decade now and Eamon is visiting. Huge shout out to both of you and I am super glad you guys are kicking it together. Have a great time and safe trip!

What a better way to tip my hat to these fine gents by dropping one of my first 45 purchases in Barcelona. Got this one back in 2002, I recall the year because the Paseta was being converted to the Euro at the time. Other than that, the Barcelona natives Los Salvajes were considered the “Spanish Rolling Stones” - listen to the songs, you’ll see why. Enjoy coños!!!

1. Los Salvajes: Es La Edad

2. Los Salvajes: Todo Negro

3. Los Salvajes: Que Alguien Me Ayude

DIY Chicano Rock With Luie Luie

josephfranko — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 07:21:04 +0000

These days you won’t find me in thrift stores looking for records anymore. Long have gone the days of digging for nothing in dollar bins, plus I’ve kind of out-grown wearing dead people’s smelly clothing. But I happened to be in Gilroy, California (of all places) about a year ago when I can across this LP in a Goodwill. I really purchased the record for the title, but to my surprise I ended up with a really wacked out private pressing gem.

However, I was even more astonished when I found out that someone actually re-issued this album on CD. The people at Companion Records, a label that specializes in obscure and idiosyncratic private pressing releases, was down with the “Touchy”. Here is Luie Luie’s bio straight from their pages:

_____

Some years ago, a Los Angeles area collector stumbled across an orphaned copy of the “Touchy” in a thrift store. It was shared through tape trading networks and bootlegged on vinyl — now, Companion Records is proudly offering this first official “Touchy” CD release.

Luie Luie has to be the most jaw-dropping one-man-band lounge act found to date. The “Touchy” serves as a conceptual dance album, an experimental album, as well as a sort of healing LP for ’60s burn-outs. What can his music be compared to? Nothing that we know of.

Luis Johnston is a Southern California screenwriter, painter, and musician who’s spent the past 30 years working in almost complete obscurity. But he’s also written and starred in a feature film and shaken hands with Elvis Presley. Luie has been playing live at various restaurants, lounges, and country clubs for three decades and is still going strong. He released a handful of 45s in the ’70s and one full-length LP, “Touchy” in 1974. And he continues to record unknown quantities of yet to be released CDs.

- Companion Records

_____

Anyway, I selected two of my favorite tracks off the album. Oh yeah, this guy talks about random shit before he plays each song …whoa. I personally think his music would have sounded better if he had a drummer and bass player, but when you’re a lounge act, it’s all about the economy of scale I suppose. True microeconomics. Enjoy!

1. Luie Luie: Lost

2. Luie Luie: Lord What A Wonderful World

Moog Pop with Katunga

josephfranko — Thu, 20 May 2010 07:51:00 +0000

There wasn’t much to be optimistic about in 1975 Argentina. From the death of Juan Perón in 1974, it seemed like this polarized South American nation was beginning to unravel. With waves of political violence, near-hyperinflation, strikes, to assassinations: Argentina was boiling over. I thought Nicaraguan politics were screwy, but I have to say that Argentina takes the cake. Trotskyites vs. fascist extremists?

Maybe Katunga’s popular Mira Para Arriba Mira Para Abajo struck a chord with the uncertainty of the everyday Argentine. A positive reaffirmation, escapism perhaps. But I’m pretty sure this song would have been harder to write a year later. With the March 1976 coup d’état and the start of the ”dirty war”, their song seems a bit less effective.

Nevertheless, a few great bubble-gum flavored numbers from the band Katunga, who by the way, remind me a lot of the popular Spanish group Formula V. Sorry I couldn’t get much from the bands webpage/bio, but it appears that Katunga still performs to this day. Enjoy!

1. Katunga: Mira Para Arriba Mira Para Abajo

2. Katunga: Palo Bonito

Tremendo Ritmo con Los Orientales De Paramonga

josephfranko — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 05:01:12 +0000

I kept getting emails from people who couldn’t get enough of the Peruvian group Los Orientales De Paramonga. So there, bam! Not only do I pander to the crowd, I oblige them. Check out the post I did in February that caused all the ruckus: Day 13. It’s not like it comes without any merit, these guys are awesome.

