The Cavern
Rock & Words
PESCADO RABIOSO
“Aunque me fuercen yo nunca voy a decir
que todo tiempo por pasado fue mejor
mañana es mejor!!”
“C”
Main Decade: 70’s
Main Eras:
70s Latin American Rock.
Hard Rock (1968-???)
Key Members:
Luis Alberto Spinetta, Vocalist and Guitarist
David Lebón, Vocalist and Bass.
Black Amaya, Drums.
Carlos Cutaia, Keyboards
Osvaldo “Bocon” Frascino, Bass on the First Album.
Key Songs:
Poseído del Alba, Credulidad, Cristalida, Cantata de Puentes Amarillos, La Sed Verdadera, Como el Viento Voy a Ver, Dulce 3 Nocturno, Blues de Cris, El Jardinero (temprano amaneció), Postcrucifixión, Me gusta ese Tajo, Bajan, Despiértate Nena, Todas las Hojas Son del Viento, Nena Boba, Madre Selva, Viajero Naciendo, Mañana o Pasado, Por, A Starosta el Idiota, Las Habladurías del Mundo, Cementerio Club.
Flaco Spinetta's constant search leads us to a second intro of his, in this case from his second group: Pescado Rabioso. You might say, "What a nice name, but who are they?" Pescado Rabioso, undoubtedly, will seem like a truly unknown band to most non-Argentine Latinos, unlike Almendra. Both their music and iconography are surrounded by an enormous aura of mysticism, typical of Argentina's great cult bands like Sumo, Los Redondos, or Serú Girán. But in this case, I think Pescado Rabioso doesn't offer the same popular appeal as the aforementioned groups; instead, it maintains an underground mystique, impossible to integrate into either the mainstream or a near-religious cult following. Perhaps it could resonate with a small intellectual group, but it's impossible for it to cross the country's borders. I would have to say, somewhat romantically, that Pescado Rabioso is simply a moment that occurred in Spinetta's mind over roughly two years, a consequence of the intellectual and poetic rock that existed in Argentina during the 1970s. It was clearly his most "rock" moment, so to speak, but it's not just that. Anyone would think that Pescado was a somewhat forced attempt by Spinetta to form a kind of "Argentine Led Zeppelin." While the hard rock influence is maintained on the first album, and I even think the rest of the members of Pescado wanted to achieve this, Spinetta's already established poetic style, with its strong surrealist foundations, blended the two worlds, forming a unique group. It was impossible for them to fill stadiums due to the difficult circumstances, but they possessed an unwavering commitment to creating art.
The story then takes us to the breakup of Almendra. After that, El Flaco (Spinetta's nickname) took a seven-month trip through various places, including Brazil, the USA, France, and other parts of Europe. Upon his return, he had no projects lined up. The atmosphere in the country was quite repressive under Onganía's dictatorship, and also violent. At the same time, he encountered some friction with his record label, and he was in for an even bigger surprise when "Muchacha Ojos de Papel" became a hit, so much so that it was being used in advertisements. El Flaco wasn't going to stay still. Copying the Power Trio format he had seen in Hendrix and Cream, and also in Pappo Blues, he formed the first Pescado Rabioso with none other than Pappo Blues' rhythm section. The first Pescado lineup consisted of Osvaldo "Bocon" Frascino on bass and Black Amaya on drums, while El Flaco handled vocals and guitar, taking on the role of creating guitar riffs for the first time, a task previously handled by Molinari in Almendra.
The main characteristic of this first lineup is undoubtedly its attitude, bordering on the wildest punk, with the blues and hard rock of the aforementioned groups. Pescado's raw energy would definitely be the first thing that stands out, something that Flaco wanted to emphasize above all else to definitively distance himself from the sound of Almendra. It is here that Pescado would forge its underground myth and become perhaps one of the main reference points for any band just starting out in Argentina. The power trio format quickly became a quartet with the addition of Carlos Cutaia on keyboards. This version of Pescado would be the one that finally released their first album, the explosive Desatormentándonos. Although it went unnoticed at the time due to the limited number of records available, the Pescado myth grew and grew with their live performances. Today, even though it's not a live album, it's an excellent record of the band's energy in its early days and their rage against the violence of the era.
After the album's release, Pescado's second lineup solidified. Cutaia took over on keyboards (previously he had only appeared as a guest) and Frascino left, being replaced by David Lebón. Lebón not only played bass but also assisted Luis with guitar, as his primary instrument was the guitar, known for its incredible solos. This lineup, unlike the previous one, adopted a slightly more acoustic approach to their music, even incorporating Spinetta's surrealist ideas. Ultimately, this would become Pescado's most legendary and memorable lineup, the one that would remain etched in people's memories.
The next album was Pescado 2, a record that broke with the established Pescado sound but not with its essence. It blended the two worlds the band grappled with: Spinetta's poetic style and the hard-hitting blues of the rhythm section, adding more psychedelic and Latin influences, especially from Carlos Santana, one of Argentina's most influential guitarists. The album ended up being a double album of diverse qualities, very varied, and at times experimental, which went somewhat unnoticed at the time because it was so hard to find. The story goes that Spinetta's friends would ask him to record it for them so they could get their hands on a copy, as if he magically had a vinyl record player at home. In any case, this album was later highly valued, establishing itself as one of the best recordings of Latin rock.
Spinetta's insistence on exploring his poetic universe would eventually lead to the band's dissolution, so much so that he was left rehearsing alone. Pescado Rabioso's third album is actually a Spinetta solo album, but it would elevate both the myth of Pescado Rabioso and that of "El Flaco" (Spinetta's nickname) to stratospheric levels. In 1974, he released the album Artaud under the name Pescado Rabioso.
For those unfamiliar with it, Artaud is an almost entirely acoustic album that Spinetta released after disbanding Pescado Rabioso, but under the same name! Some might think it was a marketing strategy, but the truth is that Pescado Rabioso was always a very underground band at that time. In any case, the band's name reflects the fact that this album represents the violence, in the form of a manifesto, that Spinetta wanted to portray from the beginning of the group. Based on the writings of Antonin Artaud and heavily influenced by surrealism, Spinetta definitively broke with rock, criticizing it at a time when no one dared to criticize it from within. The album is highly poetic, blending surrealism with local realities. Besides demonstrating a remarkable artistic maturity and sensitivity for the time, it is clearly one of Spinetta's key albums, alongside Almendra's debut and Invisible's *El Jardín de los presentes*. So much so, that many consider these to be "The best albums in Argentine rock."
Later, Spinetta would definitively become the leading figure in Argentine rock for many years. After Pescado Rabioso, he further developed his solo career and formed his third major band: Invisible. Black Amaya would return to Pappo Blues and become its most iconic drummer. Cutaia would join another underground group, this time Charly García's La Máquina de Hacer Pájaros, and would be a frequent collaborator with many local artists in both rock and other genres. Lebón, meanwhile, would have a successful solo career before joining Serú Girán. We can say that Pescado Rabioso was the first supergroup of Argentine rock, without the members being aware of it due to the careers they each pursued later on. They never formally reunited again; however, in 2007, Spinetta invited them to his mega-concert "Spinetta y las bandas eternas" (Spinetta and the Eternal Bands), where Pescado Rabioso reunited to play some classic songs.
As you'll see, the group was a flash of immense talent, lasting only two years, almost a mirage in people's minds, a myth that any Latin rock musician should hear and understand: that ultimately, beyond the music, what is created is Art… and that's what Pescado Rabioso was: a violent work of art.
By Homer
Mar/6/2015
