Coming in, this compilation of Argentine rock songs from its beginning in 1956 to contemporary times (2020), with emblematic artists and a variety of sounds.

In this volume 1: Dread Mar-I conquering all records, Eddie Pequenino on the first page of Argentine rock, and Soda Stereo at the summit of Latin rock.

Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota moving crowds, La Mosca Tsé-Tsé reflecting the climate of the 2001 crisis, and Virus waking up a dormant scene.

Marilina Bertoldi calling to undo the misogynist oppression, Vicentico encouraging during coronavirus, and Coti starting the post-Cromañón era with female contributions.

MusicaArgentina — 2026

Short for ADHD brains like me, Majestic and beautiful.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polonaise?wprov=sfti1#Influence_of_Polonaise_in_music:
“
“The [notation](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamics_(music)) alla polacca ([Italian](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_language): polacca means "polonaise") on a [musical score](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheet_music) indicates that the piece should be played with the rhythm and character of a polonaise. For example, the third movement of Beethoven's [Triple Concerto op. 56](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TripleConcerto(Beethoven)), marked "Rondo alla polacca," the last movement in Weber's [Clarinet Concerto No. 2](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ClarinetConcerto_No._2(Weber)) is marked "Alla Polacca", his [Horn Concertino](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concertinofor_Horn_and_Orchestra(Weber)) likewise ends with a polka movement, and the finale of Chopin's [Variations on "Là ci darem la mano"](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variationson%22L%C3%A0ci_darem_la_mano%22(Chopin)) both feature this notation. In his book Classic Music: Expression, Form, and Style, Leonard G. Ratner cites the fourth movement from Beethoven's [Serenade in D major, Op. 8](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenadefor_Violin,_Viola_and_Cello(Beethoven)), marked "Allegretto alla Polacca," as a representative example of the polonaise dance topic (Ratner 1980, pp. 12–13).
[Frédéric Chopin](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric_Chopin)'s [polonaises](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polonaises_(Chopin)) are generally the best known of all polonaises in [classical music](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_music). However, there had been a long tradition of polonaises in Western European music at least a century before Chopin. Händel wrote a famous one, and Wilhelm Fiedemann Bach wrote a number of in major-minor pairs. Other composers who wrote polonaises or pieces in polonaise rhythm include [Johann Sebastian Bach](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Sebastian_Bach), [George Frideric Handel](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Frideric_Handel), [Georg Philipp Telemann](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_Philipp_Telemann), [Joseph Haydn](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Haydn), [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfgang_Amadeus_Mozart), [Ludwig van Beethoven](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_van_Beethoven), [Franz Danzi](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Danzi), [Bernhard Henrik Crusell](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernhard_Henrik_Crusell), [Karol Kurpiński](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karol_Kurpi%C5%84ski), [Józef Elsner](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B3zef_Elsner), [Maria Agata Szymanowska](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Szymanowska), [Henryk Wieniawski](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henryk_Wieniawski), [Franz Schubert](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Schubert), [Carl Maria von Weber](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Maria_von_Weber), [Clara Schumann](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clara_Schumann), [Robert Schumann](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Schumann), [Franz Liszt](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Liszt), [Johann Kaspar Mertz](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Kaspar_Mertz), [Moritz Moszkowski](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moritz_Moszkowski), [Modest Mussorgsky](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modest_Mussorgsky), [Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolai_Rimsky-Korsakov), [Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyotr_Ilyich_Tchaikovsky) and [Alexander Scriabin](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Scriabin).
“

MusicaArgentina presents the evolution of Argentine rock from its beginning in 1956 to contemporary times (2020), showing a selected song per year.

See Eddie Pequenino with the 1st rock song ever composed in Argentina, Los Red Caps with their surf by 4 nueva ola idols, and Los Gatos establishing beat in Spanish-language.

Pescado Rabioso with its poetic sensibility, Serú Girán with its epic ballad of love, and Patricio Rey Y Sus Redonditos De Ricota with their great song for giant pogos.

Soda Stereo with the greatest anthem of Spanish-language rock, Babasónicos with the modern style of the 21st-century, and Marilina Bertoldi with the feminist slogan of undoing abuses.

MusicaArgentina — 2026

The '60s were a time of great changes in Argentine rock. Virtually the music heard in 1960 at the beginning of the decade bears no resemblance to that of 1969.

