LA REVOLUCIÓN DE EMILIANO ZAPATA

"Hey Baby Change Your Manners

And Go By The Way Of The Sun

Can´t You See That This Kind Of Sex

Is Gonna Let You Down, Let You Down"

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

"D" 

Main Decade: 70’s

Main Eras:

70s Latin American Rock

​

Key Members:

Oscar Rojas, Vocals

Javier Martín del Campo, Lead Guitar

Servando Ayala, Keyboards

​

Key Songs:

Nasty Sex, Mel_Ynda, If You Want It, In The Middle Of The Rain, So Long Ago, I Dig It, Mi Forma de Sentir, Cómo Te Extraño

​

​

La Revolución de Emiliano Zapata, or La Revo, as the comrades call it, also emerged in the early to mid-sixties, starting out playing at afternoon dances and cafés. The founders were Javier Martín del Campo, another exceptional guitarist with international talent, and Óscar Rojas, the vocalist sporting the bushy mustache that explained the group's name. La Revo began to gain fame in the city, and they soon ceased to be a band exclusive to a single neighborhood, attracting fans throughout the metropolitan area. The Spiders, who were a couple of steps ahead, began recommending them at the venues where they performed, leading to their first gigs in casinos and larger clubs.

​

La Revo's sound was always based on Martín del Campo's sharp and fast guitar playing, which was capable of impressive solos and catchy, excellent riffs, giving the songs a unique personality and a sound much more Latin than the other bands mentioned earlier, though not as extreme as Santana. This was also a clean hard rock sound, although further removed from the blues than the Spiders'.

​

It wasn't until they participated in the "Five Waves of Joy" contest, organized by a well-known local radio station, that they took their big break. After sweeping the competition thanks to their talent and their loyal fanbase, they won first prize, which led to contact with major record labels. Their next step was moving to Mexico City, where they were immediately overwhelmed by the city's frenetic pace. Even so, in 1970 they released their self-titled album, a true collector's item that quickly climbed the national charts and, to everyone's surprise, the international charts as well. From this album, they released the celebrated singles "Nasty Sex," "Still Don't Know Yet," and "Shit City," three gems of Mexican rock, which earned them gold records in Mexico. The recording transcended borders, and soon they also received gold records from Germany, England, France, and the USA, for a total of five—an unprecedented feat. Although no one had any idea where the hell this band had come from or what its strange name was, people were recognizing for the first time on a massive scale the talent of a Mexican band beyond the border, something that sowed hope in other groups.

​

With their meteoric rise to fame, their schedule became increasingly packed, and the pace became suffocating. They had to decline their eagerly anticipated appearance at Avándaro, partly due to scheduled tours and partly due to internal tensions that were already brewing and beginning to fracture the group.

​

In 1972, they tried to replicate their success with a few singles, but the government's heavy hand practically shut down any opportunities, and their success fell far short of expectations. Faced with the dilemma of continuing to fight for cutting-edge rock or commercializing their sound to regain their footing, the friction between the members reached the point of several leaving, including Óscar Rojas, the band's frontman and vocalist, who, fed up with everything, simply packed his bags one day and returned to Guadalajara, mustache and all.

​

Thus, La Revo underwent several lineup changes (Servando Ayala joined on keyboards) and drastically altered their sound, becoming just another run-of-the-mill romantic ballad singer in Spanish. I haven't listened to these albums from their second phase, but there are two songs that have been covered to death, and you'd never guess they were written by the same people who wrote Nasty Sex. They are "Cómo te Extraño" and "Mi Forma de Sentir," two beautiful ballads that, among others, were performed by Mocedades and provided a great deal of income for Los Revos. They would release other albums under this name and finally disappear in the mid-80s.

​

It's a real shame the transformation that the glorious Los Revos underwent, but it demonstrates the pressure and heavy hand of the repressive government of that era, which abruptly cut short a promise that was becoming a reality. We are left, then, with only the band's first album, and with that single LP, they have more than enough to place them just below Los Spiders in the catalog of Mexican bands. It's true, Nasty Sex is a blatant rip-off of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Born on the Bayou," and they even admitted that the song originated from jamming along to the Creedence track. However, the arrangements they managed to incorporate, especially on the guitar, far surpass Fogerty's, making it a unique product with vaguely Mexican sounds and without needing mariachi or cumbia rhythms. Beyond the sensationalist name and simplistic lyrics, Nasty Sex is perfectly crafted by Javier Martín del Campo. The song's main riff is a gem, and he constantly adds embellishments here and there, combining speed with a very personal style, and incorporating small guitar solos that emerge from that ferocious, Latin-infused riff after each verse. Finally, Javier incorporates a very long solo that begins around the three-minute mark, adding clever arrangements that sound unlike anything done before (nope, not even Creedence Clearwater Revival) and that stretches almost to the six-minute mark, leading into another verse and immediately transitioning into a ferocious coda where the song's intensity constantly rises and falls at the whim of the guitar until the final outro, near the eight-minute mark. That's another point worth mentioning. Although much of the solo was cut for radio editing, this song was a watershed moment, being one of the first made in Mexico to exceed the standard three or four-minute length imposed by record labels. And it was definitely the one that achieved the greatest success before this became more common 20 years later.

​

“Mel Ynda” is another standout track. Although it's about love, it's an energetic song, with opening guitar riffs reminiscent of The Who, a pleasant fuzz, and a catchy, fresh vocal harmony. Luján's voice isn't particularly prominent, but it always sounds youthful, in tune, and full of life. Her pronunciation isn't as perfect as Vierling's, but it's not bad either, and the words are perfectly understandable, not only in this song but throughout the entire album. The song, with its structure, tremendous drum rolls, and backing vocals, has a general Who feel, but it doesn't sound like a blatant rip-off, and they achieve more harmonious and optimistic movements than the British band. “I Wanna Know” is a ballad with a very rich harmonica, but while it's not filler, it doesn't stand out. The pace picks up with “If You Want It,” where Martín del Campo's masterful guitar work once again comes into play, balancing the song, and the vocal harmonies contrast beautifully in the chorus. The solos are also noteworthy, always leaning towards high notes and returning to the main riff with complete naturalness. Midway through the main solo, the guitar effect shifts to a deeper fuzz, revealing a certain experimentation, and the band begins to play with harmony from that point on. I love the chorus where one voice says "I got no money" and another replies "but I got soul," a summary of what the band was all about at that time. "Shit City" was another single from the album that managed to chart in Europe. It also begins with a great riff and a breakneck rhythm; it's essentially an instrumental track where Martín del Campo showcases his skills. Around the three-minute mark, Luján begins to sing a second voice, perfectly imitating the sounds of the lead guitar, creating a simply delightful and somewhat wild effect. The rest of the LP varies between somewhat mellow songs that aren't quite ballads and other powerful and rhythmic hard rock tracks, which, while not reaching the level of the three singles, have plenty of interesting elements, and none of them feel like filler. That's why we can say this is a great band album.

​

​

By Corvan 

Jun/17/2009

​

​

​

​

​