The Cavern
Rock & Words
LA REVOLUCION DE EMILIANO ZAPATA (Álbum, 1971)
Artist: La Revolución de Emiliano Zapata
Recording Date: 1971
Release Date: April 1971, MEX
Record Label: Polydor
Producer: La Revo
Rating: 10 (MUST HAVE)
Era: 70's Hispanoamerican Rock
Subgenre: 70's Hispanoamerican Rock
Best Song: Nasty Sex or Mel-Ynda
Tracklist: 1) Nasty Sex; 2) Mel-Ynda; 3) I Wanna Know; 4) If You Want It; 5) Shit City (Ciudad Perdida); 6) A King’s Talks; 7) Still Don’t, Not Yet; 8) At The Foot Of The Mountain; 9) Under Heavens.
La Revo is a band that is almost unknown today, and whose heyday was in the early 1970s. Like the Spiders, they had the talent to place their material firmly in the USA and Europe, but in Mexico, the repression following the Avándaro festival extinguished any possibility of them becoming a global phenomenon.
The founders were Javier Martín del Campo, an exceptional guitarist of export quality (the only original member remaining today), and Óscar Rojas, the vocalist sporting the bushy mustache that explained the band's name. La Revo's sound was always based on Martín del Campo's incisive and fast guitar playing, capable of impressive solos and catchy, excellent riffs, giving the songs a unique personality and a sound much more Latin than the Spiders, but without reaching the extreme of Santana. This was also a clean hard rock sound, although further removed from the blues than the Spiders. In 1971, they released this 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 great gems of Mexican rock, which earned them gold records in Mexico. The recording transcended borders, and soon gold records also arrived from Germany, England, France, and the USA, for a total of five, something never before seen. Although no one had any idea where this band had come from or what their strange name was, people were recognizing, for the first time on a massive scale, the talent of a Mexican band beyond its borders, something that gave hope to other groups.
With their meteoric success, their schedule became increasingly packed, and the pace became suffocating. They had to decline their eagerly anticipated participation in Avándaro partly due to scheduled tours and partly due to internal tensions that already existed and were beginning to fracture the group, so later came changes in the lineup, problems of repression by the government against the entire Rock movement that was just taking off in Mexico, but they managed to release the albums “Nada del Hombre me es Ajeno” in 1972 and the EP “Congore Tumbero a La Mar” in 1973.
Faced with the dilemma of continuing to fight for cutting-edge rock or commercializing their sound to regain their footing, tensions among the members reached the point of a mass exodus in 1974, including Óscar Rojas, the band's frontman and vocalist. Fed up with everything, he simply packed his bags one day and returned to Guadalajara, mustache and all. Thus, in 1975, Revo abandoned their sublime and majestic rock sound for saccharine and complacent ballads, which provided them with a living but distanced them completely from their essence and true musical capabilities. This is why this album is so important. It has been difficult for me to find the band's other rock material, but without a doubt, this album is more than enough to grant them a very important place in the history of Mexican rock. We are left, then, with only the band's first album, which deserves a perfect 10 and a star on its forehead.
The album opens with La Revo's most well-known song, "Nasty Sex". It's true that it's 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 Creedence's 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 the need for mariachi or cumbia rhythms. Beyond the titillating title 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 an incredibly 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 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 groundbreaking, 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 their biggest hit before that became more common 20 years later. A glorious song that alone warrants a monument to these mustachioed musicians.
The second song is “Mel Ynda”, another great 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. Rojas's voice isn't particularly prominent, but it always sounds youthful, in tune, and full of life. His pronunciation isn't as perfect as Vierling's, and this is La Revo's only weakness; sometimes the slightly stilted and broken English detracts a bit from the songs, but 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 feel similar to The Who, but it doesn't sound like a rip-off, and they achieve more harmonious and optimistic movements than the British band. Oh, I almost forgot! Listen to that amazing bass line!
