Ricardo Ceratto

Artist: Ricardo Ceratto

LP: Me Estoy Acostumbrando a Ti

Song: "Un Minuto de Silencio"

[ listen ]

Argentinian singer Ricardo Ceratto wore neat shirts (equally stylish in color or black & white) and enjoyed much musical success in his home country as well as in Mexico before he converted to Christianity in the 1980s. As we all know, Christians aren't supposed to be sexy or interesting, and they're not supposed to have hit records, so Ricardo donned some boring duds, started releasing records like this one, and discontinued the distribution of his earlier, non-religious LPs. I liked you better the other way, Ricardo. I hope God gave that cool shirt back to you as a reward when you got up to heaven. You can read about Mr. Ceratto in Spanish here, in English here, and go here to listen to one of his songs about God.

[ Ricardo Ceratto: July 18, 1939 — March 29, 1995 ]

Fedra y Maximiliano

Artist: Fedra y Maximiliano

LP: Un Muchacho, Una Muchacha

Song: "Angelitos Negros"

[ listen ]

No matter how hard they'd tried, the chips were stacked against Argentinian duo Fedra y Maximiliano as they attempted to record songs for their album that might somehow be even more exciting than their pants.

They didn't quite make it (those are amazing pants), but they came pretty close. Fedra and Maximiliano (real names Élida Navas—or Eli Salvador—and Pedro "Bebe" Muñoz) formed their singing duo in 1968, and were evidently together for fewer than five years, since the info I found online indicates that Pedro adopted the name "Maximiliano" only for that length of time. You can read about Fedra y Maximiliano in Spanish here (Fedra even chimes in with a comment!—but not Max; he passed away in 2008) and additional Spanish-language notes from the back of the "Un Muchacho, Una Muchacha" LP are included below—written by Oscar Cardozo Ocampo, whose orchestra provides accompaniment on the record. There's a neat YouTube music video of Fedra and Max you can watch here:

Fedra y Maximiliano on YouTube:

[ "Cuéntame" ]

Los Cuatro Soles

Artist: Los Cuatro Soles

LP: Los Cuatro Soles: Canta Beto Orlando

Song: "Volvamos a Encontrarnos, Vieja Amiga"

[ listen ]

The second record store I visited in Ohio, after getting lost for about 20 minutes and ending up in some gigantic industrial park, was Shake It Records—located a ways north of downtown Cincinnati in the charming Hamilton Avenue district. Since I had a birthday while away in Ohio, my good friend Carrie here in Seattle surprised me by arranging for a Shake It Records gift certificate to be waiting for me when I arrived. I found lots of great used vinyl in the basement of the shop, including this terrific LP by Los Cuatro Soles. (As you can see here, about halfway down the page under the "Beto Orlando" heading, this album may have originally been released by EMI in Argentina in 1971, but the date on my UA Latina USA release is 1973—the same year Beto left his Four Suns behind and went solo). One of the things I like best about Shake It Records is that they know you're not supposed to put an apostrophe before the "s" when advertizing the selling of plural LPs, CDs, and DVDs.

[ Shake It Record's — Cincinnati, OH ]

Facundo Cabral

Artist: Facundo Cabral

LP: No Soy De Aqui

Song: "Faderico Colectivero"

[ listen ]

Song: "No Soy De Aqui"

[ listen ]

Argentine singer Facundo Cabral once said, "Every morning is good news, every child that is born is good news, every just man is good news, every singer is good news, because every singer is one less soldier." I'd like to add that every male Latin-American singer who uses string arrangements in his songs, who sounds kinda' like Bob Dylan and who is pictured holding a broom on one of his LP covers is also good news. You can read all about Facundo Cabral and find lots more of his thoughtful quotes on Wikipedia here. "No Soy De Aqui" is one of the two records I found at End of an Ear in Austin last Friday when my friend John-Mark took me on an afternoon record-hunting spree. (Of course, this was only after enjoying a greasy, hearty breakfast at Arkie's Grill—where they'd been filming a movie with Jack Black and Matthew McConaughey the night before!) I forgot to take a picture of End of an Ear while I was there, but I found a nice nighttime shot of the store on the web.

 

[ End of an Ear Records in Austin, TX ]

Conjunto TNT

Artist: Conjunto TNT

LP: Peligro Explosivos

Song: "Eso"

[ listen ]

Here's a neat song from an old various artists record from Argentina featuring a bunch of wonderful Latin-American groups and singers... plus Neil Sedaka. I don't know what country Conjunto TNT is originally from, so if anyone reading this has an idea, please speak up. What I do know is that their music is dynamite! I'll be leaving in a few hours to go camping in the Colville National Forest, but thought I should pop online to post this before I go. I'm not much of an outdoorsman and figure there's about a 50/50 chance I'll be eaten by bears.