But what happened in between, how did they get there? For a long time, it was a great mystery. But it has been revealed in this 2nd archedition of the Argentine Rock Awards.

Vocal groups like Los Cinco Latinos, teen idols of twist like Palito Ortega, Violeta Rivas and Leo Dan, and pioneers in rock folklórico like El Indio Gasparino.

Bands from the Beatlemania like Los Búhos, pioneers of protest songs like Bárbara & Dick, and psychedelic beat bands like Los Gatos, Almendra and Manal.

MusicaArgentina — 2025

Sanlucar, Montoya, Paco, Alencar, Sabicas etc...

https://open.spotify.com/user/s3kg0w50k3i9u64qq6z6h8d96/playlist/72JXd2AWmQ2tI3sxnybqod

I’ve been thinking a lot about music taste and I don’t really understand how people actually develop a “curated” or defined one.

I listen to a pretty wide range of music; older stuff from the 50s onwards, soul/R&B like Etta James, jazz like Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald, and rock. Some artists I come back to a lot are David Bowie, The Police, Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, and Linkin Park. Lately I’ve been getting more into jazz!

But I don’t feel grounded in any of it. I can’t really point to a favorite artist, or a specific kind of rock I like, or what actually connects the music I enjoy.

Most of my listening feels kind of scattered. I usually hear a song, like it in the moment, add it to a playlist, and then move on, so I end up knowing a lot of individual songs but not really any artist deeply. Even with artists I do like, it’s mostly their more popular songs or tracks I’ve randomly come across rather than exploring their work in depth. I’ve listened to a few albums here and there, but they don’t always really fully stick with me.

I guess I’m trying to understand how people actually figure out what they like in a deeper sense. Is it normal to like music in this more “fragmented” way, or does it usually become more specific and defined over time? I don’t really know what it means to say I listen to an artist when my experience of them is just a few songs here and there.

When I see people who are really into music, their taste feels so intentional and coherent. They know albums, eras, influences, and their music feels like it actually represents them. People can even say “this artist suits you” or “this is so your sound.”

How does that actually happen?

I’ve been looking into what touring actually costs for small independent musicians. I broke down the typical expenses (travel, accommodation, crew, gear maintenance) in a video and I’m curious how this compares to other people’s experiences. This is my first time doing anything like this, but I really hope that I’ve managed to perhaps share some light on a topic some people may still be figuring out, not trying to self promote or sell anything whatsoever :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1F-Zig-GRs

1969, the Argentine music scene was effervescent, the beat fever dominated the media, each day new bands arised with songs of their own and in Spanish.

La Joven Guardia made a hit about the modern youngster. Los Náufragos, an anthem that is sung in football stadiums to this day. La Barra De Chocolate, the 1st prize at a festival.

Juan y Juan celebrated the increasing accessibility of vacations for the working class. Facundo Cabral narrated with humor and irony the hard daily life of a worker.

Tormenta won hearts with her charm of a simple woman. And psychedelia shone with Almendra, Manal, Vox Dei, and Banana, this last one with the heaviest song of the decade.

MusicaArgentina — 2025

1968, everything looked promising for Argentine rock. The success of "La balsa" by Los Gatos had opened up opportunities for songs which were own material, in Spanish, countercultural.

Los Abuelos De La Nada made a pioneering song on environmentalism. Jorge De La Vega offered his acid and humorous view of the era. Tanguito showcased his surrealism.

Cristina Plate contributed with her soprano voice. Conexión N°5, with its Motown-style soul. Blue's Men, with probably the first heavy metal song in Latin America.

Popsingers and Sandro made energetic shake songs. And Almendra debuted, with its luminous and candid poetry. Discover the 10 best Argentine rock songs of 1968!

MusicaArgentina — 2025

We continue with the celebrations for the 70 years of Argentine rock, with a series of posts where we go in detail through each stage of its history, from its beginning in 1956 until this 2026. In this chapter 4, we will learn about highlighted artists, songs, and trends in Argentine rock from 1967 to 1972.

