Founded in 1971, Sui Generis has been labeled as one of the most influential rock bands in the history of Argentina. The band was founded by Charly Garcia, who has been referred to as the “Father of Argentinian Rock”. The band enjoyed massive success for several years during the 1970’s before disbanding. Even though the band was short-lived, their music sculpted the landscaped of Argentinian rock music forever. Their music is still extremely popular to this day and their songs are often played in clubs and at events.
The band released a total of 9 albums together. Four of them were studio albums, four of them were live albums, and one was a compilation album. Their music often topped charts and won awards. Sui Generis is no longer together today, though they did perform multiple concerts together in 1980 and later in 2001.
The Formation Of The Band
The band was the result of the combination of two separate bands. The first was Charly Garcia’s band, To Walk Spanish. The second was Century Indignation, which was formed by Carlos “Nito” Mestre. Charly played piano for the band and Nito played the flute. There was also Alejandro Correa on bass guitar, Carlos Piegari on guitar, Juan Carlos Bellia on guitar, and Alberto Rodriguez on drums.
Charly hoped that the band could follow in the footsteps of the Beatles and thus the band experimented heavily with psychedelic rock. However, they would later discover their own sound different from the Beatles. Their music is now classified as folk-rock.
The band launched with a rocky start. At their first show, only Charly and Nito made it in time to perform. Despite having only two members to play (one on piano and the other on flute) the crowd loved the music. Charly and Nito would often perform as a duet after this with both of them performing vocals.
Sui Generis steadily gained famed, but as Charly turned 20 he was forced to take part in mandatory military service, which he did not like. He was known for his outrageous behavior while in the military. He attempted to fake a heart attack after taking amphetamines hoping to be released from the military. While he spent time in the hospital he wrote the two songs that would become the band’s most well-known compositions: “Cancion para mi muerte” and “Botas Locas”.
The band released their first LP in 1972 and their second LP in 1973. Both albums were massively popular, especially with teenagers in Argentina. The first was entitled Vida and the second was entitled Confesiones de Invierno. Both showcased the unique sounds of the band and earned them attention from fans in multiple countries.
Changes And Separation
Charly’s distaste for the current political situation grew and he wanted to express these thoughts in his music. The sound of Sul Generis began to make a drastic change in 1974. An album that focused entirely on politics, military, and censorship was released. Ironically, much of the album had to be censored out of fear The public did not like the new sound of the band and neither did some of the members, including Nito.
The band officially separated in September 1975. They performed a series of farewell concerts in Luna Park Stadiums. The crowds that attended the shows were the largest to ever attend a rock concert in the country at that time.
Despite the separation, the band performed together on a few other occasions. They recorded an LP with Leon Gieco and Raul Porchetto the following year. They also performed live in 1980 and 2001. However, band members have stated there will never be a permanent reunion.
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