Los Saicos
Encyclopedia
Los Saicos were a Peru
vian garage rock
band that has come to be considered one of the most original and influential Latin American bands of the 1960s. They released six singles
(but no album
) between 1965 and 1966, all songs being originals by band members Erwin Flores and Rolando Carpio.
in 1964 by four amateur musicians just out of high school. Contrary to some myths, they were not aware of US garage rock
or of the wilder British bands like the Downliners Sect
; yet, even though they listened mostly to the best-known British Invasion
bands (The Beatles
, The Rolling Stones
, The Animals
), they came up with a wild garage/surf
sound that is unlike anything else recorded in Latin America at the time, and perhaps only paralleled by bands like The Sonics
and MC5
in North America.
. They also had their own national TV programme during 1965.
Los Saicos, who released all but one single through the small DisPerú label, unleashed "Saicomania" and led the way for dozens of bands throughout Peru. They have become legendary and many myths were created around their short existence and mysterious disappearance.
Recently they revealed that, once they perceived their fame to be waning in 1966, they simply decided to stop playing and began to live conventional lives, with two Saicos (singer Erwin Flores and singer/bass player César "Papi" Castrillón) eventually moving to the United States
. Flores recorded two solo albums that were later shelved. He then moved to the metropolitan area around Washington, DC and worked for ten years with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), not before moonlighting as a salsa
singer for a cover band in Maryland and Virginia. He is currently an executive for a pharmaceutical company. Coincidentally, Castrillón moved near Flores and they both became aware of their proximity only after a few years. Castrillón is semi-retired; he appears to have taught guitar classes in a church as a side activity.
Guitar player Rolando Carpio died in early 2005; he made a point of not telling his children about his musical past until they discovered the fact by themselves (as his son Rolando notes in the documentary about the band, Saicomanía). Drummer Pancho Guevara still lives in Lima.
Psychedelic garage punk band, The Black Lips have acknoweledged Los Saicos as a major influence.
at the Joy Eslava Club, fronting Spanish band Wau y Los Arrghs! in 2009. In 2010 Los Saicos played on their first international concert ever at Spain, since the ABC newspaper called them 'the first punk band in the world'.
In 2011, 'Saicomania', a docummentary about the band's career, was released at 'Julieta' theatre, Miraflores, Lima, Perú. On the same day, Los Saicos played together, with the presence of the local psychedelic garage band Los Silver Mornings. The documentary was later shown in public in San Francisco, with, among others, Jello Biafra
from the Dead Kennedys
in attendance.
. Previously, an unauthorized 10" vinyl by Spain
's Electro-Harmonix (1998) had compiled this same material, taking it from the 45 rpm singles rather than master tapes.
The documentary film Saicomania, which tells the story of the band, comes out later in 2010.
Singles
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
vian garage rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
band that has come to be considered one of the most original and influential Latin American bands of the 1960s. They released six singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
(but no album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
) between 1965 and 1966, all songs being originals by band members Erwin Flores and Rolando Carpio.
Origins
The band was formed in Lince, LimaLima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
in 1964 by four amateur musicians just out of high school. Contrary to some myths, they were not aware of US garage rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
or of the wilder British bands like the Downliners Sect
Downliners Sect
The Downliners Sect were a British rhythm and blues band of the beat boom era, formed in 1963 when the existing Downliners band split up.Stylistically, they were similar to The Yardbirds, The Pretty Things and the Rolling Stones, playing basic R&B on their first album The Sect...
; yet, even though they listened mostly to the best-known British Invasion
British Invasion
The British Invasion is a term used to describe the large number of rock and roll, beat, rock, and pop performers from the United Kingdom who became popular in the United States during the time period from 1964 through 1966.- Background :...
bands (The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, The Animals
The Animals
The Animals were an English music group of the 1960s formed in Newcastle upon Tyne during the early part of the decade, and later relocated to London...
), they came up with a wild garage/surf
Surf music
Surf music is a genre of popular music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Orange County and other areas of Southern California. It was particularly popular between 1961 and 1965, has subsequently been revived and was highly influential on subsequent rock music...
sound that is unlike anything else recorded in Latin America at the time, and perhaps only paralleled by bands like The Sonics
The Sonics
The Sonics are an American garage rock band from Tacoma, Washington, originating from the early and mid-1960s. Among The Sonics' contemporaries were The Kingsmen, The Wailers, The Dynamics, The Regents, and Paul Revere & the Raiders...
and MC5
MC5
The MC5 is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan and originally active from 1964 to 1972. The original band line-up consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson...
in North America.
