The Day After The Sabbath 118: La Fuente del Ritmo

TDATS 118 is a collection of tracks from bands who made albums in the US, all including members who had relocated from Latin America. The biggest influence on this Latin rock trend was undoubtedly Carlos Santana! Indeed, Malo included the guitar talents of Carlos's brother, Jorge Santana.

The better-known artists here are Chango, Malo, Tierra and El Chicano, all referred to at times as "Chicano Rock". Other bands here don't fall under that convenient label, because the term Chicano specifically means Mexican-American. Chango offer some of the best cuts here, with 'Woman in Black' standing out as the closest to heavy metal. What makes all the tracks here a refreshing alternative to the usual heavy psych and rock of the times is the Latin influence, the lead guitar styles and the percussion, often with a horn section which complements the sound rather than softening it. The track from Amazonas is from the school of infamous budget / exploitation producer Leo Muller (real name David Leonard Miller) who's labels would employ studio musicians to sell popular sounds of the time to lesser-discerning music buyers. In the case of the Amazonas LP some great original music resulted.

While remaining true to the aftersabbath ethos of heavy groove and rocking-ness, this comp brings together a great collection of salsa-flavoured, funky, jazzy, brassy rock. A light-hearted and enjoyable mix just in time for the summer! If you like this one, you may want to check out my other Latin-flavoured comps; 104 (Peru), 84 (Brazil), 89 (Mexico) and 43 (general South America). I love the good vibes of the rock from these places so there will be more....Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and others to come...