Super deep chicha with a touch of psychedelic rhythms. It’s like the cholo (peruvian indians) version of Los Destellos. Both full length Lp’s were produced by the infamous bump-bump Enrique Lynch. And the Bailando Con Dolores chicha compilation, like the previous 45, is on the Colombian Caliente label. Which is a nice little treat since the song La Danza Del Mono (the dance of the monkey) doesn’t show up on any other of their albums. Gozalo!

1. Los Orientales De Paramonga: Chiquilla En Onda

2. Los Orientales De Paramonga: Guajira Oriental

3. Los Orientales De Paramonga: Siempre Contagiando

4. Los Orientales De Paramonga: El Botecito

5. Los Orientales De Paramonga: La Danza Del Mono

April Showers: Boogaloo With Freddy Fender

josephfranko — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 19:37:20 +0000

Sorry folks, I kinda vanished for the month of March. In fact, I really haven’t been checking my email either. So If I haven’t gotten back to you, please do not be offended. For you see I come from a very long line of family members who are really good at disappearing from time to time. Nevertheless, I wanted to share one email I got. And HOLY SHIT!!! it was like opening a really awesome birthday present.

—————————————–

From Aram Delgado (El Guapo):

Hola, que paso? I’ve been really enjoying your blog, It’s really hard to find good info on latino booty shakers out there. I thought I would pass on a find of mine from a few years ago and thought it might be a good post for your blog.

It’s a rare one from one of the Chicano Kings Mr. Freddy Fender. It’s amazing the variety of music this guy has done, not sure where to put this one? Soul? Psych? Your guess is as good as mine. I tried to find some more info on it but it was pretty limited. I gave an mp3 of this to sports casual after he begged me for it, I figured I had danced my ass off in his Brooklyn joint so many times It was least I could do. Anyway I thought you would enjoy this one, that is if don’t already have it.

1. Freddy Fender & The Comancheros: Boogaloo en Monterey

Label: Discos Dominante DD-590-A (I’m assuming it’s 196??)

Sorry it’s a bit scratchy, but I have only ever seen one other so I was happy to take this one with no complaints. I wish I had an mp3 of the B-side, It’s an old school 50′s style rock & roll balada, half in Spanish half in English, but very Mexican with what sounds like a Bajo Sexto guitar up front. Anyway I hope you enjoy it, hope you can use it. Cheers!

- Aram Delgado (El Guapo)

—————————————–

Yo Aram I’ve already listened to your download like 100 times. I fucking love Freddy Fender. I have like 10 45′s from the early to mid 60′s. From garage, rock, to ska, and when I find them I’ll post em’. But I do not have this joint, never heard it before. Amazing!!! Thank You!!!

- Sonido Franko

Day 23: Los Covers

josephfranko — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:55:24 +0000

Picked out a few cover songs that were original hits from 1969 to 1970. These 45′s used to be in my rotation quite a lot, but I haven’t given them the light of day lately. The songs always seemed to work well together and they more or less capture the sound of that era.

Cover songs from the Beatles, to Sugarloaf, to the more obscure cover by the psychedelic tex-mex group The Sir Douglas Quintet. Almost seems like bands down south never left one “top 40″ rock unturned. In fact, Los Johnny Jets hacked out a living doing rock-n-roll cover songs during their time. And they do it pretty well. The Jets really nail the Beatles “Get Back”, both lyrically and musically. Although even more obscure, The White Lines and Los Blue Angels equally do their renditions justice.

I’m brimming with rock 45 covers, so maybe I’ll explore this again by the end of the month. But for now…..Enjoy!

1. Los Johnny Jets: Ven Ya

2. The White Lines de Paco Sanchez: La Dama De Ojos Verdes

3. Los Blue Angels: Donde Esta Mendocino

Day 20: Los Rockanroleros

josephfranko — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 18:50:26 +0000

You have to wonder what the people of conservative 70′s Latin American thought of hard rock music. Latin Americans tend to hold on to their traditions a bit more tightly than others. So what would have been the social or political implications of this music, if any? And I say political because these weren’t the most stable times in Peru (Conjunto El Opio) or Mexico (Yndio, Dug Dug’s). I might be stretching here, but I am really reminded of an Eastern European approach to rock music. Almost like a naive approach to what rock music symbolizes. You know, rebellion, freedom, drugs, pissing your parents off. Anyway, I’m running out of time again. METAL!!!

