Los Straitjackets – Rock En Espanol, Vol. 1

Back in the mid-’60s, Mexican bands such as Los Rockin’ Devils and Los Teen Tops specialized in recording American rock ‘n’ roll hits in Spanish. With the aid of vocalists Cesar Rosas (who produces), Big Sandy (from the Fly-Rite Boys) and Willie G (frontman of ’60s East L.A. kingpins Thee Midniters), the masked men of the instrumental band Los Straitjackets return the tribute by reviving their favorites in this obscure subgenre.

If you’ve heard the originals, you know the Mexican bands attacked this material with a wild and gleeful sense of discovery and abandon best called garage bands en espanol. Los Straitjackets sound more like old pros at play.

The biggest treat here might actually be the singers, with Big Sandy emerging as a real surprise; he takes seven of the thirteen vocals, covering a wide range of material, and acquits himself handsomely. Still, the musicians are no slouches.

“De Dia Y De Noche” (“All Day And All Of The Night”) gets a good stomping. “Lagrimas Solitarias” (“Lonely Teardrops”) and “Dame Ena Sena” (the East L.A. standard “Gimme A Little Sign” by Brenton Wood, which was apparently not recorded by any Mexican bands) are both way cool. Eddie Angel and Danny Armis uncork mighty guitar solos on “La Hiedra Venenosa” (“Poison Ivy”) and “Loco Te Patina El Coco” (“Wild Thing”). And “Calor” (“Slow Down”) and “Popotitos” (“Bony Maronie”) make a strong case in any language for Larry Williams as the most underrated early rocker.