LOS DIABLOS Oh Diablos 1970 ORIGINAL SPAIN FUZZ FREAKBEAT MOD PSYCH LP LISTEN

$

25

LOS DIABLOS "!! OH DIABLOS !!" LP

ORIGINAL 1970 LP ON THE Spanish ODEON label, STEREO J 062-20.619

COVER IN VG++ shape, nice

VINYL plays VG to VG+

The group is “Los Diablos,” which is Spanish for “the Devils,” and the album is 1970’s “Oh Diablos!” which was the Mexican sequel to the John Denver/George Burns blockbuster Oh God, You Devil!  And sure enough, there he is, Old Scratch himself, right there on the cover, looking less like the Overlord of All Things Evil and more like a slightly paunchy Charleton Heston.  Of course, the band ain’t scared of him, sitting comfortably among the flames of eternal damnation, with one dude even perched lazily on Satan’s shoulder with geetar in hand.  Of course, living in Mexico, it’s gonna take more than a dumpy devil to scare a man.  So what kind of music has the Ben-Hur of Hades so pacified?  Well, if Oh Diablos is any indication, it’s Latin-tinged 1967-1968 Beatlish pop.  “Dieciseis Anos” bounces along on a brisk “Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da” rhythm with more of a Latin flair, plus some groovy fuzz bass.  The bassline sounds like a slightly slower version of George Harrison’s “What Is Life?”  Elsewhere, “Baby Blues” isn’t blues at all – more “Baby Blue” than blues, baby, and that’s a tricky way of saying it’s more of a great power pop tune like Badfinger, especially in the Beatlish harmonies.  But the best thing on Oh Diablos doesn’t take its inspiration from the Apple label, or Latin salsa – but rather something far more sinister, like a Grade Z drive-in feature at the Hades Mall Cineplex.  And that’s the awesome “21-7-1969.”  This is Los Diablos’ one singular moment of divine lunacy, a Lucha Libre of musical dementia.  It starts with a big dramatic spoken word intro (in Spanish, but does it matter?) and some outer space synth transmissions.  But then it literally explodes with a furious blast of fuzz guitar and crashing drums.  After the dust clears, we settle into a nice funky go-go beat with phased-out space rocket sounds and tasty acid guitar licks.  The riff itself resembles Max Frost & the Troopers’ classic “Shape Of Things To Come,” but it’s played more like a 60’s teen beach party scene from Santa Claus Conquers the Martian Go-Go Girls.  All in all, then, Oh Diablos is probably a heck of a lot more fun than you’d expect from a bunch of brimstone-spewing demons hanging out with Ramon Miguel Vargas from Touch Of Evil.  Or maybe it’s exactly as much fun as you’d expect.  And the paunchy Charleton Heston is just a bonus.

HEAR IT!

PLEASE NOTE I NO LONGER SHIP TO ITALY DUE TO A CORRUPT POSTAL SYSTEM (THERE, NOT HERE).  BUYERS FROM ITALY AGREE TO PAY FOR GLOBAL PRIORITY MAIL INSURED ONLY!

The less exciting stuff

Media mail shipping with delivery confirmation starts at $4.00 in the US, with each additional record only $1 additional shipping.  Overseas shipping has, unfortunately, gone way up in the fast few months, which translates to $15 for the first LP to Canada ($3 each one thereafter) and $24 for the first LP everywhere else in the world, with each add'l LP an extra $5 (so it pays to buy more, nudge nudge wink wink).   I accept payments through Paypal. 

I try to grade as best as I can, and I list as many blemishes/imperfections I can find (writing, ringwear, scuff marks, etc.) – Also, please note that I DO listen to these albums – I may not listen to every track, but my grades are based on LISTENING, not just looking at it, since chances are you’ll be listening to the record you buy, not just looking at it.  Most of the albums I sell are the ones I’ve enjoyed for years – and I treat my records with kid gloves.  But sounds speak louder than words, so check out the sound clips below – they’re from the actual record you’re bidding on. 

SHIPPING AND PACKAGING

Listen, I buy a bunch of records too (when I’m not getting outbid at the last second, which is more often than not) – and I know what it’s like to get a rare, one-of-a-kind album packaged dangerously in a flimsy bubblewrap package.  I hate that too.  So rest assured, I ALWAYS package albums with stiff cardboard reinforcements, same for 45s.  And yes, the records are removed from the sleeves (for albums).  I ship out once a week, every Friday, because I have a regular day job.  But I’d be willing to give that up if you’d all be so kind as to bid my items up to stupidly high amounts. 

 For more security and international tracking, you may request GLOBAL PRIORITY MAIL - but bear in mind the cost of this service is upwards of $30.  For expensive items, however, it may be well worth it.  Unfortunately, there isn’t a cost-effective way of tracking parcels to foreign countries yet, and shipping times vary depending on your country’s postal system.   Italy in particular seems to be really bad at delivering packages quickly, or delivering packages at all, now that you mention it.  I will always email you when your package ships, but once it’s on its way, please don’t ask me when it will arrive because I don’t know.  If the world’s postal systems can ever agree on a universal tracking system that’s affordable, I’ll be the first to use it.

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN…

I will always leave positive feedback for successful transactions, and would appreciate the same in return.  All I ask of you is the following – please pay for your items within 14 days of the close of auction.  Compared to other sellers, that’s a generous amount of time, so if you don’t pay within 2 weeks, then I have to assume something’s wrong.  You’ll get an Ebay payment reminder at that point, and possibly a decapitated horse head in your bed.  If, after 30 days, you still haven’t forked up the cash, I’ll relist the item and yell at you if I ever see you in town.