CAIFANES

 “Si mis plegarias no fueran

A la Virgen, sino a ti

Qué pensarías, que dirías 

Si de la noche soy un pedazo..."

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"C+"

Main Decade: 90's 

Main Ages:

80's Rock en Ñ Clásico

90's Rock En Ñ: La Era de Oro

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Key Members:

Saúl Hernández, Singer and Rythm Guitar

Alejandro Marcovich, Lead Guitarra

Sabo Romo, Bass 

Diego Herrera, Keyboards and Sax

Alfonso André, Drums

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Canciones Clave:

La Célula Que Explota, Debajo de tu Piel, Afuera, Miedo, Viento, Piedra, Mátenme Porque Me Muero, La Negra Tomasa, Antes de Que Nos Olviden, Los Dioses Ocultos, Aquí No Es Así, Detrás de Ti, Nubes, No Dejes Que, Quisiera Ser Alcohol, Ayer me Dijo un Ave, Nos Vamos Juntos, Metamorféame, Miércoles de Ceniza, Aviéntame, El Negro Cósmico, Perdí Mi Ojo De Venado, El Comunicador

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I was about to give Caifanes a B. And of course, Caifos are a much bigger legend in Mexico than Blátidos themselves, and even Cafetos themselves. Mind you, I'm talking strictly about Caifanes, not that sad little shadow Jaguares became. And there are quite a few differences between all these bands vying for the top spot in Mexican rock.

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Café Tacuba, for starters, is still alive and kicking, and in fact, I just found out that they performed yesterday at the Telmex Auditorium. My chance to see them live will have to wait. On the other hand, Satélite, as I mentioned in the review, focuses more on creating good music as a group, without adopting a defined style, without falling into clichés, without prejudice, and without personalities. Cuca is a Mexican hard rock band that came together to make wild, very dense music, sometimes bordering on metal, and that knows how to combine heavy sounds with the semi-virtuosity of its musicians and the deep voice of José Fors. But it's still a very fun and interesting band that focuses on chaos and superficial lyrics. Fors isn't mentally retarded; he's quite a skilled lyricist, but he's always saved his best and most profound verses for his personal project, Fórseps. Therefore, despite the fact that Cuca's legend grows stronger over the years, not only in the western part of the country, he remains out of the running.

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Caifanes broke up after just four albums, but they were the first Mexican band to break boundaries and open the doors to all Mexican bands with a mature approach. Caifanes, unlike Cuca and Café Tacuba, had among its ranks three true virtuosos, who were pioneers in Latin America and founded a school: Sabo Romo, Alejandro Marcovich, Diego Herrera, and Alfonso André. Saúl, on the other hand, has a perfectly trained voice, with a very unique, clear style, reaching very high registers without sounding like a Jimmi Page clone or any of the other Glam Metal clones that emerged during the 1980s. They conquered audiences both at home and abroad, and even reached the top in 1993 when they surpassed Soda in sales and ticket sales due to the limited success of the Argentine band's album "Dínamo." They were even the first Spanish-language band to be heard in outer space. So... Why the hell a C+? Why not put them in the place of honor? Simple. Café Tacuba's hallmark has always been originality, humility, and teamwork. Los Caifanes were a band that started off very well, but took strong influences from other bands, from The Cure to Soda himself. Furthermore, despite having better musicians than Los Cafetos, they lack a cohesion that rounds out the songs. It's noticeable, especially in the last two albums, a struggle of egos, a constant duel of solos, a search for prominence that ultimately led to the band's dissolution. They have originality in incorporating native instruments and sounds into their songs, but it's still rock with vintage sounds, unlike Cafeta, which managed to create complete songs with folkloric structures, giving them only a hint of rock. Furthermore, unlike Los Tacubos, Caifanes never dared to stray from rock and ballads. Finally, and this is the most important point I took into account when lowering them to a C+, Caifanes can be summed up in one word: PRETENSIONISM. Saúl Hernández's lyrics are a tremendous string of inconsistencies that try to pass themselves off as, I don't know, existentialist, subliminal, surreal, or all three. The fact is that the result leads nowhere, except in a few exceptions. Lyrically, it seems to me that Saúl is trying to imitate Cerati's songwriting style. The bad thing is that Gustavo always had a very clear idea about the song, whether it was erotic, political, or an ode to his self-love, and the music always fully supported the idea he was putting forward. Saúl didn't; he never seems to clarify his intention with the metaphors he creates. Some images are good, of course, but they don't achieve unity throughout the song; there's no objective. In most songs, if you write somewhat incoherent verses with no real meaning and substitute them, it doesn't make much difference to the overall result of the song. For this reason, the music is woven separately and rarely truly supports the lyrical elements. The instruments, however, are always impeccable, achieving tremendous melodies, and as the albums progress, they gain more ease and virtuosity; which in turn gives the impression of a giant band, but one in which everyone goes their own way. The lyrics show a contrary trend: the more musical cohesion, the more incoherent and pretentious the lyrics appear.