1. Yndio: Mama Gorda

2. Dug Dug’s: Al Diablo

3. Conjunto El Opio: Pusher

4. Conjunto El Opio: Dejame Solo

5. Conjunto El Opio: Piratas En La Titicaca

Day 13: Los Orientales De Paramonga

josephfranko — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 04:29:41 +0000

Kind of had no time this weekend, sorry folks. But I did get a request via email from someone in Peru for the Peruvian Los Orientales. I have a few records with this Chicha outfit, so maybe I’ll elaborate more some other day. But for now…..Enjoy!

1. Los Orientales De Paramonga: Lobos Al Escape

Day 11: Lowrider Soul

josephfranko — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 06:02:21 +0000

I’m not sure if Ruly Garcia and Rulie Garcia are actually the same person. To make things even more confusing, Rulie Garcia is none other than East L.A. Chicano superstar Johnny Chingas. And for the life of me I couldn’t track down my Brown Brothers Of Soul 45 “Cholo“, which I desperately tried to find to stick into this post. Oh yeah, the Brown Brothers Of Soul is Johnny Chingas. So let me clarify a few things. The Brown Brothers Of Soul is Johnny Chingas, who is Rulie Garcia, who actually might be Ruly Garcia. Are you guys following me so far? But what’s in name anyway? My homeboy Ambrosio who is from Mexico must have like 6 different social security numbers and like 6 different names. I guess sometimes its just better to roll with all sorts allias’ whilst living in California.

1. Ruly Garcia y Su Conjunto: Sol Latino

2. Rulie Garcia And The East L.A. Congregation: Que Pasa (What’s Happening)

Day 3: El Costa Azul de Rigo Tovar

josephfranko — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:21:53 +0000

Two great instrumentals from Rigo Tovar’s backing band El Costa Azul (the blue coast), the originators of the cumbia/tropical movement in Mexico. The first pioneers to fuse traditional Mexican, baladas, and cumbia with synthesizers, guitars, and rock melodies. Not as hard-hitting as their Colombian counterparts, but Rigo Tovar’s sound continues to influence countless artists in Mexico to this day. These two tracks sound more like Cumbia Peruana.

El Costa Azul would go through many incarnations throughout the 70′s, but the main focus of the band would always be Rigo, who has been called the Elvis Presley of Mexico. Here is the best way to explain Rigo Tovar: he was born in Matamoros Mexico, he was born with sunglasses on his face, and would sell more tickets than the Pope himself (he actually broke an attendance record by the Pope). Enjoy!!! (Veracruz track skips sorry)

1. El Costa Azul De Rigo Tovar: Palmeras

2. Costa Azul: Verano En Veracruz

Los Pasteles Verdes

josephfranko — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:00:24 +0000

I read somewhere that Víctor Hugo Acuña heard a song from The Doors and in turn created the ballad rock group Los Pasteles Verdes (The Green Pastels) in the early 70′s. Founded by both guitarist Victor and his keyboardist brother Cesar Acuña from the industrial fishing port of Chimbote, Peru. Even their web-bio indicates that they were moved by a number of American, British to South American acts. From British invasion bands like The Beatles to The Rolling Stones, Chilean ballad rock from Los Ángeles Negros to Los Iracundos, and Peruvian nationals like Los Destellos to Los Shains. But even with the plethora of influences aside, Los Pasteles Verdes have created one the most unique low-tempo sleepy psyche sound I’ve ever heard. Highly popular in Mexico (they would eventually move there), where this signature sleepy-balada sound was immensely copied as well. Enjoy!

1. Los Pasteles Verdes: Esclavo Y Amo

2. Los Pasteles Verdes: No Te Das Cuenta

3. Los Pasteles Verdes: Recuerdos De Una Noche

4. Los Pasteles Verdes: Baby

Manny Perez: El Chamaco Moderno

josephfranko — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 04:55:59 +0000

When you cross-over Mexican norteño/ranchera music with a pop/rock sound, you might run the risk of alienating your more accustomed audience. However, I don’t think Manny Perez y Los Cachiros had that problem. Even with their straight forward rock break-beat, Perez stays true his corridos roots and avoids the psuedo-sophistication of Mexican pop music of early 70′s Mexico.

