SANDHY & MANDHY
“Para Castukis”
Here
at last is a chance to discover why people have been willing
to pay a very steep price to hear Sandhy & Mandhy, the
duo who were not a duo, the band who were not a band, creators
of perhaps the rarest and most expensive album from Argentina.
To tell the story of Sandhy & Mandhy, we have to go back
to 1967, when Alberto Infusino (Sandhy) and Alberto Vanasco
(Mandhy) began their musical partnership in the beat band
The New Free Men. Like many bands of that time, Los Shaker’s
and Los Walkers, for example, the New Free Men played covers
of songs by the Zombies, Animals, Kinks, Yardbirds, Doors,
and so on, in clubs and at parties. Yet at the same time,
Infusino and Vanasco started to play their own compositions,
with a national touch to the music. Let’s let Vanasco
(Mandhy) take up the story: “In 1969, we went to talk
with Billy Bond, chief of ‘La Pesada del Rock Roll,’
to ask about the chance to make an album. Bond said that he
was not looking for a band, but for a duo who sang songs in
Spanish... So, we called some friends to play together, and
we called the project Sandhy & Mandhy.” They recorded
the album in three hours, with a full band (Farfisa organ,
congas, drums, bass, and guitars)—one take of each song.
Instead of a demo, they decided to press an LP: the company
(Phonalex) pressed 110 LPs in total, which the band gave out
at gigs. Sandhy & Mandhy were one of the first bands in
South America bring a rebellious attitude to the music scene—all
this in a period of military repression, when forced haircuts
in the streets were a common occurrence. Although they broke
new ground, success was not their fate. And so thirty-eight
years after the burst of improvisation that was Sandhy &
Mandhy, the rest of the world can finally take a taste of
their dark, groovy, beat-influenced psychedelia (that fuzz
guitar on the excellent ‘Lluvia’!). At times introspective
and acoustic, at others manic and ramshackle in the best way,
it’s quite a discovery. Now, on to the presentation—the
highest quality mastering and pressing (done at Acoustech
Mastering/RTI in California, the same people who master and
press every title that audiophile label Classic Records makes);
the resulting LP is housed in a poly-lined sleeve, inside
an ultra-heavy 1960's style gatefold jacket, which is housed
in a loose-fitting plastic sleeve. Inside the sleeve, you
will find an insert with full details on Sandhy & Mandhy,
including lyrics in Spanish and English, printed on 100% recycled
paper. The LP labels are replicas of the originals. A top
of the line pressing all the way. Limited edition of 800 copies.
Track
List:
1.
Quisiera Olvidarte (3.27);
2. Esta noche no debes llorar (2.50);
3. Vuelve a ser el de antes (2.32);
4. Eres tu la mujer de un día (3.27);
5 La chica sola y triste (2.41);
6. Lluvia (3.41);
7. Yo te buscaré (2.29);
8. Recuerdo hoy (2.43);
9. Sigue creyendo en mí (2.46);
10. La indeferencia los pone mal (5.40);
11. Más allá de las lágrimas (3.11);
12. Me colgaron la galleta (2.34);
13. Hasta el mañana (1.29)
Catalogue number: LION LP-10