La conferencia secreta del Toto's Bar
| La conferencia secreta del Toto's Bar | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | December 1968 | |||
| Genre | Psychedelic pop | |||
| Length | 35:00 | |||
| Label | Odeon Pops | |||
| Los Shakers chronology | ||||
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La conferencia secreta del Toto's Bar is the third studio album by Uruguayan rock band Los Shakers. It was released in December 1968 on the Odeon Pops label.[1]
It has been called the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band of Latin America and widely considered one of the most important albums in the history of rock en español.[2]
Composition
[edit]According to writer Abril Trigo the album combines "the band's old passions for bossa nova and jazz (what they called calimbo) with popular traditional local genres like tango, candombe, and murga, and includes some powerful arrangements á la John Coltrane and bandoneón solos á la Astor Piazzolla".[3]
Reception and influence
[edit]In 2023, Rolling Stone listed La conferencia secreta del Toto's Bar as one of the 50 best Latin American rock albums of all time, calling it "a key step in the emancipation of Latin rock." It was one of four Uruguayan albums to make the list.[4] The Forward called the album "a psychedelic Latin American masterpiece."[5]
The Argentine newspaper Clarín described the album as "today a cult object among Argentine rockers" and "a very personal work and a defined style, beyond the inevitable influences."[6]
The music site Consequence noted the album's strong Sgt. Pepper's influence but says "there are plenty of instances where Los Shakers innovate The Beatles’ formula by incorporating the music of their native Uruguay...La conferencia does justice to both The Beatles and to the rising 1960s Uruguayan music scene."[7]
In giving Los Shakers founder Hugo Fattoruso its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019, the Latin Recording Academy cited La conferencia as "a definitive masterpiece of the genre."[8]
In a retrospective review, NPR called the album "masterful...La Conferencia Secreta serves as a kind of time capsule of a pivotal moment in 1960s Uruguay: a moment when rock was becoming politicized and a new, far more organic musical sensibility began to take hold." It also noted the album's politically oriented lyrics, such as the title track's retelling of the January 1962 meeting in Punta del Este, Uruguay that led to the expulsion of Cuba from the Organization of American States.[9]
In his essay "Cultural Modalities and Cross-Cultural Connections: Rock across Class and Ethnic Identities," Gustavo Verdesio writes that the album's second track, "Candombe," by featuring Afro-Uruguayan rhythms (candombe), marked "the first time a Latin American or Spanish-speaking rock band added local musical elements to the rock song format in a successful way," forming "the missing link between the clones who sang the English-speaking world hits in Spanish and the Latin American rock that chose a less mimetic path."[10]
The book Rock en Español: The Latin Alternative Rock Explosion lists La conferencia as one of the 100 most important albums in Latin American rock history.[11]
The Uruguayan musician Rubén Rada wrote: "What they did with Toto's Bar was something insane. A masterpiece. The melodies, the harmonies of the voices, the orchestrations, incredible. Very psychedelic. On top of that, they put in a beautiful candombe. And Pelín [Roberto 'Pelín' Capobianco] plays the bandoneon in the Ciruela song, 'Más largo que el Ciruela,' which has a Piazzolla feel to it. It was the first time that a bandoneon was put into rock. You listen to the album today and you die, you can't stop crying."[12]
Track listing
[edit]All tracks are written by Hugo Fattoruso and Osvaldo Fattoruso, except where noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "La conferencia secreta del Toto's Bar / Mi tía Clementina" | 5:09 |
| 2. | "Candombe" | 3:19 |
| 3. | "Acostumbro a ver TV los martes 36" | 2:58 |
| 4. | "Una forma de arco iris" | 3:03 |
| 5. | "Siempre tú" | 2:34 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 6. | "B.B.B. Band" | 2:32 |
| 7. | "Yo recuerdo mi mundo" | 2:43 |
| 8. | "Oh, mi amigo" | 2:13 |
| 9. | "El pino y la rosa" | 3:03 |
| 10. | "Señor carretera el encantado" | 3:21 |
| 11. | "Más largo que el ciruela" | 3:29 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Aleluya" | 1:57 |
| 13. | "No llames más por teléfono, nena" | 2:40 |
| 14. | "Solo bailo samba" (Antonio Carlos Jobim, Vinicius De Moraes) | 1:42 |
| 15. | "Adorable Lola" | 2:19 |
| 16. | "Cuando tenga sesenta y cuatro" (Lennon–McCartney) | 2:48 |
Personnel
[edit]- Hugo Fattoruso - lead vocals, lead guitar, piano, organ, accordion, celeste, percussion
- Osvaldo Fattoruso - backing vocals, rhythm guitar, drums, percussion, shared lead vocals on "La Conferencia Secreta Del Toto's Bar - Mi Tia Clementina (The Secret Toto's Bar Conference - My Aunt Clementine)" and "Mas Largo Que El Ciruela (Higher Than My Tower)"
- Roberto "Pelín" Capobianco - backing vocals, bass guitar, bandoneon, cello, percussion
- Carlos "Caio" Vila - backing vocals, drums, percussion
- Unknown: string and brass instruments
References
[edit]- ^ "Los Shakers – la Conferencia Secreta del Toto's Bar (1968, Vinyl)". Discogs.
- ^ "Los Shakers – La Conferencia Secreta del Toto's Bar | Eu Escuto". www.euescuto.com.br. Archived from the original on 2015-11-25.
- ^ Pacini Hernandez, Deborah; Zolov, Eric; Fernandez-L'Hoeste, Hector, eds. (2004). "Uruguayan Rock". Rockin' Las Américas: The Global Politics of Rock in Latin/o America. University of Pittsburgh Press. p. 120. ISBN 978-0822958413.
- ^ Lechner, Ernesto (18 September 2023). "The 50 Best Latin-American Rock Albums". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
- ^ Epstein, Dan (1 April 2018). "Did Simon & Garfunkel Write The Jewish 'Sgt. Pepper?'". The Forward. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
- ^ Clarín, Redacción (4 October 2005). "El grupo que hizo época en los 60". Clarín (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 August 2024.
- ^ "10 Albums That Might Not Exist Without Sgt. Pepper's". Consequence of Sound. 1 June 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
- ^ "The Latin Recording Academy to honor Eva Ayllón, Joan Baez, José Cid, Lupita D'alessio, Hugo Fattoruso, Pimpinela, Omara Portuondo, and José Luis Rodríguez "El Puma" with The Lifetime Achievement Award". Latin Recording Academy. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
- ^ Zolov, Eric (25 July 2011). "Shakers And Mockers: Uruguay's Place In Latin Rock History". NPR. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
- ^ Castro-Klaren, Sara (21 March 2013). A Companion to Latin American Literature and Culture. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-118-66135-2. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
- ^ Lechner, Ernesto (2006). Rock en Español: The Latin Alternative Rock Explosion. Chicago Review Press. ISBN 978-1-55652-603-9. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
- ^ Rada, Rubén (22 April 2014). Rada (in Spanish). AGUILAR. ISBN 978-9974-95-775-6. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
External links
[edit]- La conferencia secreta del Toto's Bar at Discogs (list of releases)
- La conferencia secreta del Toto's Bar statistics, tagging and previews at Last.fm
- La conferencia secreta del Toto's Bar at Rate Your Music
