Sapo. 1974 Bell
This is another one of those fantastic Latin rock albums from the early 70s. Sapo has Malo written all over them, and if you like Malo, you're highly likely to enjoy this. The primary difference is that Sapo is not as guitar centered as the Santana influenced bands can be. Oscar Estrella (ironically not the star) is a very competent guitarist, but he gets scant chance to show off. In his place is some dynamite horn charts, some thumpin' rhythms, and Kincaid Miller's excellent electric piano and Clavinet work. All the tracks have great melodies and they usually segue into each other for one super listening session.
Chango, Dakila, Macondo, El Chicano, and the rest of them could be tossed into this stack. It's a winning formula where the percussion and bass drive each track forward, followed by the main course of organ, guitar, horns, etc... And just as the music shuts down to close off the track, the engine starts again for another drive. I, for one, would like to see a Latin Rock renaissance.
Priority: 2There's some gray area reissues out there but nothing definitive.
10/18/10; 8/19/21; 6/11/23
3 comments:
Hey Tom, this is indeed a cool LP. But, there's something I've been wondering about this one. It's that the vocalist sounds almost EXACTLY like the guy from Rodan! I mean, to me at least it's almost uncanny. There's even some musical similarities, at least on the tracks that have more of a horn presence. I think both bands were from California, and both albums came out the same year. I only have a CD-R of the Rodan, so I can't compare the lineups. Do you know of any connection here?
Oh, and if you don't mind I have one other question for you. The Spaces "Border Station" LP you recently featured looks really cool to me, and I'd like to find a copy. But, I can't seem to find any mention of it online aside from you. The generic title doesn't make the search any easier, either. I am finding many copies of an album by a band also named Spaces, also from 1981 and also listed as "jazz" in most descriptions. The thing is, it's on Arista and has a different cover (although also very "disco" looking). I'm assuming this is a totally different group, but it's kind of confusing. Can you give me any other details on the LP you have, like where the group or label might have been from so I can have a better idea of where to look?
Okay, sorry for the long message and thanks for any info you might be able to give me!
Hi Rob, Some very interesting observations there. I'm not going to be much help at this point I'm afraid. I don't own any of the LPs in question. Rodan and Sapo are in possession of a local friend here in DFW. What I know about Rodan is from the Digital Cellars website.
Quoting:
"MAX (a.k.a. RODAN) was a high-energy rock/jazz/funk fusion outfit active during the early/mid-1970s.
The band gigged extensively throughout California, and toured with bands such as Tower of Power and MALO.
MAX had label interest, although a deal never panned out. Shortly before disbanding in 1974, they released an album under the name "RODAN" on the private label Pandora. Limited to a couple hundred copies, this underground collectible has fetched several hundred dollars amongst avid horn-rock fans. "
I keep hoping they will indeed reissue this album!
As for the Spaces - best I can tell it's definitely not the album on Arista. I received this CD-R from my friend Mike who resides in the Midwest. I'll ask him for more. I found the photo in an old ebay auction.
Look in this space for an update.
Hi Rob - Spaces Border Station entry updated.
Post a Comment