ALMENDRA

"Si tus pies hoy nacieron viento

déjalos correr

y si tus manos con las plantas,

déjalas crecer. " 

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"D+"

Main Decada: 70's 

Main Ages: Rock Latinoamericano de los 70s

​Key Members:

Luis Alberto Spinetta - Singer and Rythm Guitar

Edelmiro Molinari - Lead Guitar Backing vocals

Rodolfo Garcia - Drums and Backing vocals

Emilio del Gercio - Bass

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Key Songs:

Muchacha Ojos de Papel, Tema de Pototo, Laura Va, Ana no Duerme, Fernin, Plegaria Para un Niño Dormido, Color Humano, Parvas, Para Ir, Florecen los Nardos, Los Elefantes, Hoy Todo el Hielo en la Ciudad, Rutas Argentinas, Campos Verdes, A Estos Hombres Tristes, Toma el Tren Hacia el Sur, Obertura, Agnus Dei,  Miguelito, Mi Espíritu Ha Partido a Tiempo.

 

Rock music in Argentina grew little by little, but with the limitations that Anglo-Saxon groups didn't have at the time, such as a market that was dominated by boleros and romantic ballads, and at the same time, the limitations of a distinct cultural and social landscape that rejected the idea of rock music because it was foreign. But these were times of change; in the late 1960s, the idea of someone singing rock music in Spanish was, admittedly, somewhat crazy at the time. The first step was taken by Los Gatos, led by Litto Nebbia, with an aesthetic similar to that of the Beatles. They released the single "La Balsa," which would bring them fame and recognition, serving as the bridge to a movement that would create what we know today as Argentine Rock.

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While Los Gatos were the pioneers of Argentinean rock, Almendra added the quality and originality they lacked, in which everything became a purely artistic expression and not so much a torrent of singles. The rock attitude was there, but also the hunger for innovation. In Almendra, we can see both avant-garde folklore and a small Piazzolla influence, a youthful Beatle simplicity in their lyrics, and the poetics of the Latin American literary boom. And amidst all this, a rebellious attitude toward an era in which everything was black and white, Almendra added color, not in a psychedelic way, but in a different way, touching the heartstrings of those who listen, singing to the very society that was tinged with gray with its cultural standards of ecclesiastical seriousness and careers in suits and ties... In Almendra, on the other hand, one can only perceive the innocence of young people who wanted to break with the times.

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Their sound stemmed from the Beatles' Revolver, and that hunger for innovation carried over to Almendra. While the genre fits them perfectly, especially on their first album, they weren't exactly "rockers." They were more closely tied to jazz, tango, and folklore than to rock itself. At the same time, they were deeply connected to The Beatles, and to the fact that what they do endures like any work of art.

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Beyond that, their appearance on the Argentine scene was almost surreal. This fusion of influences required the band to go perhaps three or four steps ahead of what contemporary Spanish-sung rock groups were doing at the time, who had stuck to the sound of the Mod groups of the early and mid-1960s (to name a few, like Los Gatos or the Beatnicks). In other words, Spanish-sung rock, at least in that part of South America, was still in its infancy! Of course, Almendra included one of the most important and ambitious composers of the 20th century in Argentina, Luis Alberto Spinetta.

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Almendra was born in Bajo Belgrano, in the city of Buenos Aires. Spinetta met drummer Rodolfo García and they formed the group "Los Larkings," a band that performed Beatles covers and some of their own songs. Over time, they met Edelmiro Molinari on lead guitar and Emilio del Gercio on bass, both Spinetta's schoolmates who had other groups, and in 1967 they formed what we all know today as Almendra.

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In 1968, the group began rehearsing at the house on Arribeños 2853, Spinetta's parents' home. In this warmth of home, the group's first compositions would be born, along with their first singles like "Tema de Pototo" and "Hoy todo el Hielo en la Ciudad," and other songs that would later make up their debut album.

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The release of "Tema de Pototo" gave rise to a cover version by Leonardo Favio, a well-known filmmaker and singer of romantic ballads, who, thanks to its success, gave them the opportunity to record their first album, titled "Almendra."