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It's strange to say all this when Caifanes is my favorite Mexican rock band. Despite all these drawbacks, Caifanes has become the biggest cult band in Mexico. There's hardly anyone who hasn't sung along to "La Célula" or "Afuera" when they're played in a bar. There are few guitarists who don't know one of their songs, and most bands have at least played one of their songs. The influence they still have today is truly impressive, and it contrasts with the way Jaguares is deflating and becoming an increasingly commercial and lifeless product. I admit I don't like Saúl, but during his time with Caifanes, before becoming a diva and self-proclaimed rock guru, he was the center of the band, giving it shape and style with his powerful and sometimes fragile voice, reaching seemingly impossible tones and filling the lyrics with those "curious" images, so to speak, that, despite everything, are part of the band's style. Whether you like it or not, Hernández is truly Caifanes, except he knew how to surround himself with great musicians to create a sound that has transcended time. Then he lost his footing and vision. Marcovich wasn't on the first album, and neither Sabo nor Diego were on the last, and that's proof of what I'm saying.

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Caifanes was in the right place at the right time. After enormous struggles, Saúl had formed "Las Insólitas Imágenes de Aurora" with Alejandro Marcovich and Alfonso André, which would be the embryo of Caifanes, way back in 1984. Around that time, the rock en español phenomenon was just beginning, with groups like Hombres G in Spain and Soda Stereo in Argentina. However, the market in Mexico was still too closed, and there was no support or trust from record labels. Las Insólitas spent a couple more years making their way into the underground scene, playing at Rockotitlán and gaining a solid following. This band has also become a cult figure, and some say they were even better than Caifanes. The truth is that in the videos found on YouTube, you can already see the beginnings of Caifanes, but it's far from a mature sound. What's worthwhile is seeing Saúl playing bass, and they look so young it's laughable. Legend has it that at this time they were Timbiriche's support band, which is totally ridiculous. What is true is that they supported other pop artists like Laurean Brizuela, since they were almost bankrupt and needed money to buy equipment.

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Ultimately, the project ended badly due to a clash of egos between Saúl and Marcovich, and the latter left the project. However, some songs had already been written that would become part of Caifanes' catalog.

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After Las Insólitas disbanded in 1986, Saúl formed his umpteenth band, Caifanes, recruiting Sabo Romo on bass, Diego Herrera on keyboards and sax, Alfonso staying on drums, and Hernández switching to guitar. With Las Insólitas' fan base, they continued to perform with increasing success in bars around Mexico City. Their image was dark, with white makeup, long hair, and spiked hair, an attempt to copy Robert Smith. Their sound was also strongly influenced by The Cure. They recorded a demo that was rejected by record labels, but it began to receive radio play and helped them fill increasingly larger venues.

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Finally, in 1987, after the huge success of Soda and other bands from Argentina and Spain, record labels realized it was quite stupid and expensive to import artists, and opportunities opened up for Mexican bands. There was plenty of talent, as was proven. Caifanes had already emerged from the underground scene and was one of the most sought-after bands in Mexico City. So, a sort of casting call was held at a live concert where Neón and Caifanes opened for Miguel Mateos. Whoever had the best response from the audience would record an album. Neón started, getting a pretty good response from the crowd. The guys were terrified when they took the stage, but to their surprise, the crowd exploded when they saw them, and since they had already heard the demo songs on the radio, they sang along from start to finish. Saúl recounts this anecdote as the happiest of his musical career, his voice cracking with emotion. It's certainly difficult for a band without a record to achieve that effect, but it demonstrates the quality of the music they were making and the impact it already had on the audience. That night, they outshone Mateos himself. Needless to say, who won the recording.

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Thus emerged the self-titled album in 1988, a real coup. Also known as Álbum Negro, it bore no trace of the innocent Spanish movida, and was the closest thing so far to Doble Vida, which had taken Soda three albums to reach that level. It has clear '80s sounds, but it's a mature, intense album with depressive yet powerful sounds. Definitely, arriving at a late stage of the '80s spared Caifanes the shame of making sounds pigeonholed in that decade and with innocent lyrics. The album completely revolutionized the way music was made and opened the doors to countless Mexican bands that were also waiting for the opportunity.

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From then on, Caifanes would not relinquish their position as the leading band in Mexico, despite the fierce competition, and became the fiercest competitor of those led by Cerati. They began touring, but theaters and bars became insufficient, so they reached the United States, and they appeared on television...

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Later, Alejandro Marcovich returned with all the power of his requinto, and with him they recorded El Diablito in 1990. In the midst of the Spanish rock boom, Caifanes maintained a nostalgic yet powerful style, and the guitar contributed much more this time. Saúl's voice was at its best, and they finally shed that dark-skinned image to wear long, loose hair, also changing their image to a more rock and alternative one. It's worth noting that while people and the record label pressured them to make more songs in the style of La Negra Tomasa, they refused to be pigeonholed and instead released La Célula Que Explota as a single, which I believe is their most famous song. In this song and throughout the album, they began to experiment with fusions of more Mexican and folk sounds that greatly contributed to their sound, which Café Tacuba would later perfect.

