There has been much
written elsewhere about the absolute coolness factor of this rare el go-gó
& sicodelico from late 60s Bolivia.
I’ll try to just give a bit of info about the various outstanding groups found
here.
First an intro commercial for Inca Kola, then...
Fourteen songs from
1966-1969, mucho fuzz, primitive but great productions. Most tracks are covers:
the Dhag Dhag's take on "One Track Mind" by The Knickerbockers; Grupo
606's takes on "Break On Through" by The Doors & "Gotta Get
Away" by The Blues Magoos; Los Ecos do Rufus Thomas' "Walk That
Walk"; The Loving Darks cover The Rolling Stones' "Complicated"; Los
Burros fuzz out The Rascals' "You Better Run"; while Los Bonny Boy’s
Hot’s (???) cover Peruvian Andino hit of Jorge Bravo de la Rueda/Yma Sumac. The
original songs are also impressive, like the punker "Pena" by The
Blackstones or the somber "Tipo sicodélico" & the swinging
"Bohemio" both by the Dhag Dhag's.
Los Daltons – They came out of
Santa Cruz de le Sierra around
1967. In 1968 they released a four-song instrumental EP.
Due to the 11:00 pm electricity cut-off, they did without a
singer who would need a microphone. These instrumentals,
led by a crazed merry organ, didn’t need vocals. This album starts
with their version of the Ventures
“ High & Dry” only here they were referring to the
high & dry plains of the Bolivian Altiplano.
The Dhag Dhags - Behind this
untranslatable name hides a undeniable gem: one of the best
60s beat bands in the world. The
Dhad Dhasgs were a
trio of teenagers from La Paz led by the brilliant Javier Sandoval.
In 1968 he released his first EP on the "Psicofásicos" division
of the Discos Mendez
label. "Trata de Comprender” (Try to Understand)
is their version of "One Track Mind" by The Knickerbockers. "Type Sicodélico" is an original composition,
written in English, probably the first
recording of psychedelic music in
Bolivia.
Its spectral atmosphere
is reminiscent of the Peruvian group Los Saicos. On "Bohemio"
Sandoval mocks the local conservatives
by creating a 'groove' that caused every El Go-Gó girl from La Paz to Santa Cruz to go crazy.
Los Ecos – The crazy drum beats & shrill cries
you hear coming out of this band come from Terso, the 11 year old girl on drums
in this band. She & her three companions, revel in the infernal hully gully
beat. They began performing in mid-1967. On this disc they do their version of
"Walk That Walk" by Rufus Thomas. In 1968, the band had achieved
national success with their magnificent song "Callaré Simplemente".
The Blackstones – Here we have another trio originally
from Santa Cruz, they moved to Cochabamba & recorded an EP on Psicofásicos
in 1969. Here they do their version of "Pain" by the Walkers sung by
JC Lugones "Pena" is a typical case of teenage frustrations brutally
played in the best three-chord tradition on screaming electric guitar.
Minimalist, crude, neurotic punk from Bolivia before there was punk.
Los Tennyson – There is not much information about
these poets. They are kind of a mystery band. They are probably from Cochabamba or Oruro.
They had a single in 1967, a version of The Twist. The song here was taken from
their EP Psicodélico recorded on the Lyra label in 1969.
Grupo 606 - In late 1966, three friends from school
in Cochabamba
formed this great band. At first they just played at local parties with
instruments made by themselves. At one of their shows in 1967 they met Oswaldo,
a radio announcer & singer. He joined the group & got them a recording
contract with Lyra. At the beginning of 1969, these chavalitos (only 17-19
years old) released their second EP, demonstrating their best & angeriest garage
style. They play their version of "Break on Through" by The Doors on the
first side & open the B side with a sublime version of "Gotta Get
Away" by The Blues Magoos.
Los Burros - Started in 1967, Los Burros was one of
the most successful bands from Bolivia.
