Laghonia – Etcetera

EtCetera is the second album by Peruvian band Laghonia, released on December 7, 1971.

The core of Laghonia was a combination of members from Peru and the USA, namely Saul Cornejo on vocals and guitar, Manuel Cornejo on Drums and David Levene on guitar and vocals. All eight tracks on the album were released on 45s under the group’s first name New Juggler Sound. When the band changed its name to Laghonia in 1970, the Glue album was released as a sort of New Juggler Sound 45-track compilation.

Their music is exciting psychedelic Rock ‘n’ Roll, with lyrics in English, intense fuzz, wah-wah guitars, Hammond B-2 organ and a huge, varied percussion sound. The compositions of their songs are influenced by the Beatles and the Yardbirds in the direction of Santana, Cream, Hendrix but also in other different directions.

The group improved its compositions making them more complex, sometimes reminiscent of the early Jethro Tull and King Crimson period, while others, progressive rock, folk or mystical music, but always intense and catchy, with a variety of rhythms, always with English lyrics .

The album cover is a great original artwork, a real psychedelic painting by Manuel Cornejo.

Both Laghonia’s albums, “Glue” and “EtCetera”, belong to the most legendary and best compilation albums of South America and together with La Revolucion de Emiliano Zapata, Modulo 1000, Toncho Pilatos and Traffic Sound, is a must for fans of psychedelic and progressive rock music.

If we take into account that in the early 70s a Communist Military pro-nationalist dictator of the country, Juan Velasco Alvarado, had almost banned rock because he considered it a form of expression of American imperialism, the feat of these children is great, because they succeeded to remain at the forefront of the Latin American progressive rock movement, despite the fact that everything was against them.

Another positive that the band had, was that they never had the problem that all foreign bands had that sang in English, which was none other than the distinctive accent of the singers. In the case of Laghonia one of their singers, David Levane was from the USA while Saul Cornejo had a near perfect English accent, a fact common to Peruvian bands as most of their singers came from Catholic American Schools and therefore learned to they speak English very well from an early age.

From this excellent album I select the impressive the track “I’m A Nigger”.

Tracklist

Someday 3:15
Mary Ann 5:09
I’m A Niger 3:39
Everybody On Monday 4:45
Lonely People 4:52
Speed Fever 5:55
Oh! Tell Me July 2:43
It’s Marvellous 3:09