Record: Los Saicos
Label: Electro Harmonix
Year of Release: 1964-1965 (originally recorded) Released in 1999
Sounds Like: Proto-Punk, Punk, Garage, Rockabilly, Horror Punk
Peru
Los Saicos were a Peruvian band from Lince, Lima in Peru. They became one of the biggest examples of Latin American Rock of the 60's and signified a big influence in basically all the indie rock and roll bands that later came out in the area. Not just that, they also are one of the very first American bands (in non English-speaking territories) that recorded and wrote their own material, taking into account that most of bands at the time used to make covers of famous songs by British and US bands.
The original line up was composed by Erwin Flores (Voice, guitar and the master mind behind the project), the unfortunately deceased Ronaldo Carpio, aka ''el Chino'' ( second guitar), César Castrillón, aka ''El Papi'' (bass) and Francisco Guevara aka Pancho, playing drums (also deceased).
''Wild Teen Punk from Peru'' Is nothing but a bootleg that features the most important pieces by the group. Straight angry chords, three (or even two) string rock, lyrics about subversion or naive love (and naive subversion).
Does It Work?
Regina Says: Los Saicos are sometimes regarded as the inventors of punk, this may look wild and extreme for some listeners, some agree and other keep saying that Iggy Pop is the holder of that title. And, yeah, it is kinda hazardous ( though many of the ingredients of the genre are present in these recordings). Getting into that heated discussion rarely brings anything new. Peruvians and Latin American people in general can feel fine since there is a band from those places that can fight for the trophy reserved ''for the inventors of Punk-whatever''
Does this really matter? Certainly not.
The most important thing that we should not neglect is that Los Saicos were true and real vanguard.
Los Saicos were almost Avant Garde musicians for their time! They refused to create more sugary pop songs and decided to go for something more destructive and clearly destroyed. The conception of Rock as something that we use to detach ourselves from the standard media and noise. Beyond that, Los Saicos did all this without any help, rock music was hardly reachable in Peru when they began, so the external influence was null. They confess that James Dean was the main inspiration for their concept of teenage rebellion, but not very much in matters of sound. Where did this rhythm come from? We may never know. Los Saicos practiced the luxury of their visceral hatred without any gag and connected with the general public. They combined rage, arrogance, anarchy, with lyrics that went straight to the point and a primitive musical talent (there is no song by them that lasts more than 2:30 minutes) in the clearest punk attitude of the South American west coast. His wild roll had absolutely nothing to do with what was done at the same time in Argentina (Sandro and Los De Fuego), Brazil (Renato e Seus Blue Caps), or Mexico (Enrique Guzmán and The Teen Tops) ... they were a social menace.
Flores' voice is one of the most unpleasant and great that I have ever heard in my life, it is coarse, full of energy and like no other at the time. If they were not the inventors of punk, they can be the inventors of an unkempt singing style that years after was freely exploited by Lydon.
I really love this thing. I think it is essential to understand rock in general. Its effervescence flows into you quickly as baking soda. Easy to assimilate, great to listen to and important to check out at least once in your life.
Rate: Imprescindible
Hugo Menanth Says: Alongside ''The Monks'', Los Saicos are the rawest, most efficient and plane music of the 60's. Hence, proto-punk. These two bands are in my opinion, the seeds of punk, the only two seeds that existed. Their original name was going to be ''Los Sadicos'' (''The Sadistic ones'', no other band at that time would have thought of a name like that) Overlooking them would be a huge mistake.
Nor MC5 neither The Sonics were so lucid and discordant with whatever they made. Los Saicos were this kind of band: a band that didn't have to fight for rights, because they weren't punks yet, but also that didn't have to be aware of cops or bigger authorities given that they were just kids playing their guitars. Yes, they were basically good boys trying to be bad, and they were so good at being bad. You just need to pick ''Demolicion'' to get the full picture: the hoarse cry of Flores "ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ya-ya-ya" begins a kind of anarchist allegation (Let's demolish the train station / Let's demolish the train station / Demolish, Demolish, Demolish / Demolish, demolish the train station) that breaks any forecast. Unconscious vandalism, carefree and ... funny. A dangerous and irresistible cocktail.
Just like Regina says, Los Saicos have an enormous merit, specially because unlike other bands in the United States or Europe, rock and roll was basically non existent in their country, Peru. Producers had no idea of what they were trying to go,engineers considered them crazy, all this give the songs a lo fi, unpredictable experimentation that no one fully gets. Demolicion and El entierro de los Gatos are extremely anticipated songs, so ahead of their time. Love rock and roll and haven't heard this so far?
Not possible.
Rate: Imprescindible