Scratchy Buckles: Los Stop & Los 3 Sudamericanos

I've been meaning to display these doozies for some time now and it seems appropriate that this post should feature a couple of bands that sum up the spirit of the 'Scratchy Buckles' website ethos: groovy record covers, groovy bands and groovy music!

I was immediately taken with the cover photo of the Los Stop E.P. In the centre we have Christina looking cooler than Purdey from 'The Avengers' flanked on either side by Juan Comellas (organ), José María Serra (guitar), Fernando Cubedo (bass) and Andrés Gallego (drums) all resplendent in their co-ordinated stripey cricket blazers. The Stops come from Spain and started in 1966, they made a toe tapping mod beat for an all too brief period between 1967 and 1968, releasing six singles and a lone self titled album, as well as some E.P's. Christina belted out the songs with her powerful voice, in a Sandie Shaw style. She went on to release four singles in 1969, under the Cristina y Los Tops moniker.

The following information is dubiously translated from here

"Her artistic beginnings were with the group "Donald Duck" getting its first prize radio, Juan Alfonso, Rafa and Paco along with Cristina up this first group that won major successes.
In recording her first album with the company Belter decide to rename the group, born as The Stop, and thus continued its successes interpreting songs of Mina. The Five Latinos etc. The Stop suffered a series of updates concerning the group members when several of them are separated by Cristina and form their own group, but nonetheless Cristina continues with its success. The voice of Rita Pavone sister, Cristina, then sings the successes of both in Italian and in Spanish such as "you eat noi", music festival in San Remo. In 1967 she received the award from the Institute of Hispanic Culture with the song "The tourist 1,999,999" The Festival de Mallorca. "Health, Money and Love" was the song that finally launched to fame with "Cristina and Stop" among many more successes. Again the group melts, leaving Cristina and two components which will be named Cristina y los STOP, they are born with the hits "Hearts Content" "Que Viva Love" and "Viva Canto" Cristina was selected to represent Spain in the Eurovision Festival 1971, but in this case went Karina elected. "

Group melting stuff indeed!

My copies are stamped on the back with "Stradivarius (The shop?) Jose L Avellaneda Cardoso, Peregrina, 2 esq. a Malteses, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria". If anyone is popping that way on their holidays, I would be delighted to find out what became of this establishment.

The sleeve designs on all of their back catalogue are top notch with just the right amount of swinging sixties 'Carnaby Street' influence, fused with a yeye euro chic. Here, we have Christina doing an Audrey Hepburn pose in the rose garden, and then on 'El Tourista' The Stops are reminding us of the era of sophisticated air travel, before it's inevitable decline, when the package holidays took hold and spawned Brits going abroad to the Costa's.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x45sjb_cristina-y-los-stop-tres-cosas_music awesome!!

Los 3 Sudamericanos were strangely enough a trio who formed in 1959 in Paraguay. The following information is dubiously translated from here

"Trio formed in 1959 by Mary Alma Vaesken, Casto Dario Martinez and Johnny Torales. The latter had been sent as a child by his family to Buenos Aires to pursue their studies. He began his musical career here and then returned to Asuncion. He recorded a pair of solo LPs, one with the orchestra Lucio Milena and another with the Orchestra novels, for stamp Guarani. He sang in Paraguayan Guarani themes and Castilian, and also English versions of themes popularized by Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby.

Darius stood out as a child as an interpreter of harmonic and then turned on guitar. In 1956 and 1957 he joined the quintet in Asuncion The Harmony Club. The group had disbanded by opposition from parents of its members, and four of them returned to their studies. Darius, however, was decided by the music.

Mary Alma was a student teacher quinceañera, known Darius, who used to play piano and sing at family parties. It soon began a romance between Alma Mary and Johnny. All three recorded an acetate to give away to an uncle of Alma, Johnny took a copy to a radio and soon began to sound the themes in asunceñas stations. Even the trio had no name, and people started to know him as The Ghost Trio.

The name Los 3 Sudamericanos adopted it when they were summoned by Columbia Argentina in Buenos Aires to record an LP, The LP had great success in Argentina, while in Paraguay received some criticism that traditional topics Paraguayans were interpreted with modernized arrangements. They decided to settle in Argentina to continue recording. Before travelling Alma and Johnny had to marry because she was a minor"

A quick 'Sudamericano' seven inch sleeve style guide...