Argentine rock, from the past and present?

I'm living in Buenos Aires for a year.

I've heard some nice prog/psych (Pescado Rabioso, Sui Generis, Almendra, etc).

I have Charly Garcia's "Yendo de la Cama al Living," but as often happens with prolific musicians, I'm intimidated about where to turn next in his massive discography.

I also want to learn if this country has any awesome punk bands (I keep hearing things being marketed as "hardcore punk" and then listening and hearing kinda boring punk-pop music... I do think "Masticar" by the Fun People is a cute song, though).

I know Sumo's important, but so far I haven't liked what I've heard by them very much. Maybe it will grow on me?

Everyone loves Soda Stereo--are they good? And Miranda! and los Fabulosos Cadillacs? Anything else awesome?

On a completely different note, Sandro's music videos? Amazing.

Hi dere babyalive, fancy seeing you here.

Soda Stereo's last albums, very good stuff.

Babasonicos' albums from the early part of this decade = absolutely killer.

The last Babasonicos record wasn't terrible. I like Miranda! a little.

How come we hear so much great music from places like Brazil and Cuba and not dick from places like Argentina and Costa Rica?

I only recently discovered Charly Garcia (Julieta Venegas from Mexico is a big fan of Charly) and am not quite sure where to start either.

I bet that Soda Stereo reunion tour of Latin America last year was fun. The Gustavo Cerati solo cd I have is pretty swell pop-rock

Los Natas are a more contemporary stoner/psych band. This thread reminded me that I have one of their Toba Trance albums somewhere that I never got round to checking out. On Ektro, if I remember corectly...

I can't stand Charly Garcia's music (although a fascinating figure), or Spinetta stuff, or most of the "rock nacional." Most Argentine rock has a horrible blues rock/Rolling Stones influences that I can't stand. Los Fabulosos Cadillacs were alright. Babasonicos are my favorite of the more popular groups (and Ned's right that their stuff from the early part of this decade is the best although their two most recent albums are both good). Jaime Sin Tierra were Argentina's Radiohead and their albums aren't bad. Doris are pretty good (modern psych stuff influenced by Sonic Youth) and are fun live if you can catch them. Los Brujos were pretty good alt rock from the late 1990s. El mato a un policia motorizado is Jesus and Mary influenced rock from La Plata (good live if you can catch them). I like Pequena Orquesta Reincidentes and Me Daras Mil Hijos a lot. They are a mix of traditional folklore (kind of gypsy like) with more modern inflections - I guess you could compare them with groups like Devotchka. I wouldn't call Juana Molina rock but she's worth a listen. I'd get into some cumbia villera stuff.

yeah, the degree to which some of these people take their Rolling Stones obsession is alarming to me. I mean, I like the Rolling Stones. They have some great songs. But heavens...

I still haven't heard solo Spinetta, but I really like Pescado Rabioso's "Artaud." Especially "Cantata de punetes amarillos" -- such a good song! It has this "LA! LA! LA! LA!" at the beginning that kills me every time.

I very much enjoy Charly Garcia's song "Demoliendo Hoteles" for its sheer catchy, rockin', head-sticking value. Yendo de la Cama I don't enjoy as much, not because the songs are weak but because its cheesy production bothers me. Maybe I'll get over that with time.

Thanks, all, for the names.

Yeah, I like the Rolling Stones too but Argentine rock bands seem to have taken all the worst influences from them. I never got why the Ramones were so popular there too either (ANIMAL and all those other rock groups which are basically bad Ramones rip offs). For live stuff or dj, I'd check out
http://whatsupbuenosaires.com/wuba2/ if you haven't stumbled on it before. The Cultural Centers also have great concerts for practically nothing (I remember paying 2 pesos for Entre Rios - the best Argentine electropop act).

First solo Spinetta LP is abosolutely gorgeous. Esp "Vamos Al Bosque." Great use of semi-ragged sing-along chorus.

hey sophia, could to see you back!

I like pretty much all Soda Stereo. They gracefully evolved from ska-influenced post punk to new wave to shoegaze to britpop-influenced rock. Ceratti's first two albums are also very good.

