LA BARRA DE CHOCOLATE LP '70 Argentina psych fuzz orig.

$

41

MONSTROUSLY RARE original 1970 PSYCH ROCK MASTERPIECE from Argentina's La Barra De Chocolate on the Music Hall label.  Quite possibly the BEST psych album from Argentina.  This one's got everything from orchestrated baroque pop to mid-60's garage beat to trippy headphone psychedelia to all-out massive garage freakbeat mayhem!  "Buenos Aires Beat" is just that really - great beat pop that successfully mimics the 1965 Beatles beat sound - rumbling bass, catchy uptempo melody and piercing garagey guitar leads.  Being from Argentina, however, the boys can't resist throwing in a super cool little shakin' tropicalia style break with some excellent quivery guitar work - let's see McCartney and Lennon try that!  "Proyectos de Un Ladron Prisionero" follows, and this is a whole different animal here, kids.  Think 1968 and the trippiest, most mystical psychedelia you remember - the Tea Company, Gandalf, West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, etc. - it's got some great echoey guitar effects like the Tea Company's LP, sound effects made on the guitar that sound like echoed out water droplets (see also Pink Floyd's "Echoes") - and a trippy Eastern vibe with finger cymbals and a mystical hookah pipe vibe that's odd coming from Argentina but hey, I'll take it.  The song ends with a long trippy coda that sounds like a dream jam session between Santana and Pink Floyd.  "Ella, La Doncella" kicks off Side 2 on a beautiful baroque pop psych note, with nice orchestration and a somewhat midieval feel.  "El Divagante" follows, and once again, it's a complete 180.  This one's a SNEERING garage freakbeat MONSTER, with cheezy organ, lots of punky attitude, and a wild, snakey, beelike fuzz guitar that's present throughout most of the song, sliding and diving just behind the vocals.  The album wraps up with the 8-minute go-go fuzz instrumental MAYHEM of "Viste?" - just absolutely KILLER loose and funky all-out go-go fuzz psych JAM!  Lotsa funky, chunky organ work, rumbling bass, snakey fuzz guitar that writhes around everything, and the most frenetic drumming this side of Keith Moon holding the whole thing (barely) together!  You'll love this one, and wonder why it was missing from your life up until this point.  Here's a pretty thorough informative piece I found on the band off an Argentinian Groups website:

"The album should have deserved better luck. It features 11 songs all written by Zaguri (some co-written, actually) ranging from beat ("Si supiera esta niña", "Buenos Aires beat", "Beatnic Waltz"), to psycho ("Proyectos de un ladrón prisionero"), to the lengthy guitar-distorted "¿Viste?". This recommended LP was dedicated to his friends at La Cueva.

Another good single followed, "Vivir en las nubes", and by the end of the year they released yet another one featuring an orchestra ("Voces de la calle").

Pajarito left the group before it definitely split. He later formed Piel de Pueblo, once again with Nacho Smilari.

None of La Barra de Chocolate’s recordings have been reissued on any form, and they are extremely rare."

Extremely rare indeed.  And a shame because so many people would LOVE this LP.  It's so much better than the other South American so-called "monster" psych albums that HAVE been reissued (and aren't so good after all).  This one delivers!  Original 1970 pressing on the Music Hall label.  In MONO.  Vinyl has been used, like most of these pressings, and shows many light marks and scuffs, nothing deep.  It plays through with no skips, with some steady crackle and a few pops, nothing bad at all really, so I'd grade it VG to VG+.  Which is pretty good considering the way many of these Argentinian LPs show up.  Cover has stamp on front upper corner, small tear on lower front edge, and the bottom seam is completely split.  Winning bidder pays $3.00 media mail shipping in the US, $6 air mail to Canada, $11 air mail everywhere else.  Paypal, Bidpay, cash, checks and money orders accepted.