THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,173) Alacran — “Sticky”
From the Spanish Beatles (see #1,172) to the Spanish Santana . . . here is Fernando Arbex’s band Alacran’s “Sticky” with its “irresistibly funky rhythm of the bongos and drums along with the wrenching sound of the guitar”. (https://johnkatsmc5.tumblr.com/post/153820812504/alacr%C3%A1n-alacr%C3%A1n-1971-mega-rare-private-spanish) Tom Moon says:
From the very first expression of the . . . refrain, [guitarist Oscar] Lasprilla[] . . . bring[s] a kind of savage lunacy to the proceedings. His sound is its own energy field. His recurring . . . answering phrase is delivered with such crisp articulation – and brute force – it literally leaps from the center of the mix to burrow into your cranium. The brief guitar solo is notable for its open spaces, with Lasprilla tossing out unpredictable, contorted twists of phrase and then hanging back to let them sink in. . . . [His lead guitar on the album is] glinting, treble-forward, gorgeously knifelike.
https://echolocator.substack.com/p/why-alacran-matters
“Be what you want Be what you like Do what you want, baby Do what you like Be cool Be free”
Of the album, “for many is one of the musical jewels of Spanish Rock, fed on many types of musical fuel; From progressive rock/psychedelic, to Funky, to the Latin Rock that was so much heard in the US at the time. The influence of black music is very well reflected in some of its themes.” (https://johnkatsmc5.tumblr.com/post/153820812504/alacr%C3%A1n-alacr%C3%A1n-1971-mega-rare-private-spanish) Thom Jurek rhapsodizes:
Recorded in 1969 and issued with no promotion on either side of the Atlantic, the album nonetheless captured the attention of the youth culture in their homeland and in parts of the rest of Europe. Remarkably, the edginess of the guitars and the deep Latin groove in the rhythms and minor-key melodies draw inevitable — and accurate — comparisons to Santana. Alacran is far more psychedelic and garage-y than the Santana band and, being a power trio, relied on the blues more as well. But nonetheless, this is the sound of Latin rock at the beginning, and the album is stellar. Alacran disbanded when Lasprilla moved to England, and the two remaining members formed the legendary Barrabas. The Alacran disc, however, is better than all of the Barrabas efforts put together. It remains an underground classic in the 21st century.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/alacran-mw0000531957
As to Alacran, Forced Exposure tells us:
Powerful hard-rock with West Coast, psychedelic, prog, and Latin-rock touches from Spain, featuring killer lead guitar and organ, sung in English. The missing link between Los Brincos and Barrabas! Alacrán was a Spanish power-trio formed by legendary drummer, songwriter and producer Fernando Arbex along with guitar/keyboard player Oscar Lasprilla and bass player/singer Ignacio “Iñaki” Egaña. Fernando and Oscar had previously played in famous Spanish beat band Los Brincos; Fernando was a founding member and Oscar, who came from Colombia where he had been part of Los Speakers . . . . Iñaki Egaña was an acclaimed bass player who came from psych/blues band Los Buenos. So basically, these are three of the best musicians from the Spanish ’60s-70s scene. When they started to play together, chemistry occurred and soon, guided by Fernando, they entered the studio to lay down some tracks. Alacrán was the result, the only album by this short-lived power-trio, recorded in 1969 but not released until 1971 (as a self-released edition, distributed by the Zafiro label). It was released in Spain and Brazil but despite the good reviews and interest from some record labels in the US, the band never got to play live and soon they split. Alacrán was over but Barrabas, featuring Fernando and Iñaki, was born…
https://www.forcedexposure.com/Artists/ALACRAN.html
As to the album, Tom Moon is more equivocal (other than regarding Lasprilla):
There’s nothing particularly innovative about the self-titled debut . . . . [It] is built on common currency rock drum patterns (spiced by conga, cowbell and other percussion), and typical blues-based rhythm guitar patterns. . . . . [B]y the time [Fernando Arbex] assembled Alacran, he knew how to cast a spell with simple musical devices. Arbex’ songs for Alacran, which are sung in not terribly artful English . . . are mostly vamps. . . . [T]hese carefree tracks . . . would work magic rattling from a transistor radio on a crowded beach on the Spanish coast. It’s easy to dismiss records like this on grounds of copycatism or bandwagon jumping. . . . Not saying it’s an error to do that . . . . But . . . you would miss [Lasprilla] . . . .
https://echolocator.substack.com/p/why-alacran-matters
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