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The album breaks with all the expected stereotypes of Argentinean rock. Although its fame didn't extend beyond Buenos Aires, over time "Muchacha Ojos de Papel" became one of the most remembered songs by almost all of Argentine society. This album would become legendary, marking Spinetta's career as one of the new idols of that generation. At the same time, it gave him the necessary strength to launch a healthy competition, so much so that very soon, bands such as Manal, Vox Dei, Moris, Pappo Blues, and later Sui Generis would emerge in Buenos Aires, finally laying the groundwork for a movement that was taking small but important steps. For their second album, the innocence was over. They had many plans in mind, among which was a rock opera. Given certain circumstances, the idea of the opera faded, as the group's sound was changing significantly with current events, more closely linked to the hard rock of Hendrix, Santana, and Zeppelin than to the Beatles' influence. Their second album, the double album Almendra II, wasn't as successful as the first, but it did serve to strengthen the group's reputation, so much so that at their peak, they split up. It was 1971, and one of the reasons for the split was to maintain the friendship between the four, which was eroding from touring throughout the country. "Almendra isn't divided, it multiplies," said Molinari, and so each member formed new groups that further nourished the Argentine movement: Spinetta went to France for a while, recorded his first solo album (Spinettalandia y sus amigos), and later became influenced by hard rock and formed one of the most important groups in the history of Argentine rock: Pescado Rabioso. Molinari leaned more toward folk and soft rock and formed Color Humano as a "hippie" response to the movement. Del Gercio and Garcia would go more progressive and form Aquelarre with guitarist Hector Starc. This would be the band that most closely preserved the Almendra sound.

 

Time passed. Spinetta, on the one hand, would become a monster of the 1970s, releasing key albums and forming great bands like Pescado Rabioso and Invisible, while the others eventually faded away. Molinari went to live in exile in the United States, while Aquelarre also went into exile in Spain due to the dictatorship. In 1979, in response to the military dictatorship, they reunited and recorded their third album, "El Valle Interior," this time with a more jazz-fusion feel. They also released two live albums, before disbanding again due to some friction between Spinetta and Molinari.

 

The group wouldn't reunite until 2009, when Spinetta called all his bands together for a five-hour recital, during which he brought together Almendra, among others, to sing the legendary "Muchacha Ojos de Papel" together, still friends.

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Lineup:

Luis Alberto Spinetta: Singer and rhythm guitarist. As a singer, this is the softest phase of his vocal career, singing many ballads, giving them a forced high note while simultaneously taking care of each melody. By Almendra's third album, his voice had improved and seemed more practiced. His lyrics were imbued with a tender innocence that moved even the most discerning audience, while also being heavily influenced by Surrealism. As a guitarist, he provided truly complex harmonies for the bands of the era, with the occasional invented chord. He doesn't rule out the influence of any genre: rock, bossa nova, jazz, samba, tango, folklore, etc.

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Edelmiro Molinari: Guitarist, one of the strangest guitarists in Argentine rock.

His style is marked by psychedelia, hard rock, and soft rock. His sometimes atonal phrases on Almendra are delightful, complemented by the unusual Spinetta-like chords.

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Rodolfo Garcia: Drummer. While he wasn't the best drummer of that era in Argentina (there were beasts like Javier Martinez, Oscar Moro, and Black Amaya), he was very creative and versatile, able to master rhythms like folklore, Brazilian samba, and jazz, making him one of the group's signature styles due to his rhythmic versatility.

 

Emilio del Gercio: I don't really highlight him as a bassist, to be honest. At the time, the instrument didn't have much influence either... But I do highlight him as a lyricist. He was the one who wrote the most alongside Spinetta and contributed a lot to the concept of the songs, even singing on some.

 

In short, Almendra's influence was key not only for Argentina, but for all Latin Rock to come, from Charly Garcia, Aterciopelados, Café Tacuva, Fito Páez, and Soda Stereo—a unique milestone that only wanted to give us a color.

 

Por Homer 

10/Abr/2014

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