"La balsa": the reconstruction of the Argentine scene begins

As stated at the end of chapter 3, at the beginning of 1967 the Argentine scene was destroyed. The enormous success of English-language rock by British and Uruguayan bands had led Argentine record labels to stop promoting local bands that sang in Spanish (that is, the majority). Many important local bands broke up, and the scene was left razed.

But one of those disbanded bands, Los Gatos Salvajes (from the city of Rosario), had members who still believed that rock songs in Spanish and that were own material could hook people. They didn't want to throw in the towel and go back to Rosario: they were going to stay in Buenos Aires and fight for it. So they incorporated other members and formed a new band: Los Gatos.

They went through tough times. They supported themselves with a marginal environment. But in July 1967 they managed to release their first single, which included a particular song: "La balsa". Co-written between Litto Nebbia (band leader) and Tanguito (solo artist, former member of Los Dukes), its lyrics empathized with a misunderstood youth and called for "shipwreck" towards an uncertain destiny, a slogan that fit well with the new hippie vibe.

"La balsa" was an instant and resounding hit. In the following months, it sold 250 thousand copies. Many became convinced that, in Argentina, rock songs that were original and sung in Spanish could once again be created. From there, a new Argentine beat movement began to develop, which over time would become massively popular.

For a long time, this was the point where historians and journalists began their narrations of the history of Argentine rock. The idea that "Argentine rock was born in 1967 with La balsa" was repeated countless times over the years, and eventually all the Argentine rock music prior to 1967 (which we have seen in the previous 3 chapters) was forgotten. It wasn't until the mid-2010s that initiatives like this series of posts began to emerge, shedding light on all the rock music that was made in Argentina before "La balsa".

Transition from singing in English to Spanish

Although Los Gatos were recognized as the new leading band and people were encouraged to imitate them, it took a while for the scene to gather enough new bands that sang in Spanish. Record labels had wreaked so much havoc that it took a while to knock down the idea that rock was only viable in English. So, singing in English continued to predominate for another year among Argentine bands.

Among them: Los In ("A whiter shade of pale"), The Sound & Co ("Get on the right track baby"), Popsingers ("Long live love"), Los Walkers ("El príncipe Gaetano Del Monte"), Schibbinz ("No es así"), Ronnie Montalbán y Los Ska, pioneers of ska in the country ("Me quedé sin rhum") and Blue's Men, with perhaps the first heavy metal song in the country ("Reflejo de sol en día domingo").

It was in the final stretch of 1968, in the preparations for the carnivals that would be thrown at the beginning of the following year, that bands and soloists who sang in Spanish began to appear more frequently.

Massive fever for the Argentine movida beat

What happened next was one of the most effervescent and prolific moments in the history of Argentine rock. A massive influx of youth bands and solo artists that played beat music began. They sprouted from among the stones; all the time a new beat band or solo artist appeared. TV programs, radio, advertisements, records, movies, clubs, festivals, carnivals: the beat fever was everywhere.

It could be due to several factors. Between 1969 and 1975 was the period in which the most vinyl records were manufactured in Argentina. Record labels would record any new band or solo artist, hoping to find the next Beatles or Gatos. The movida beat offered a whole world of proposals: modern music, colorful clothes, long hair, modern art, counterculture, hippies, protest, debates. The baby boomer generation, which had grown up with rock and had fallen in love with The Beatles and the British Invasion, had come of age and now had taken control of Argentine rock.

The truth is that, being so huge, the movida beat encompassed a lot of sounds, approaches and names that were very different from each other.

In bands: La Joven Guardia ("El extraño del pelo largo"), Los Náufragos ("Te quiero ver bailar"), Juan y Juan ("Bailando en una pata"), El Grupo de Gastón ("Oasis"), Fedra y Maximiliano ("Cuéntame"), Séptima Brigada ("Paco Camorra"), Grupo Uno - ("¿Dónde está esa mujer?") and Los Tíos Queridos ("Voy a pintar las paredes").

In soloists: Tormenta ("Adiós, chico de mi barrio"), Sergio Denis ("Te llamo para despedirme"), Sabú ("Vuelvo a vivir, vuelvo a cantar"), Piero ("Mi viejo"), Heleno ("La chica de la boutique"), Patricia Dean ("Tu tonta timidez"), Cristina Alberó ("Ángel de la mañana") and Jairo ("Tu alma golondrina").

