IIn most British or American documentaries about rock bands, the bad guys are the managers or record brokers who steal the group’s money or force them to compromise their art. In the new Netflix docuseries Break It All, which covers the vast history of rock bands in Latin America, the bad guys go far beyond that level of evil. “We were opposed to the military junta in Argentina for real enemies, ”said Nicolas Entel, who wrote the series. In Chile they revolted against Pinochet. You cannot get a character worse than Pinochet. “
“People were put in prison for being musicians,” said Gustavo Santaolalla, a pioneering figure in the Latin rock scene who worked as a producer on the project. “So there is a great context for this music.”
The result has given Break It All (or Rompan Todo in Spanish) a level of drama, depth and consequence that few rock docs can match. Amid its dense expanse of six episodes, the show tells of “missing” or murdered musicians during the fascist regimes of the 60s, 70s and 80s, including Victor Jara in Chile; widespread censorship, including a decade-long ban on rock in Mexico in the 1970s; and a steady press characterization of the bands as depraved subversives. At the same time, Latin America has managed to produce a virtual goldmine of guitar-driven bands since the 1960s that, according to Santaolalla, “sometimes surpassed the content of the rock produced in the Anglo world.”
Yet many of those groups have little or no profile outside of Latin America – especially the fundamental groups in the first two decades. Considering the hundreds of great bands the region has produced, it’s no surprise that the series’ creators had to leave out many. According to Santaolalla, they focused on “bands influencing other bands, not just in their own country but in others”.
The series begins in the early 1960s, when groups like Los Teen Tops from Mexico and Los Shakers from Uruguay largely imitated Anglo rock acts. But towards the end of the 60s, bands like Los Jaivas from Chile and Arco Iris from Argentina found their own rhythms and inflections, some of which came from their local folkloric culture. “We realized that we didn’t just want to sing in our own language, we wanted to Play in our own language, ”said Santaolalla, standing in front of Arco Iris. “This was a rock of its own.”
While the series includes artists from many Latin American countries, it focuses on those from Mexico and Argentina. “In this context, Argentina is the UK and Mexico is the US,” said Entel.
As the series moves on to the 1990s and beyond, more bands from the region will become more famous outside of Latin America, including Café Tacuba in Mexico and Aterciopelados in Colombia. Santaolalla said that was because more acts began touring the US, encouraged by the increasing Latino demographics there, as well as the support of stars like Beck and David Byrne. “David Byrne stated that the future of rock is not in England or the United States, but in the developing world,” said Santaolalla. “I believe that Latin America is at the forefront of that third world.”
But if the future looks brighter for current bands from that region, the ones that spawned the movement remain unclear to many. Here’s a listening guide to the 1960s and 70s Latin rock acts everyone should know:
Loose Teen Tops
One of the first bands to translate rock’n’roll into Spanish, Los Teen Tops became a sensation in their native Mexico, covering the proven hits of trailblazing American rockers, from Elvis Presley to Little Richard. But it wasn’t all mimicry. They rewrote the lyrics of the songs and added their own inflections. At Los Teen’s hands, Little Richard’s rolling Good Golly turned Miss Molly into their wacky La Plaga. Likewise, their take on Boney Maroney used Enrique Guzmán’s robust voice and the band’s certain rhythm to give the song a new character, giving them a number 1 Mexican hit.
Los Shakers
Although they tended to sing in English rather than Spanish, Los Shakers’ ability to recreate the effervescence of the early Beatles in their own compositions inspired a whole wave of new bands in their native Uruguay. The brothers behind the group, Hugo and Osvaldo Fattoruso, brainstormed Los Shakers after watching A Hard Day’s Night, going so far as to recreate the fab four’s shaggy hairstyles and dapper suits. Their smash Break Everything became a Top 10 hit in Argentina, leading to a full-scale invasion of Uruguayan bands in that country.
Los Saicos
One of the wildest garage bands of all time was born in 1964 in a beautiful middle class section of Lima, Peru. Despite the polite environment, the band’s teenage frontman, Edwin Flores, had a demonic voice that captured the joyful depravity of singles like Demolición. Think Surfin ‘Bird by the Trashmen, but with an extra snarl.
Los Gatos
This Argentine group, whose name translates as the Cats, formed a bridge between the Spanish-language rock of the mid-60s and the region’s later psychedelic forays. Their groundbreaking hit, La Balsa, had garage rock’s prickly Farfisa organ, as well as the kind of sweet melody and waving harmonies that put the Byrds in the air. Their breakthrough in 1967 inspired an explosion of bands in Buenos Aires.
La Revolucion de Emiliano Zapata
In 1969, heavy rock had an equally profound effect on bands south of the US border as it did up north. You can hear the change in the low-down beats and screaming guitars of this Mexican band. Their hit Nasty Sex had the swampy feel of Creedence Clearwater’s Born on the Bayou, enhanced by Carlos Valle Ramos’ stinging guitar lines. Their song Melinda hit as hard as Leeds-era Live at Who, while La Ciudad Perdida flew as high as a Jefferson Airplane jam.
Los Jaivas
In the same way that prog bands in Europe used the classic creations of that continent, Los Jaivas from Chile connected prog rock with the folkloric music of the Andes. Their 1971 debut El Volantín used the flute and charango to amplify their raging guitars and pounding drums. While that combination made them a hit with the Chilean youth, the pressures of life under the Pinochet regime drove them to flee to Argentina.
Arco Iris
One of South America’s most acclaimed bands, Arco Iris, swirled jazz, folk, psychrock and Latin music in a beautiful collage. This band, led by Gustavo Santaollalla, was not only the first major rock band to make extensive use of Argentine folk styles, they also came armed with their own attention-grabbing philosophy, based on an ascetic lifestyle that shun even sex. In the process, they helped find what became known as Argentina’s rock nacional movement.
Almendra
Luis Alberto Spinetta was only 18 years old when he helped form Almendra, but on their self-titled 1969 debut, his genius was already evident. With his compelling voice, free melodies and poetic lyrics, Spinetta had the visionary reach of artists such as Tim Buckley and Van Morrison. No wonder he and his band became one of Argentina’s most respected groups. They were also some of the most open-minded, bridging folk, jazz, tango, prog and more. On their second album, Almendra II, they rocked a lot harder and the entire group became equally important to writing and playing, culminating in the wildly angular guitar lines of Edelmiro Molinari. Although Almendra broke up shortly after its release, the members formed a host of other important Latin acts.
Manal
Manal, South America’s ultimate power trio, used their meager line-up to echo the thunderous blues rock of acts like Cream and Jimi Hendrix’s Experience. Rather than letting the guitar dominate, this Argentinian group focused on the lead vocals of drummer Javier Martínez, whose meaty voice had the texture of soul.
Gabriela
As in the US and UK, men in Latin America dominated early rock. One of the few exceptions was Gabriela Parodi, who fronted her own band in Argentina, where she released her rousing debut in 1972. Gabriel’s lively voice turned out to adapt to rousing rockers and elegant ballads. Working in her native Argentina and later in the US, Gabriela has had a varied career that paved the way for important women in Latin rock, including Andrea Echeverri of Aterciopelados.