As indicated in earlier posts musica Norteño, ranchera, and corridos are just as much about the lyrics as they are about the sound. From stories of everyday people, to the working class, to tales about the anti-hero. Take for example the song “chica bancaria“ (girl who works in a bank), a ballad about falling in love with the beautiful girls that work in a bank. The song is a bit kitschy, but I sense more a ballad of the outsider looking in. Or even an admiration for something more sophisticated, the new class of working women, or possibly a comment on the nature of modernity in 70′s Mexico. Which itself is a reflection of his music. Maybe I’m grasping. Anyway, I don’t really want to delve into the effects of modern culture on traditional Mexico. I think Manny is most comfortable in his patio, sitting next to his propane tank, with his big work boots and fucked up side burns.

I couldn’t find much else about this band except that they hail from Leon, in the Mexican state of Guanajuato. Also, I threw in the more Banda sounding La Pulmonia (Pneumonia) to round out his melodies for good measure. ¡Gózalo!

1. Manni Perez: El Chamaco Moderno

2. Manny Perez: Mi Ritmo Pop

3. Manny Perez: Soledad

4. Manny Perez: La Pulmonia

5. Manny Perez: Chica Bancaria

6. Manny Perez: Susan

Los Covers Españoles

josephfranko — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:48:54 +0000

I wanted to drop a dope track for you guys before I go on my little exodus. Just the other day I ran into this 45 and thought it would be an appropriate thing to play since I’ve been looking into cover songs recently. And lately I have been really digging 70′s Gypsy/Flamenco rock from Spain. So when I heard the popular Spanish song “Te estoy amando locamente” (I am loving you crazily) from the Puerto Rican singer/actress Nydia Caro, I knew it was destiny and I had to put this thing up.

Some of my prior posts focused on the phenomenon of Latin American covers of English language tracks. One can find a plethora of Latin bands covering songs from the British Invasion, to James Brown, to even more obscure rock, soul and funk. However, one tends to forget that Latin America also has a pulse on what is going on musically from their brothers and sisters in the Iberian Peninsula. Take for example the US/Puerto Rican Nydia Caro who lived in Spain in the early to mid 70′s, had collaborated with the super popular Julio Iglesias, and had even married a Spanish music producer. So it would come as no surprise that she would do her own rendition of the female Spanish group Las Grecas’ 1974 #1 hit song. Enjoy!

See you guys in a couple weeks!

1. Nydia Caro: Te Estoy Amando Locamente

Manzanita: El Jardinero

josephfranko — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 05:53:16 +0000

Friday and Sunday nights are good nights for me to drop some posts. The more I write = the less work I’ve had and less binge drinking I’ve done all week. But this week’s laziness can be attributed to a horrible cold I’ve had. I hope it’s not the Al Pastor Flu. God have mercy on my soul.

El Jardinero (the gardener) comes from one of my favorite peruvian guitar slingers Manzanita y su Conjunto. I’m sure I’ll do a post on this guy in the future. Big shout out to my Latin soul brother Dj Joe Quixx, he’s been requesting this one every time I see him. And who wouldn’t? The song is incredible. A bit on the sluggish side, but so am I.

1. Manzanita: El Jardinero

Los Six: Sicodélico Venezolano

josephfranko — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 07:46:32 +0000

Thanks Alejandro for your prior post on The Speakers. I totally appreciate it. Since we were on the South American psyche/rock tip I thought I’d throw in a couple tunes from the very few records I own in this genre. This is a compilation record of Venezuelan rock bands, but I’m only concentrating on the group Los Six, even though this entire album is pretty amazing. I actually found some info on the band from a visual gallery of prog and psyche records (progvinyl.com). Looks like these two songs are taken from their debut self titled album from 1968. Other than that, when I googled “Los Six” all I came up with was “Los Six Pistols” and “Los Six Flags Amusement Park”. The music is a lot more sugar coated than The Speakers, but I’m really digging the Rubber Soul/Revolver-esque sounds these guys put out.

