Manal - History

History

In 1968, after their demos being rejected by multiple record labels, the band approached long time friend and producer Jorge Alvarez, who teamed up with Pedro Pujó and created the Mandioca label, which became the first label exclusively dedicated to Argentine rock.

Under the fledgling label, Manal released their first two singles in 1968. Their moment of triumph came at the 1969 Pinap Festival. On the back of their near daily performances throughout the year, the group's tightness was apparent. Fans ended up doing choruses and singing along with Manal's three members, who had resorted to a cappella vocals as their bass and drums broke down from overuse.

Following this event Manal released a self-titled debut album in 1970. Sales were encouraging, prompting RCA to offer the band a contract. Their major label debut El León (1971) proved less successful than Manal.

By 1972 however, musical tastes had changed. Acoustic rock (with folk-rock influences) was on the verge of an explosion fueled by artists such as León Gieco, and a heavier rock had become dominant. Blues-rock fell out of favor, and Manal couldn't make the transition. Their third album in 1972 was poorly received, leading to the break-up of the band that same year. Pappo, who was more at ease courting heavy metal audiences, would become the godfather of Argentine blues, a role he kept for over thirty years.

However, in 1980, Argentine rock was caught up in a revival period of rock from the late 1960s, with Almendra successfully reuniting. Producers asked Manal to do the same, which they did, and produced one last LP in 1981, named Reunión (reunion), but due to differences between Martinez and Gabis the meeting lasted only until 1981. After that meeting, Claudio Gabis not accept return to play again with Javier Martinez.

In 1987 Javier Martínez returned from France and reunited Manal with Aldo Giacommino (guitars), Luis de León (bass), Jorge Iacobellis (drums) and Jorge Szajko (keyboards and saxophone).

Manal's well-attended last concerts across Argentina led to a live album, and helped mitigate the unfortunate climate of their first separation. Furthermore, during the 1982 war, English-language music was informally banned from the airwaves for several months, resulting in increased airplay for Argentine bands, including Manal.

Today, Manal are credited with bringing the grittier form of blues-rock to Argentine rock,. Few at the time could have foreseen the strong influence Manal would have on the suburban rock explosion of the mid 1990s.

Throughout their career, Manal's lyrics suggested a more mature outlook on life than their hippie-influenced colleagues. One song advised that the recipe for success was to have "cold tomato juice (flowing) in your veins".