Wikipedia describes the sound of Los Fabulosos Cadillacs as a blend of ska, jazz, folk, reggae, funk and big band. As difficult as that may be to imagine, that description is accurate except it leaves out rock and latin. Los Fabulosos Cadillacs is headquartered in Buenos Aires and has been around for nearly 25 years. They have picked up a number of Grammy nominations and one win (in 1998 - Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album). With few exceptions, they write and perform their own music. Among the exceptions is today's featured video of La muralla China.
La muralla China was composed in 1976 and according to Gorin's Astor Piazzolla - A Memoir, appeared originally on an album with that title recorded with Antonio Agri and an orchestra. Gorin's book suggests the song has lyrics composed by Geraldo Carneiro but I have never heard the lyrics. The piece was recycled along with others from that same album into the soundtrack of the movie Il pleut sur Santiago. La muralla China can be found on that soundtrack under the title, Combate en la fábrica.
Los Fabulosos Cadillacs version of La muralla China has not to my knowledge been released on a recording by them. They did write and record a song titled Piazzolla which appears on their Los Fabulosos Calaveras album. You can hear the song in this YouTube video. You may not hear any hints of Piazzolla in the instrumental but the links are clear in the lyrics which are available in the comments section of that same video. The last two lines of the song are (in rough translation): "I'm going to crash against your bandoneon at full speed, Astor ... Astor ... Astor .."
There are hints of that crash in this video. If it does not appear below, click here.
To learn more about Piazzolla videos, visit the Piazzolla Video site.
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