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In 1992, they released what, in my opinion, is their masterpiece: El Silencio, one of the best Spanish rock albums. The atmospheres are even more accomplished thanks to Diego's mastery, who showed on this album that keyboards aren't mere decorative objects. Sabo's playing is lightning fast and breathtakingly precise (yes, he's also one of my favorite bassists), while Marcovich's guitar is relentless, increasingly taking a leading role, playing requintos, riffs, arrangements, and slides, without pausing to breathe, although his masterpiece wouldn't come until the next album. Saúl, meanwhile, shows off his best voice, clear and powerful, daring to reach ever higher. The lyrics are still, um... funny? But at least on Piedra, the references to his cocaine addiction are clear. Thus, the album is full of immortal classics and has no filler. Around this time, they were dueling with Soda Stereo. They were already fighting for the top spot in Latin America, and Mexican rock had even surpassed Argentine rock in terms of quality and quantity. This album, I insist, is a priceless gem, and the most important reason why I almost gave them a "B" rating.

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But the end had to come. At the end of El Silencio's tour, after sold-out shows across the continent, including the US, Sabo Romo and Diego Herrera left the group, and Caifanes remained a trio. Faced with the uncertainty, the three remaining members released their most commercially successful album in '94: El Nervio del Volcán. And they shut everyone up. At that time, I was totally immersed in my discovery of seventies bands and barely paid attention to Rock en Ñ. Well, the impact of this album was so tremendous that for a few months I didn't listen to anything other than Caifanes. And thanks to them, I returned to those Cuca songs that had previously moved me, and then Fobia, Cafeta, Maldita. Later, I went further afield and discovered Soda, Los Cadillacs, Los Tres, Aterciopelados, Héroes… I certainly owe it to Caifanes to have given me the opportunity to experience this universe, and above all, to have experienced it while it was happening, since I know that a golden age of rock like that of '93 doesn't happen very often.

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In El Nervio Del Volcán, the atmosphere is somewhat lost, but Marcovich has earned his place among the best Latin guitarists. On this album, they were supported by Federico Fong and Yann Zaragoza, filling in the gaps that had remained, although they weren't official members. The lyrics become more dreamlike, and it seems as if Saúl is starting to lose his footing; but seriously, Marcovich's work lifts the entire album, which with any other guitarist would have sounded like a dull effort. I've listened to Afuera in particular a trillion times, and the solo, the opening riff, ALL the guitar work makes this song one of the best Spanish rock songs of all time, despite the ridiculous pretension of the lyrics.

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Well, it seems a lot of people shared my opinion. Marcovich was taking the spotlight away from Saúl, and Hernández couldn't accept that. Uh, that sounds familiar... Axl Rose, cough cough, Slash? The point is, there were already huge differences between them. The ego clash reached the point where Marcovich registered the Caifanes trademark as a precaution (Thanks Alex!!!!) and they even shared the stage, but didn't speak to each other and even arrived at concerts in different vehicles. Saúl decided Marcovich wouldn't continue with Caifanes, but only then did he realize the rights to the name weren't his. After a grueling legal dispute, Hernández lost the rights in a lawsuit, and in the process, he also lost his voice, which gave rise to Jaguares, but that's another story. I'm grateful to Marcovich for preventing Saúl from continuing to use the Caifanes name for the albums he released later, as they are qualitatively inferior. Except for two or three pieces from Jaguares' first album, nothing stands out, and a progressive decline is as clear as the gradual evolution of Caifos. From that first album, if anything is salvageable, it's José Manuel Aguilera's guitar, but his work was so good that Saúl saw a new threat and dismissed him. Fortunately, Aguilera formed La Barranca, with whom he continues to demonstrate his enormous talent. The rest of Jaguares' history is mediocre, and I won't include it in the Caifanes rating. It's common knowledge that Saúl lost his voice to throat tumors, that he underwent 41 operations, and that his powerful and magical voice has gone down in history. It's pathetic when he passes the microphone to people in the parts he can no longer reach. He also became an unbearable diva and fell into social lyrics. That's fine; the bad thing is that he continues to combine them with his allegorical poetry that says nothing. The last straw was his cover of Juan Gabriel. Seriously, Marcovich, if you ever read this, thank you so much for that foresight to bury Caifanes before Saúl devalued the name.

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Anyway, I deeply love this band. I won my cat's heart with one of their songs. It's a Mexican heritage and will remain, I hope, for many generations to come. I don't like Saúl Hernández, as you may have noticed, but I respect his quality as a vocalist (when he had a voice), his tenacity, and his vision for surrounding himself with giant musicians who were unknown at the time. The lineup... Ehrrr, I'm tired of repeating it, read it again.

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Ladies and gentlemen, beneath their music are conquered emeralds, the band that is myth par excellence: Caifanes!!!

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By Corvan  

Mar/30/2008

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