Los Angeles Negros

Artist: Los Angeles Negros

LP: Con Todo Mi Amor
Song: "Porque No Soy Poeta"
[ listen ]

The annual Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival is in full swing, and I've decided to post something from Latin America today in honor of the two documentaries I watched last night. Amancio: Two Faces on a Tombstone explores the hate-crime murder of 23-year-old gay female impersonator Amancio Corrales in Yuma, Arizona in May of 2005. Frustrated with the lack of response from the local sheriff's investigation unit, Michael Baughman—an elderly gay man and long-time Yuma resident—starts a community project in order to raise awareness and hopefully bring Amancio's killer to justice. The filmmaking is a little clunky, but it's a moving story and I recommend watching it if you get the chance. Unfortunately I can't say the same for the other film, Paolo, about a melodramatic and self-absorbed Peruvian clotheshorse living in NYC who decides to return to Peru to visit family and search for his estranged father. For a doc purportedly focused on cultural alienation and long-lost family connections, Paolo spends an alarming amount of screen time prancing around in his underwear. The women in Paolo's life are generally more interesting and charming than he, but they're relegated to duties of constant fawning, as Paolo seems to grow impatient with any conversation that isn't about him. Ultimately, we learn that finally meeting his father face-to-face is lower on Paolo's priority list than an upcoming Madonna concert. You can see what other films are playing in the festival here, and you can read about the band Los Angeles Negros on Wikipedia here, though the site's dates may be slightly off. According to the back of the LP, "Con Todo Mi Amor" was recorded in Argentina in 1973, which—according to the online encyclopedia—would be three years before the Chilean band reformed in Argentina. Here are the notes from the back of the LP:

LOS ANGELES NEGROS, el grupo Argentino que se consagro
con el super-hit "Y VOLVERE," ahora forma parte del elenco
UA Latino. PRESENTAMOS estas ultimas grabaciones,
efectuadas por la prestigiosa marca ODEON de Argentina,
en este LP titulado "CON TODO MI AMOR," que sera
un exito mas de LOS ANGELES NEGROS.

Barbara and Dick

Artist: Barbara and Dick

LP: Oh! El Amor

Song: "Adios Se Va"
[ listen ]

Here's a neat little treat from down Argentine way. I wasn't able to find much info about Barbara and Dick on the web—though according to my Google image search, the couple has retired and are now living in Fort Smith, Arkansas where they pass the hours swinging on their porch and drinking Snapple. If anyone knows what else they've been up to, please let me know. In the meantime, there's a brand-new bargain-priced copy of this terrific 1977 LP at Flipside Records here if anyone wants it.

Sandro

Artist: Sandro

LP: Espectacular

Song: "Dame el Fuego de tu Amor"
[ listen ]
Song: "Porque es Amor y Mucho Mas"
[ listen ]

Argentinian heartthrob Sandro (real name Roberto Sánchez) was born August 19, 1945. He was the first singer to do a televised concert via satellite from Madison Square Garden (in April of 1970) and he's starred in a number of Argentinian films, including "Quiero Llenarme de Ti (I Want to Fill Myself With You)." You can read more about Sandro in English here, watch some titillating Sandro performance videos here and here, and click here to visit "A Todo Sandro," a lively Spanish-language website where you'll learn everything you've ever wanted to know about the singer. The Spanish-language notes from Sandro's 1971 "Espectacular" LP are included below, with an English translation provided by BabelFish.

SANDRO-ESPECTACULAR

Con: Jorge Leone y su Orq.

5 de Setiembre de 1971. Por primera vez en el año Sandro
hacia su esperada presentación en televisión, presentación
dilatada por múltiples giras a través de América y Europa y
por su intenso trabajo cinematográfico. Durante una hora y
medina las pantallas de T.V. mostaron a un Sandro en la
plentitud de su fantástica carrera artistica, con
todo su fibra, su ternura, su misterio.

Fueron presentados a modo de adelanto, algunos de los
temas que integran este Long Play, temas que según pudimos
apreciar, tuvieron notable repercusión en el público que estaba
esperando sus nuevos creaciones. Una de las que causó
mayor impacto fue "Es el Amante," totalmente recitado con el
único acompañamiento de la guitarra de Hebert Orlando, integrando
un cuadro, de reminiscencias, españolas. Ello nos movió a incluir en
esta larga duración la banda de sonido directamente tomada "en
vivo" de su interpretación de "Es el Amante," realizada en los
estudios de televisión de Canal 11, rodeado de cámaras,
reflectores y público prefiriendo el "clima" que todo eso
involucra a la perfección técnica de un solitario
estudio de grabación.

* * * * * * *

5 of September of 1971. For the first time in the Sandro year
towards its awaited presentation in television, presentation
expanded by multiple tours through America and Europe and
by its intense cinematographic work. During one hour and
medina the T.V. screens mostaron to a Sandro in plentitud
of its fantastic artistic race, with all their fiber, its
tenderness, its mystery.

They were presented/displayed as an advance, some of
subjects that integrate this Long Play, subjects that according
to we could to appreciate, they had remarkable repercussion
in the public who was waiting for its new creations. One of
that it caused greater impact was "She Is the Lover," totally
recited with the unique support of the guitar of Hebert Orlando,
integrating a picture, of reminiscences, Spaniards. It moved
to us to include in this long duration the band of sound directly
taken "in vivo" of its interpretation of "She Is the Lover,"
realised in the studies of television of Channel 11, surrounded
by cameras, reflectors and public preferring "clima" that all that
it involves perfectly technical of a solitaire recording studio.