Some favorite and very popular songs off top of my mind:

Soda Stereo - Luna Roja
Soda Stereo - En la ciudad de la furia (unplugged version)
Soda Stereo - Un millon de años luz
Soda Stereo - Hombre al agua
Gustavo Cerati - Bocanada
Gustavo Cerati - paseo inmoral
Fabulosos Cadillacs - Los Condenaditos
Fabulosos Cadillacs - Calaveras y Diablitos
Fabulosos Cadillacs - C.J.
Bersuit Vergarabat - Yo tomo

Mmm regarding Babasonicos I found them a tad annoying at points but these two songs are good:

Babasonicos - putita
Babasonicos - el Loco

Miranda! are fun if you understand spanish. Kind of kitschy. I'd recommend Don and Bailarina from them. Most of their output is rather erm letsay not very impressive.

Any mention of Virus on this thread? Didn’t see.

Virus seems to have been pretty big. Some of their tunes have been covered at least a dozen times.

Their leader Fede Moura produced the first Soda Stereo album, if that means anything to you.

Maybe I should just post about them on the Soda Stereo thread.

Totally into this one, and find Federico Moura really interesting to look at.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZdKXUa4j3g

After Federico died of AIDS-related complications, his two brothers carried on without him but they never really could fill the star power void. Here is a video of our old friends Gustavo Cerati and Charly Garcia pitching in on stage to try to bring up the energy level.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdK2GVOv6nM

This guy, Roberto Jacoby, wrote a lot of the lyrics, maybe he was Fede’s boyfriend.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Jacoby

Virus started as a guitar-based New Wave act and eventually moved into techno pop. The latter stuff sounds really good today, Federico’s voice ethereally floating over those synth washes.

Still trying to back into the earlier stuff.

Adrián Dargelos of Babasónicos joins Virus onstage to help them with a version of “Pronta Entrega.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v1__DlMWuM

Perhaps you will prefer the version by Miranda! Ale Sergi is apparently a huge fan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3tJcIgaV-0

Luca Prodan and Sumo never got a mention here?

Also, the 8 episode Fito Paez miniseries on Netflix, Love After Music is something I might end up watching out of completeness but I have heard bad things about it and what I have looked at seems to be paint by numbers.

Still trying to figure out this Pappo guy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpzYExs7teI

Did watch several episodes of ROMPAN TODO (BREAK IT ALL) and learned a lot. Now wondering how many outside of Argentina are familiar with “El extraño de pelo largo.”

There are so many versions of it at this point.

People in Mexico know it from the version by Los Enanitos Verdes who, like Babasónicos, seem to be more popular there than in Argentina.

But came to say I am enjoying Charly Garcia’s Hello! MTV Unplugged. He had a really good band on that one.

I love the version of Los dinosaurios in the Unplugged!

Vilma Palma e Vampiros were a hit in Perú while I lived there.

babasonicos are a staple of MTV Latina – love Viva Satana
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPCtmAbXIww

Yeah, “¡Viva Satana!” is great.

The Soda Stereo MTV Unlugged album, Comfort y música para volar is also good of course (although less unplugged than most, more reimagined) but it was the Brazilian acts who really went to town with that format, as fpsa can tell you.

Re the OP’s comment about punk bands, the only one I really know is the first one, Los Violadores, who were pretty good.

Their big hit was “1, 2 Ultraviolento,” which was based on “A Clockwork Orange.” The lyrics are even a mixture of Spanish and Nadsat as represented in the Spanish translation of the book (or film?). The song even starts with the old Ludwig van.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-yk2el2b8k

Heh, guessed that some tourists were Argentine today and talked to them for a few, confirming just how popular Rock nacional really is.

The whole family knew all about various musical figures, major and minor and furthermore, while they were in NYC they made a pilgrimage to the spot where Charly Garcia posed for the cover of Clics Modernos. They told me the relevant graffiti is no longer present but there is a commemorative plaque to mark the historic wall.