Los Manolos

12-6-07 Los Manolos

(re-run from Aug. ’02)

MANOLOS, LOS ALL MY LOVING RCA SPAIN PT 44616 12"

1991 3 TRKS with Pic Sleeve

Here’s a title that I can say with 100% honesty that I would never ever have heard of, had it not been for it’s music video. But it traveled a bit of a path to reach me…

The group is Spanish – or at very least from somewhere that is Spanish-speaking (I saw their name mentioned in connection with Barcelona, so they’re probably from Spain). I saw the video for this song on “Rage”, the Australian music video TV show (thanks to Ken G. in Australia). I found the 12” single at Record Surplus, in Los Angeles.

It is wonderful ‘high kitsch’ from a ‘modern’ flamenco group. I think. There will probably be someone who wants to argue that it isn’t flamenco, it’s (fill in the blank – rumbera?). Whatever it might be that isn’t flamenco, I don’t know what that’s called.

The video is hilarious. At first, I thought it was Mano Negra or Les Negresses Vertes. I could swear I saw “Eurotrash” presenter ( Antoine DeCaunes ) in this clip (which is why I thought it might be a French band). Everyone that I have shown this video clip to loves it and wants a copy. Apparently, the song was a big hit in Spain. And what could be better than a flamenco / rumbera cover version of an excellent ancient Beatles song? Fetishists of Beatles cover versions, take note!

Some time later, I found a whole CD of their ‘greatest hits’, including this song. The CD seemed to me to be almost entirely cover versions (no, I didn’t notice any other Beatles covers), done in a flamenco / rumbera style. Or whatever style it is that isn’t flamenco that I don’t know the name of.

I have never exactly bought a lot of music from Spain. In the 1970’s, I bought some progressive rock (Fusioon, Canarios, Granada, Pau Piba, Secta Sonica etc.), but after that, the only artist that I can positively I.D. as being Spanish that I bought was Ivan (whose big hit was "Fotonovela”, around 1984/5). My only other Spanish-language purchases have been Righeira (from Italy, who I love) and Café Tacuba (who are from Mexico, I think, whose ‘99 double CD “Yosoi – Reves” is amazing!).

2007 addendum: Little to add to my Los Manolos tale. The music video for “All My Loving” is terrific, and is probably bubbling away on Youtube as we speak! If it isn’t, it should be. The photo is of their “Best Of” CD, not the 12”. After finding the 12” and this CD, I never saw anything else by them for sale since I wrote this in ’02.