And the unearthing of various psychedelic-era obscurities continues. In this case, the chosen representatives -- reflecting turn of the century interest in a comparatively little-known Latin American '60s scene -- were from Venezuela; a teenage trio signed for a three-album contract that only recorded the one in 1968. The sparse liner notes indicate that it was pretty much the band's
standard
set, and as such, reveals that they were essentially a cover group with a fondness for
soul
-- the sole original,
"Gonna Ride,"
kicks things off. It's actually a surprisingly blasting number once it hits the chorus, guitarist
Alvaro Falcon
going certifiably crazy via overdubs (in interesting contrast, the band's also good at simply cutting out fully for dramatic pauses). Bassist/singer
Jesus Toro
's slight accent tinges an otherwise standard-enough
rock
/
blues
delivery of the time, while the whole song ends on a wonderfully bemusing let-the-tape-slow-down note. After that, it's a reasonably
selection in terms of musicians to reinterpret, though with admittedly sometimes intriguing song choices as representatives. For instance, though
Jimi Hendrix
was clearly an obvious influence on the group, tackling
"Highway Child,"
"51st Anniversary,"
and
"Stone Free"
instead of
"Purple Haze"
"Foxy Lady"
showed more originality then than
Lenny Kravitz
now. Similarly, trying out
Cream
's notorious example of proto-arena-wank,
"Toad"
is clearly either inspired or flat-out nuts, right down to drummer
Richard Rumaitre
's over-the-top
Ginger Baker
impression. Not everything is a surprise -- there's the
Leiber & Stoller
"Kansas City,"
Procol Harum
's
"Whiter Shade of Pale,"
Robert Johnson
-via-
"Crossroads,"
and so forth. But sometimes, the juxtapositions are surprisingly inspired -- if
"When a Man Loves a Woman"
won't supplant
Percy Sledge
's take, credit to
Toro
for trying his best, and to the band as a whole for balancing implied heft with just enough restraint. ~ Ned Raggett