Peru
As I mentioned on another biography, in 1968 started a very turbulent decade in Perú, the democratic Government was interrupted by a Military Ultra Nationalist Dictator, who clearly stated that Rock was a dangerous Yankee influence against our ancestral inheritance and for that reason considered a poison.
Most radio stations were in hands of friends of the Government that captured all the media and Rock stations were harassed, I don't pretend to give a lecture on Peruvian contemporary history, but I believe it's important to describe all what this guys had to live while creating great music.
One year before the Revolution (Pompous name for a simple uprising of the militarism), in 1967, the brothers José and Freddy Rizo Patrón (Lead and rhythm guitar) left their former band "LOS HANG TENS" along with the vocalist and ex-classmate Manuel Sanguinetti with whom they decided to create a professional Rock band.
Their first dream was to become the most influential Peruvian Rock band and if possible make a contract in USA to gain international fame, but they alone weren't enough for that task.
Manuel who had some relations with another Psychedelic band (LOS MADS), recruits the very talented Jan Pierre Magnet (Saxophone and winds), and Willy Thorne (Bass, Keyboards). Thorne by his side calls two friends Willy Barclay (Lead Guitar) and Luis Nevares on drums.
I honestly don't know what happened with José Rizo Patrón because there's no mention of him leaving the band but he's not credited in any album.
TRAFFIC SOUND was officially born, the legend says that the name was chosen not in reference to a TRAFFIC influence as many people believe, but because they had a Traffic Light in the attic of the Rizo Patron's house where they used to practice (A souvenir from a savage night in Lima).
After a year of continue rehearsals and private shows they tried luck at The Tiffany (Peruvian psychedelic emporium equivalent to The Cavern) with great success, after three singles in 1968 Mag Records gives them the chance to release their first album "A Bailar Go Go" (not properly an LP but a 21 minutes EP) made with covers from HENDRIX, CREAM and others, but with a special Latin touch and sung in perfect English by Manuel Sanguinetti (Most, if not all the members had very solid English studies since kids, so the accent was not problem) All this made the EP worth to be bought and has become a collector's item..
Despite the terrible name (Let's Dance Go Go, being Go Go the cheesiest form of POP back in the 60's on the Peruvian scenario), the EP was well received by the critics, and by the people more interested in the innovative Psychedelia rather than in softer POP.
Their second album and the one that catapulted them to a legendary status was "Virgin" (1969) especially for the absolute icon of Peruvian Psychedelia "Meshcalina", all the material is original even when still heavily influenced by bands as THE BEATLES, PINK FLOYD, THE DOORS, LED ZEPPELIN and others, but again, but is also important to state that they are not clones because managed to work this influence with an absolutely peculiar and acoustic approach, probably the most searched collector's item of this era (I have one without cover).
In 1970 they recorded another LP named "Traffic Sound" aka. III aka. "Tibet's Suzettes", IMO their most mature album where they blend the Psychedelic spirit with an Andean folk sound, and give the necessary step to be closer than ecver to Progressive Rock.
The next year is very important for TRAFFIC SOUND, because an Airline (Believe it was Braniff) organizes the first South American Tour of a Peruvian band, being well received in exigent markets as Argentina and Brazil, who were already used to have good Rock bands.
At the return of the tour they change to a bigger label called Sono Radio where they release four singles in two 45 Rpm discs, at this point Willy Thorne left the band and is replaced by Zulu in the electric bass, with whom they release their last LP "Lux", incredibly during a massive strike of Sono Radio workers the master tapes disappear until 1996.
This album is different to the previous, the Andean influence is more evident and some political concerns are expressed by TRAFFIC SOUND, which of course almost nobody could listen until the 90's.
It was the beginning of the end, but still the greatest extravaganza was missing, in 1971 they gave their most memorable concert in the Segura Theater with Jaime Delgado Aparicio and the Contemporary Orchestra, the climax of this event (sadly never filmed or recorded) was the 30 + minutes version of Mr. Skin, something that will remain for ever in the memory of those who were lucky enough to be there.
From that point, the band members decided to follow their lives (Most people couldn't live of music in Perú on those years) except Jean Pierre Magnet who became a worldwide famous sax player.
But there was still a chance for some of us to see them, in the year 1993 they gathered for a concert in a local at the beach which I was lucky enough to see, not their best performance according to an older guy sitting at my side and smoking joints as if he was 15 again, but still great for those of us who never had the chance to see TRAFFIC SOUND on their glorious days.
Iván Melgar Morey, Perú
ALBUMS:
1971 - LUX
Musicians
- Manuel Sanguinetti / vocals, percussion, chorus
- Willy Barclay / lead guitar, chorus
- Freddy Rizo Patrón / rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, chorus
- Zulu / bass, keyboard, chorus
- Luis Nevares / drums, perccussion
- Jean Pierre Magnet / flute, Tenor saxophone, quena
Tracks Listing
1. Lux (3:00)
2. El Gusano (Alice in wormland) (4:02)
3. White Deal (1:45)
4. Poco (1:00)
5. Big Deal (1:11)
6. Inca Snow (5:26)
7. Marabunta (10:12)
8. Survival (2:27)
9. A Beautiful Day (2:40)
10. The Revolution (4:26)
Look!!
