Song of the day – 114: Los Saicos
As someone wrote on YouTube underneath this clip, “Everything we used to know about rock and roll is false”.
What can I say? Until a couple of hours I didn’t have the slightest idea who Peruvian underground 60s garage group Los Saicos were. Now, I can’t even begin to imagine how I got this far without them. Their music, if you want to be crass about it, supplies some weird South American link between The Monks, The Trashmen (‘Surfin’ Bird’) and anything depraved Lux Interior once turned his hand to… but, much as I respect Mr Interior’s curation skills back in the late 70s, I can’t imagine even he was aware of this razor-sharp, gravel-throated combo. They outdo early Beatles in the impassioned ballad stakes, honest. The drumming is immaculate (you can’t imagine that for one instant that sticks man Pancho once crossed his arms). The rockabilly inflexion is genius. But it’s the vocals on tracks like ‘Ven Aqui’ and ‘Demolición’ that I keep coming back to. Honest to Bangs, they drip menace and charisma and swagger.
Here, have a listen for yourself.
Spain’s peerless Munster Records have just reissued… well, everything by Los Saicos in a typically sumptuous package, the one pictured in the advert below. I believe that Munster were also partly responsible for the most recent resurgence in interest in The Monks, so they have form - and certainly ‘Camisa de fuerza’ could be mistaken for the bowl-headed gentlemen’s finer moments. And Munster are certainly responsible for the incredible current reissue of all Daniel Johnston‘s early cassettes.
So, check them out. Totally incredible stuff.
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Tim Footman said…
Second from the left – isn’t that Seve Ballesteros?
JUNE 29, 2010 4:35 PM
supercrass said…
glad to see you’ve found/like them.
i was lucky enough to “discover” them earlier this year while on a trip to portugal. immediately after a spanish band (brmc-type) finished thier set, the room was filled the sound of “demolicion” and kids going nuts on the dancefloor to it. a great and very memorable sight.
through emails and instant messages to a friend who was at the gig (and sick of hearing from me), he was able to track down the dj and inquire about the song. needless to say, it was worth the wait, suspense and determination to just learn their name of the band.
it’s almost like discovering another breed of life on this planet since we thought we were aware of everyhing around us.
JUNE 30, 2010 7:15 AM
Yr Heartout said…
Cracking stuff. And something else to investigate. I almost refrained from commenting, afraid of stating the blooming obvious, but that line’s so right: “Everything we used to know about rock and roll is false”. To which I can only add: “Thank god!”
JULY 2, 2010 9:04 PM
(from Facebook)
Joe Kingman, Brett Hartenbach and 2 others like this.
Andrea Pavanello
DEMOLIR! DEMOLIR! DEMOLIR!
29 June at 19:21 · Like ·
JULY 3, 2010 9:41 PM
(from Facebook)
Simon Sweetman, Sive Negric and Franny Glass like this.
Hugh Brown
Just as well I don’t know anything about Rock N Roll, then …
Wednesday at 12:47 · Like ·
Angus Stevenson
Colon!
Wednesday at 20:04 · Like ·
JULY 3, 2010 9:42 PM
(from Facebook)
Rod Sáez Chávez, Jordy Trachtenberg, Caitlin Hays and 2 others like this.
Roddy Thomson
‘Jesus Fuck’ is my favorite, and most used swear.
Thursday at 11:13 · Like ·
Russell Birrer
awesome..will have to investigate further..
Thursday at 11:35 · Like ·
Rod Sáez Chávez
demoler, demoler!!!
it is amazing Los Saicos were discovered 40 years later.
Thursday at 12:26 · Like ·
John Dowd
yo!
Thursday at 13:06 · Like ·
Jodi Biddle
I liked them. Super catchy. Wish I could sing along.
Thursday at 13:13 · Like ·
Ben Harding
Mmmm, growly!
Thursday at 15:42 · Like ·
Rod Sáez Chávez
not now, but I can ytanscribe the lyrics
Thursday at 15:47 · Like ·
Alexander Nutt
but what about The Sonics? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sonics
Yesterday at 01:42 · Like ·
JULY 3, 2010 9:43 PM