Nuggets II: Break It All by Los Shakers

Was Uruguay the home of the Realest Fake Beatles? Listen to Los Shakers and decide for yourself.

Break It All—Los Shakers

• Track 89, disc 4
• Year: 1966
• From: Montevideo, Uruguay.

9/10

More about Nuggets II

Credits

4/8. BREAK IT ALL (U.S. Single Version) – Los Shakers (Uruguay)
(Hugo Fattoruso/Osvaldo Fattoruso)

PERSONNEL/HUGO FATTORUSO: vocals, guitar * OSVALDO FATTORUSO: vocals, guitar * ROBERTO “PELIN” CAPOBIANCO: bass, vocals * CARLOS “CAIO” VILA: drums, vocals
Produced by YANOS KOLMOS for FERMATA PRODUCTIONS
Recorded in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Audio Fidelity single #119 (1966) [U.S.]

Los Shakers

The Beatles inspired many bands to pick up guitars. Uruguay’s Los Shakers did a better job than most – I’ll let Mike Stax explain:

With The Beatles’ unexpected rise to global domination in 1964, the public’s appetite for Beatles-style music was at a fever pitch, and musicians were quick to step in to fill the demand. Such was the case in South America with Los Shakers. Formed in 1963 in Montevideo, the group originally specialized in jazz, with a residency at the Hot Club, a popular tourist spot in the city. Hearing the call, in 1964 they donned collarless Beatle suits, grew mop-top haircuts, and–looking not unlike four Ringo Starrs–began to peddle the new Mersey Sound–Montevideo-style.

This was a potentially embarrassing recipe, to be sure–other bands around the world certainly made fools of themselves trying–but The Shakers proved to be an entirely more convincing proposition. Not only did they have the musical smarts to pull off the sound, but in the Fattoruso brothers they also possessed a strong songwriting team who could dash off Beatle-flavored original material with disarming ease.

Mike Stax, Nuggets II liner notes

Break It All

Break It All was Los Shakers’ only US album. It’s essentially a rerecorded version of their debut album, along with a Spanish-language version of The Beatles’ ‘Ticket to Ride’. Osvaldo Fattoruso sang lead on most of the reworkings, as his brother Hugo was suffering from a hoarse voice.

Hugo, Osvaldo, Pelin and Caio are the Realest Fake Beatles to ever record — and, like their role models (but unlike practically every other Moptops manqué), they were as uncannily accomplished at bringing forth the psychedelic Pepperisms as the Merseybeat.

Gaylord Fields

Los Shakers never toured the US, and Break It All wasn’t initially successful, although it later became a collector’s item.

But it’s a very strong Beatles pastiche, energetic and tuneful. The pinched, accented vocals are charming.

The Aftermath

Hugo Fattoruso has enjoyed a lengthy career, working with other Latin music legends like Chico Buarque and Milton Nascimento.

Read More

• Nuggets II Song by Song
• 1960s Album Reviews

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