Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA Los Loco Del Ritmo - Rock
 | Six primitive Mexican instros from 1960 grace the grooves of this rare album. Two have been booted from mono vinyl singles, while this is stereo. Puebla's Los Loco Del Ritmo were one of the better bands from Mexico that played American rock'n'roll, as this album testifies to. |
Picks: La Cucaracha, Morelia, Blues Tempo, Un Vasito Con Agua, Pedro Pistola, El Mongol
Track by Track Review
Rock (Instrumental)
Right from the start, you know "La Cucaracha" is going to be fun. The guitar and organ duet slowly on the melody riff. Once the band comes in, it becomes charming and too fun. Part rock, part party, and part silly. Excellent!
Rock (Instrumental)
"Morelia" is a jumpin' boogie in the style of rockabilly b-sides, but strained through the low brow approach that Los Locos Del Ritmo were so good at. Primitive and honest.
Rock (Instrumental)
"Blues Tempo" moves slowly through a blues rhythm. It's haunting piano lead is reminiscent of early New Orleans rock piano magic. Darn nice.
Rock (Instrumental)
Gritty chop chords and piano stompin' break into a splendid piano melody. While "Un Vasito Con Agua" is fairly jammy, it's also more than just a jam. What is of particular note is the delightful circular nature of the piano lines. Nothing serious, just interesting fun.
Mexican Detective Rock (Instrumental)
These guys were the madmen of Mexico in the sixties - hey, isn't that what Los Locos means? The Crazies of Rhythm as it were. They did things to American standard garage punk and the like that were totally unique. Some enterprising sole should unearth their whole catalog of singles and stuff and issue a CD. They weren't talented in the technical sense, but their genuine true-to-life directness about their music just oozed fun. They had a total absence of pretension. As you might guess from the title, "Pedro (Peter) Pistola (Gunn)" is the Henry Mancini classic. It ain't surf, but there's little from Mexico that is cooler than this. Hot stuff!
Mexican Chinese Takeout (Instrumental)
A stereotypical Chinese intro and melody line are supported by a simple trite format. Both fun and cool, because that's the only way Los Locos Del Ritmo can do it.