Manal
| Manal | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Origin | Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Genres |
Argentine rock Rock Blues rock Hard rock Jazz-fusion |
| Years active | 1968–1971 1980–1981 1986–1987 |
| Labels |
Mandioca RCA CBS |
| Associated acts | Los Gatos, Almendra, Vox Dei, Los Shakers, Moris, Claudio Gabis |
| Past members |
Javier Martínez Claudio Gabis Alejandro Medina |
Manal was an Argentine rock group. Together with Almendra and Los Gatos, they are considered founders of Argentine rock. The band members were Claudio Gabis on guitar, Javier Martínez on drums and vocals, and Alejandro Medina on bass and vocals. Martínez was the band's lead vocalist and leading songwriter.
The band grew out of the mythic "La Cueva" club. Martínez was a regular, and Gabis played guitar with several bands, including Miguel Abuelo's Los Abuelos. Gabis was not keen about joining a band and regularly as he was committed to college, but eventually was persuaded by Martínez, and Manal was born.
The name "Manal" was based on the word mano ("hand"), which had acquired an additional meaning among young people in Buenos Aires, to refer to "things" or "the situation" (e.g. cómo viene la mano, lit. "how's the hand coming", would mean "how are things going"). Martínez would use "manal" as a made-up adjective, instead of the correct "manual".
Manal was influenced by The Beatles, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, The Animals and other blues rock acts, bringing the blues to Argentina's rock conscience.
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.
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.
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