Success
They were pioneers in writing their own Spanish-language songs, and they were also probably the only garage band anywhere to have been the most successful pop act in their country, as they were in 1965. Their anthem "Demolición" was one of the biggest radio hits of the year in PeruPeru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. They also had their own national TV programme during 1965.
Los Saicos, who released all but one single through the small DisPerú label, unleashed "Saicomania" and led the way for dozens of bands throughout Peru. They have become legendary and many myths were created around their short existence and mysterious disappearance.
Recently they revealed that, once they perceived their fame to be waning in 1966, they simply decided to stop playing and began to live conventional lives, with two Saicos (singer Erwin Flores and singer/bass player César "Papi" Castrillón) eventually moving to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Flores recorded two solo albums that were later shelved. He then moved to the metropolitan area around Washington, DC and worked for ten years with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), not before moonlighting as a salsa
Salsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
singer for a cover band in Maryland and Virginia. He is currently an executive for a pharmaceutical company. Coincidentally, Castrillón moved near Flores and they both became aware of their proximity only after a few years. Castrillón is semi-retired; he appears to have taught guitar classes in a church as a side activity.
Guitar player Rolando Carpio died in early 2005; he made a point of not telling his children about his musical past until they discovered the fact by themselves (as his son Rolando notes in the documentary about the band, Saicomanía). Drummer Pancho Guevara still lives in Lima.
Psychedelic garage punk band, The Black Lips have acknoweledged Los Saicos as a major influence.
Reunion
In 2006, the surviving Saicos got together in their hometown, Lince, Lima, for some commemorative events. They apparently have not played together in public since 1966 (although local reports from Peru dispute this; there was reportedly a reunion gig in 2009). Erwin Flores made a public reappearance in Peru after 40 years, singing "Demolición" at a small concert with the garage band Manganzoides as a guest, in May 2006. He also performed that song in MadridMadrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
at the Joy Eslava Club, fronting Spanish band Wau y Los Arrghs! in 2009. In 2010 Los Saicos played on their first international concert ever at Spain, since the ABC newspaper called them 'the first punk band in the world'.
In 2011, 'Saicomania', a docummentary about the band's career, was released at 'Julieta' theatre, Miraflores, Lima, Perú. On the same day, Los Saicos played together, with the presence of the local psychedelic garage band Los Silver Mornings. The documentary was later shown in public in San Francisco, with, among others, Jello Biafra
Jello Biafra
Jello Biafra is an American musician, spoken word artist and leading figure of the Green Party of the United States. Biafra first gained attention as the lead singer and songwriter for San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys...
from the Dead Kennedys
Dead Kennedys
Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1978. The band became part of the American hardcore punk movement of the early 1980s. They gained a large underground fanbase in the international punk music scene....
in attendance.
Music reissues
Their entire recorded legacy was issued on CD by the Peruvian label Repsychled in 2006, which remastered much of the material from original tape reelsReel-to-reel audio tape recording
Reel-to-reel, open reel tape recording is the form of magnetic tape audio recording in which the recording medium is held on a reel, rather than being securely contained within a cassette....
. Previously, an unauthorized 10" vinyl by Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
's Electro-Harmonix (1998) had compiled this same material, taking it from the 45 rpm singles rather than master tapes.
The documentary film Saicomania, which tells the story of the band, comes out later in 2010.
Discography
Albums- Wild Teen Punk from Perú 1965 (2000) - Non official edition by Electro Harmonix
- Saicos (2006) - Official album edited by Repsychled Records
- ¡Demolición! - The Complete Recordings (2010) - Singles compilation by Munster Records
Singles
- "Come On" / "Ana" (1965) - Dis Perú
- "Demolición" / "Lonely Star" (1965) - Dis Perú
- "Camisa de fuerza" / "Cementerio" (1965) - Dis Perú
- "Te Amo" / "Fugitivo de Alcatraz" (1965) - Dis Perú
- "Salvaje" / "El Entierro de Los Gatos" (1965) - Dis Perú
- "Besando a Otra" / "Intensamente" (1966) - El Virrey