Originally from Santa Cruz de la Sierra, this band was formed with members of
Los Vandalos & Fire Hearts. Once they got a little notoriety, the moved to La Paz where the soon frightened
the conservatives. They rode around in their Prado jeep painted Rolls-Royce yellow,
wearing baggy pants & floral shirts. They sang in Spanish, Portuguese, &
Italian. They recorded “El Pobre”, their version of the Spanish band Los Pasos’
tune, in September 1968. That same year they were arrested by the army as
suspected guerillas supporting Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara because they had beards
& long hair. By the way, Los Burros are the guys on the cover. Their second
song is their version of "You'd Better Run" by The Young Rascals.
Los Bonny Boy's Hots – They were the first well-known
electronic band in Bolivia.
They worked on a lot of records accompanying singers for Lyra, but their most
interesting releases were their reworked & roomy recordings of various
artists. On this album they do a version of the famous song composed by Jorge
Bravo de la Rueda that was popularized by Yma Sumac, done to go-gó tempo. The song is about the mythical Incan Sun
virgins of the sixteenth century. Recorded in 1966, this instrumental was a
success in Bolivia.
It ushered in a spate of traditional
Incan songs set to the go-gó
pace.
The Loving Dark – Here
they are named The Loving Dark, but on their first EP they are called Amantes
Oscuros (Dark Lovers). The
group was formed in La Paz
by Argentinean guitarist-singer Felix Chavez & Bolivian drummer Boris
Rodriguez in the year 1969. Chavez was originally in the band Las Tortugas .Rodriguez
in Los Black Byrds, one of the pioneers of rock groups in Bolivia. They recorded three EP's
for Lyra by 1972. This version of "Complicated" by the Rolling Stones
comes from their second EP from late 1969. Their play sound has been described
as ‘BIG’: great guitar fuzz, demonic drums, groovy organ & bass at least 10
years ahead of their time.
Los Grillos – Los Grillos are probably the most
famous group of this compilation. Los Grillos began in 1967 under the name anglicized
name The Crickets in Cochabamba.
Shortly after forming, they changed their name to the Spanish Los Grillos. They
played the current popular dance music & they achieved great successes. They
regularly appeared on Bolivian & other South American television. They recorded
at least 20 EP's for Lyra & later their own label Grillo. In the 70s, they
played their own unique style of folk-rock with Andean sounds & Moog
synthesizers. The song here dates from 1968. It is one of their early
recordings. It is a famous Spanish popular song with lyrics by Federico Garcia
Lorca. However, the guitar solo make it worthy of inclusion here.
This album was re-released
in 2009 on CD.
Various - Psicofásicosde Bolivia, Discos del Condor cóndor001, 2003.
decryption code in comments
Lado A –
Intro - Inca Kola
Alto y Seco – Los
Daltons
Trata de Comprender – The
Dhag Dhags
La Gran Pelea – Los Ecos
Pena – The Blackstones
Un Mundo Para Mi – Los Tennyson
Rompe, Cruza o Ayudame –
Grupo 606
Tico Sicodélico – The Dhag
Dhags
Lado B –
Busco un Camino – Grupo
606
El Pobre – Los Burros
Es Mejor Que Corras –
Los Burros
Virgenes del Sol – Los Bonny Boy’s Hots
Complicado – The Loving
Dark
La Tarara – Los Grillos
Bohemio – The Dhag Dhags
Enjoy,
NØ
Thank you as always for these rare albums that you share in excellent quality. Sad to see such few comments for all of your efforts.
ReplyDeleteThank you as always for your kind words. The reward for any effort on my part is simply the sharing of music that perhaps someone (like yourself) will hopefully enjoy. Any comments are just icing on the cake. But thoughtful visitors like you make the whole process seem so much more productive. If there is ever anything you might be looking for musically, just let me know somewhere. I would be honored to help if I could.
DeleteVarious - Psicofasicos de Bolivia 1966-69
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