1. Los Six: Voy Chica

2. Los Six: Dr. Banard

The Speakers – Colombian Psyche 1968‏

josephfranko — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 07:02:44 +0000

Thanks to Super Sonido for inviting me to introduce a band and an album that means a great deal. The 5^th LP by Colombian band “The Speakers” finds them standing at a crossroads: it is here where they leave behind their beat and mod roots and fully embrace brain-frying psychodelia. Legend has it that they cut a deal with the recording studio “Ingeson” (short for Ingenieria de sonido or Sound Engineering) where they would be allowed to use the place after hours for free in exchange for a prominent appearance of the studio name in the album. The Ingeson people must have been thrilled when hearing that the band would actually call the record “En el Maravilloso Mundo de Ingeson” (or “In the Wonderful World of Ingeson”). From the name to the contents, the album is a pure studio creation full of excess, creativity, experimentation and also to be fair, some misguided self-indulgence. Fueled by the open gates of studio time the band launched into exploring any available sound and technology creating a kaleidoscopic collage of noises and loops with a sound close in nature to “Satanic Majesty’s” era Stones or “Odessey and Oracle” era Zombies. The free reins allowed for a few bad moments but the overall results still stand out as something unique and even unthinkable in the very conservative world of Colombian record producing of the time. It is almost unthinkable that such a record would be released and maybe that’s the reason why rumor has it that it only sold a few hundred copies. The original artwork included a placebo acid drop, which pretty much sums it all up…

1. The Speakers: Si La Guerra Es Un Buen Negocio Invierte a Tus Hijos

2. The Speakers: Un Sueño Magico

To introduce the record here are two great tracks “SI la Guerra Es Buen Negocio Invierte a Tus Hijos” and “Un Sueño Magico”

I invite you to stop by my Blog La Colmena de Humofor more great music. I hope to be introducing very soon something by other colombian heroes La Banda Nueva…

Alejandro

Discos Musart: Pan-American Beats

josephfranko — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 09:45:01 +0000

I’m anticipating a busy September so I thought I’d toss up a bunch of music while time was on my side. Discos Musart is a label from Mexico and I kind of scrapped together 10 little gems for you people. The great part of Musart was not only their home grown acts but they would also license music from various other Latin American labels and different Latin American countries. They really ran the gamut of genres. From cumbia, boleros, rancheros, to surf rock. The records themselves were often printed in Mexico, Los Angeles, and Hialeah Florida. Thus, the Pan-Americanism. Good friend and Mexican dj Sonido Apokalitzin reissued a few compilation CD’s for Musart about 2-3 years ago. Unfortunately you could only buy those CD’s in Mexico (I have one of them). Seems like he went through their vaults and picked out some really funky numbers. I hope my 45′s stack up.

1. Memo Salamanca: Barranquillerita

2. Nelson Pinedo: Botecito De Vela

3. Los Gibson Boys de Xavier Reyes: Camisa De Fuerza

4. Ramiro Lopez con Conj Barranqueños: Cataclismo

5. Alfredo Gutiérrez: Cumbia

6. Eulogio Molina: Cumbia Morena

7. Carlos Campos y su Orquesta: Guajira Con Boogaloo

8. Emilio Dominguez: Marinero De Agua Dulce

9. Manolo Muñoz: Seremos Felices

10. Alberto Vazquez: Vamos A Bailar

Los Yorks

josephfranko — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 10:13:53 +0000

1. Los Yorks: Solo Estoy

Oscar Medina was kind enough to send me this one via email. I have only one Los Yorks record, and it aint got this dope track. Sounds like the Monkee’s “Stepping Stone”. Cool ass song. Los Yorks are from Peru. They’re a pretty awesome Peruvian garage band. Word!

Disco Quebrado

josephfranko — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 08:43:21 +0000

1. Los Yaki: Cenizas

This one I recorded for Dj Lengua for sampling purposes. I like recording obscure breaks and beats for friends. Also, I have the illusion that someday I’ll do something with it, but I end up just lying to myself. Nevertheless, I like this tune a lot, I like Los Yaki. In fact, I intended to keep this little gem until I broke it in half taking it out of the 45 spindle. Luckily I recorded the whole song instead of just the intro part. Anyway, the heartbreak song Cenizas (ashes) can’t explain or reflect more how I feel when I lose something I like. Not going to explain Los Yaki, off to bed. Enjoy!

Los Casmeños

josephfranko — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 16:33:31 +0000

1. Los Casmeños: Boogaloo

2. Los Casmeños: Casma

Don’t know too much about these dudes except for the fact that Enrique Delgado happened to have written some of the songs. I’m not even certain if he plays guitar on this album. The person who sold it to me indicated that it was pre-Los Destellos (peep my prior post about them). But from the look and sound of the record, it would be safe to say that it was produced around the same time. Casmeño is a person from the Casma region of Peru. Tried searching for more info on this band, but nothing else turned up. Looks like this is there only one on the super rare Futuro label.