When this album was recorded in 1960 the blush was off of
Esquivel's relationship with RCA records; his first two albums hadn't sold
enough to recoup the artiste's hefty studio bills, and when they heard this
one they didn't hear a hit. So they refused to release it, and it sat in
the vaults for 39 years.
What sounded "too bizarre" at the time sounds
rather quaint now, and really, it wasn't that radical at the time.
Esquivel's goofily ingratiating blend of big band horns, twangy electric
guitars, lush vibes, latin drums, and illustrative sound effects wouldn't
have sounded out of place on a late '60s movie soundtrack. But you have to cut
those long-retired suites some slack; the looped laughter of children on
over a peppy salsa beat on "Honky Tonky Cha-Cha" does sound rather
demented, and the mumbo-jumbo chants at the beginning of "Similau" are a
bit more exotic than your average tiki-bar fair.
What makes this record
listenable in 1999 is its vivid evocativeness and sense of play; I mean,
who can keep a long face when confronted with a name like "Honky Tonky
Cha-Cha?"
If you like Esquivel, check out:
Esquivel Space Age Bachelor Pad Music
Esquivel Music From A Sparkling Planet
Dimitri From Paris Sacrebleu
Nightmares On Wax Carboot Soul
Los Amigos Invisibles New Sound Of The Venezuelan Gozadera
Air Premiers Symptomes
The Pastels Illuminati
Stereolab Dots and Loops