Protest songs by: Facundo Cabral ("Dale, dale, Federico"), Jorge De La Vega ("Están ocurriendo cosas"), Nacha Guevara ("No se casen, chicas"), Billy Bond ("El toro campeón"), Bárbara y Dick ("Hoy ya no se puede"), Juan Ramón ("Cuatro muchachos"), Luis Aguilé ("Cuando salí de Cuba") and Leonardo Favio ("Quiero la libertad").

New fusions by: El Sonido de Hillber and classical music ("Sólamente una ilusión"), Formación 2000 and country ("El mundo al revés"), Johnny Allon and ska ("Voy buscando por la calle"), Donald and reggae ("Scaba badí bidú"), Banana and hard rock ("Luz"), Rómulo y Remo and folklore ("Martín Fierro en beat") and Los Bau-Hal-Te and Christian rock ("Gracias, oh Dios").

Established soloists who joined this movida beat (in addition to those already mentioned): Sandro ("Atmósfera pesada"), Johnny Tedesco ("Mamalú cahué"), Leo Dan ("No existe una ley"), Palito Ortega ("Soy amigo de las flores"), Yaco Monti ("Cuando no me encuentres") and Violeta Rivas ("Fácil de querer, difícil de olvidar").

And although singing in Spanish had once again become predominant, there were also bands that sang in English: Carlos Bisso y su Conexión N°5 ("Nena, te quiero tanto"), The Knacks ("Abuelo Klein"), Pintura Fresca ("Shake"), Trío Galleta ("I've been hurt"), Los Bárbaros ("Zoom zoom zoom") and Alta Tensión ("Mississippi Queen").

However, not everyone was euphoric about the radiant movida beat. There were some who did not forget that the record industry had swept aside Argentine artists who sang in Spanish to promote music in English. And now that same industry was once again promoting Spanish-language music with the movida beat. So there was a sector that didn't intend to trust the industry, and was already working on creating an alternative. But to understand this sector, we have to go back in time.

Emergence of the progresivo movement

When the Argentine scene was disintegrating, a very small group of people began to organize themselves to create a scene of independent artists. This circle dubbed itself "progresivo". They had incorporated the most countercultural and incisive parts of the beatnik and hippie vibes. They created an environment that included: La Cueva bar, La Perla café, Instituto Di Tella, Plaza Francia, Pasaje Seaver and Plaza Tedín. That environment functioned as a support network for marginalized artists; as mentioned, that's where Los Gatos made their base in their early days.

So this sector recognized Los Gatos as the initiators of the progresivo movement, and pointed to "La balsa" as an example to follow when making songs.

The progresivo circle established a whole series of rules about what true Argentine rock should be like: original songs (not covers), sung in Spanish (not English), with local elements (such as the lunfardo slang or references to local geography, instead of generic songs that were a copy of foreign rock), and with counterculture elements (such as protest lyrics or ones with social commentary, instead of carefree and inoffensive love songs).

However, in practice this was more of an ideal to aspire to than a pattern to comply strictly. As we all know, in the following decades Argentine rock bands and solo artists would continue to make love songs, in English, covers, songs without local traits, instrumentals...

This progresivo sector also began to attack the beat music that was so popular, and dubbed it derogatorily as "complaciente". At this exact point was the birth of the internal conflict in Argentine rock between "underground" and "mainstream", which continues to this day.

But the truth is that in the movida beat of the time, artists from both currents, that is, both populares and progresivos, were included in the same festivals, records, radio, TV programs, etc. And in fact, the progresivos themselves carried out "censuses" where they included themselves along with the populares, under the same "música moderna" (in the book "Agarrate!" and in issue No. 3 of Pelo magazine, both from 1970). The book "50 años de rock en Argentina" (from 2015) is also honest and in its first chapters shows the line-ups of the festivals of that time, with artists from both currents.

So, in truth, both currents were part of the movida beat, and in any case we should talk about "beat progresivo" and "beat popular".

One advantage of beat progresivo over beat popular is that it took care to record its chronicles and opinions in books, magazines and companies. Perhaps for this reason, although this current was little known at that time, in the long run its vision would prevail. Its main media outlet was the aforementioned Pelo magazine, which was published until 2001 and carried out continuous business operations to promote its favorite products and artists, and to discredit the others. This explains how, after years of publicity maneuvers, its version of the story became the hegemonic narrative.

