Browse by Artist: LOS BRINCOS

Artist:	LOS BRINCOS
Title:	Contrabando
Label:	VINILISSSIMO (SPAIN)
Format:	LP
Price:	$25.00
Catalog #:	MRSSS 006LP

Vinyl-only release. Reissue of the third album by Los Brincos, the best Spanish '60s pop band, acclaimed, then and now, as the equivalent of the Spanish Beatles. Partly recorded in London by Larry Page, it was released in 1968 and includes the hits "Lola," (no relation to The Kinks song) "El Pasaporte," "So Good To Dance" and "Nadie Te Quiere Ya." The sleeve was designed by filmmaker Iván Zulueta. Contrabando proved the band's viability after members Juan Pardo and Junior had left to start their own career as a duo. The other original members, Fernando Arbex and Manolo González, quickly rebuilt the four-piece with Ricky Morales -- Junior's younger brother -- and Vicente Fernández. Los Brincos remained faithful to their beat group aesthetic, but opened up to new musical possibilities. The album was recorded at the London studios of Pye, Decca and EMI (that is, the legendary Abbey Road, with engineer Geoff Emerick). For Fernando Arbex, it was essential to establish themselves in the international market and several songs were recorded in both English and Spanish. Until then, Los Brincos only recorded French and Italian versions. In order to help that international push, they enlisted Larry Page, who had had success with The Kinks and The Troggs. According to Manolo González, Page was involved "to a point" in the production and helped them complete a record that demanded efficiency and urgency (since recording studios were expensive in London at the time). The band also recorded other songs that were never released and are thought to be lost -- the Holy Grail of Brincos fans. But all of Larry Page's contacts weren't enough for the band to break through in the UK, where two singles were released on the producer's label, Page One. However, before the LP was released, "Lola" and "El Pasaporte" were big hits in Spain, making it clear that Juan & Junior hadn't taken the four-piece's audience with them. On this record, Los Brincos expanded their instrumental repertoire and arrangements into an eclectic crazy-quilt of playful, bouncy, inventive Spanish psych-pop: in the case of "Lola," those vaguely Mexican trumpets announced that Arbex was a composer with an instinct for mainstream tastes. Pressed on 180 gram vinyl in a limited edition of 1,000 copies only.

Artist:	LOS BRINCOS
Title:	Los Brincos
Label:	VINILISSSIMO (SPAIN)
Format:	LP
Price:	$25.00
Catalog #:	MRSSS 012LP

Vinyl-only release. Vinilísssimo reissues on vinyl for the first time the 1964 debut LP by Los Brincos, the Spanish answer to The Beatles. Los Brincos were Spain's first truly pop band and their songs, image and attitude represented a needed breath of fresh air in a stale music scene and a country under a dictatorship. Includes their hits "Flamenco" and "Dance The Pulga." Almost 50 years after their appearance, it's difficult to explain the huge break that Los Brincos represented. There'd been young bands in Spain since the late '50s, but they were limited by the lack of good instruments, scarce information and the lack of liberty under Franco's regime. Usually, these bands played cover songs of foreign hits and only released 4-song EPs. Suddenly, Los Brincos took it to another level: they wrote their own songs, and introduced themselves with an amazing debut LP supported by two EPs and two singles (until then a rare format in Spain). Novola, the recently created pop subsidiary of Zafiro, funded the adventure. Everything seemed rather impressive, from the looks -- Spanish capes, shoes with bells -- to the claim that they were going to cause "Brincosis," with its corresponding dance. However, they had genuine rock credentials: they had been members of Los Estudiantes and the very strong Los Pekenikes; both Juan and Junior had also recorded as solo artists. The Brincos' debut, released in late 1964, has the stamp of producer Maryní Callejo, whose text on the back cover shows a noticeable skepticism with regards to the "yé-yé" movement, even though she was key in giving shape to such confluence of talent. There are as many ballads as vibrant tracks; both extremes emphasize the band's vocal skills. Certain details prove that, beyond Liverpool, the band assimilated Mediterranean and Spanish-American melodic models as well. "Flamenco" made them stars. The song revealed the swagger that would become an essential part of their image. Pressed on 180 gram vinyl in a limited edition of 1,000 copies. Features the original artwork, plus an insert with liner notes in Spanish and English, and a reproduction of the original 45 and EP sleeves.

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