"I Wanna Know" is a ballad with a very pretty and simple melody. It's not a standout song, but it features a rather interesting interplay between harmonica and flutes. I'm not sure, but I don't think I've ever heard a dialogue between these wind instruments in any other song. Never. The pronunciation again slightly mars the song, which is simple and doesn't stray from the same pattern, but it has some interesting details that keep it from falling apart.
The tempo picks up with "If You Want It", where Martín del Campo's masterful hardcore guitar work once again comes into play, balancing the song, and the contrasting vocals in the chorus. The solos are also noteworthy, always leaning towards high notes and returning to the mammoth main riff with complete naturalness. I love the chorus where one voice says "I Got no Money" and another replies "Ohhh! But I got Soul," a perfect summary of what the band was like at that time. Midway through the main solo, at 2:20, the guitar effect shifts to a deeper fuzz, revealing a certain experimentation, and the band begins to play with harmony from that point onward in a very enjoyable jam. The bass line on this track is legendary, one of the band's best collaborative efforts, and the overall quality of the song is perfectly complemented by the impressive individual technique displayed by each member.
The fifth song is “Shit City”, another single from the album that charted 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 excellent guitar skills. Besides Javier's solo, there are also great bahjo arrangements and a solo at 2:50, as well as sections where a silence is created, allowing the drums to engage with sharp fills. Around the three-minute mark, Rojas begins to sing a second voice, perfectly mimicking the sounds of the requinto guitar, slowly increasing the intensity until he sounds truly unhinged and out of control, just like the guitar, creating a simply spectacular effect.
Next is “A King’s Talks”, and I'm not sure if it's my imagination or the influence of the title, but the opening arrangements have a reminiscence of some sounds from the LP “In The Court Of The Crimson King”. After the first part with lyrics and Crimson influences, the multi-part section begins with a tremendous guitar riff starting at 1:40. The arpeggio gives way to a furious and unrestrained solo, leading to another change at 3:05 with a new arpeggiated arrangement heavy with echo. Hey! Wait a minute! I know that arrangement! Molotov uses it in "Gimme The Power 2 (Hit Me)." How shameless of Revo, my God, to rip off this fragment from Molotov 30 years earlier! Hahahahahaha! So you can see that Revos are more influential than we really imagine, hehe.
Next comes "Still Don't, Not Yet", where Paco Martínez's funky bass carries the whole song. There's also good vocal harmony, although the vocals lack intensity and sound a bit forced. But overall, it's a great piece. At 1:20, Paco's riff shifts into another masterful arrangement (this instrument completely steals the show) so the lead guitar can kick in. It's good, but it doesn't shine as brightly as in other songs. At 2:25, only the initial bass line remains, holding the song together without any other instrumentation, and Martín Del Campo's deeper vocals create a very creepy effect.
“At The Foot Of The Mountain” brings the album's intensity down once again. We return to a ballad with a simple yet delicate and beautiful harmony. The interplay of tones, the bass effect that shines once more against the minimalist guitar arrangements, and the sweet, peaceful vocals result in a very sweet, perfect atmosphere. After the bass solo, a flute solo appears at the 3-minute mark, perfectly rounding out that aura of tranquility.
Finally, “Under Heavens” closes the album. The song has a short arpeggiated intro, but it quickly launches into rhythmic guitar work before the vocals enter. In the second verse, the lead guitar begins to add embellishments, gradually increasing the intensity until the chorus, where the cry of “Freedom!” stands out alongside the excellent guitar arrangement. A good closing track, but at times it feels somewhat bare and lacking in embellishment.
In short, a phenomenal album from every angle, where even the weakest tracks could have been the biggest hits of any other Mexican band of the time. The three songs highlighted in red stand out even more than some songs by North American bands. The pronunciation issue is hardly noticeable given the sheer musical quality. A perfect 10 album with every track, Revo is at its peak, and its sound will never be replicated.
I sincerely recommend it. I doubt many of our visitors are familiar with it due to its lack of exposure these days, and because if it's rare to see in Mexico, it must be impossible in other countries. But as always, I'll leave you the link, reiterating my invitation to trust my taste, and if you agree, please try to share it on your own blogs.
By Corvan
Jun/19/2009