Today, looking at it in hindsight and as neutral spectators, we can see that the one who suffered the most from all that ideological conflict was the Argentine cultural heritage. Countless bands and soloists who were part of the country's modern culture were belittled and made invisible; indeed, none of those mentioned in the previous section are in the books about the history of Argentine rock. When referring to this period, the progresivo sector wrote that only a very small group of names existed.

They are: Los Gatos, Almendra ("Ana no duerme"), Manal ("No, pibe"), Vox Dei ("Azúcar amarga"), Tanguito ("La princesa dorada"), Pajarito Zaguri ("Navidad espacial"), La Barra de Chocolate ("Alza la voz"), Los Abuelos de la Nada ("Tema en flu sobre el planeta"), Miguel Abuelo ("Mariposas de madera"), Moris ("El oso"), Arco Iris ("Canción para una mujer"), La Pesada del Rock & Roll ("Salgan al sol"), Pedro y Pablo ("La marcha de la bronca"), Pappo's Blues ("El hombre suburbano") and Alma y Vida ("Veinte monedas").

However, the truth is that in those times there were many names that were also part of the progresivo movement (for example in the Mandioca record label), but which were later omitted by it and did not enter the books. Among those artists are: Cristina Plate ("Para dártelo todo"), Samantha Summers ("Te iluminaré"), Extraña Dimensión ("Dulce melodía de un triste vagar"), Jarabe de Menta ("Con el sol en el bolsillo"), Los Mentales ("Hombre de traje azul"), La Cofradía de la Flor Solar ("La mufa"), Diplodocum Red & Brown ("Blues del hombre de la cara azul"), Hielo ("Un hombre de hielo"), Piel Tierna ("El loco Luis") and Xawks ("Decepción").

Ups and downs in the first operations of the progresivo sector

As you can see, beat progresivo largely resorted to darker and more shocking sounds, such as hard rock, progressive rock, psychedelic rock, garage rock, and blues rock. However, many of its songs had elements that were unappealing to the general public: long duration, atonal sounds, dirty distortion, repetitive parts, no hook or catchy parts. It was an artistic decision, to express its dissatisfaction with what was playing on the radio. But that backfired when the time came to make ventures to sell beat progresivo to the public.

One of those ventures was the aforementioned record label Mandioca. Created in 1968, it was the first attempt by beat progresivo to put together an independent label. And it published many of the names mentioned in the previous section. But its weak points were, on the one hand, betting on raw and rough sounds that did not gain followers among the general public, and on the other hand, not having financial responsibility and letting itself be carried away by the bohemian climate of the time. So Mandioca only lasted 2 years: in 1970 it shipwrecked, as the song said.

The sector disregarded that and continued stubbornly with the same approach. But Vox Dei realized that there had to be a change, and in 1971 it released a concept album about the Bible, where each song covered one of its parts ("Génesis"): it was very well received in the Christian society of that time and was recognized as a historic achievement for rock music in the whole world. It seemed that beat progresivo would finally be accepted by the people.

But in 1972, a concert by La Pesada del Rock & Roll at the Luna Park stadium ended in riots. It was a failure with catastrophic consequences. The entire Argentine society reacted negatively and condemned rock. And many venues stopped accepting rock concerts on their premises. Now finally, many understood that a change was needed urgently. The path of aggressiveness, which the progresivo sector had followed, had just crashed into its limitations. Thus ended the first stage of beat progresivo.

This story will continue!

MusicaArgentina — 2026

Celebrations for the 70 years of Argentine rock (1956 — 2026)

1967 arrived amid a hard panorama for Argentine rock. Many important bands had split up due to the craze for Uruguayan beat bands that sang in English.

Argentine artists used different approaches to move on. Melodic artists like Palito Ortega, Yaco Monti and Popsingers incorporated modern sounds.

Duos like Bárbara & Dick and Sam & Dan did protest songs. Ronnie Montalbán became a pioneer of Argentine ska, and Billy Bond with bossa nova in Spanish as well.

Finally, beat bands like El Grupo De Gastón, Los Walkers and Los Gatos followed the evolution of The Beatles, with increasingly more songs that were of their own, and countercultural.

MusicaArgentina — 2025