Monday, 30 May 2022

70's Power Pop/Pop Rock: We All Together - Singles 1973-74 (2011 repsychled, Lion Productions)


The Peruvian band We All Together, though unknown beyond a core cluster of cultists, was among the prime exponents of Beatlesque pop/rock in the early '70s. Led by singer and frequent composer Carlos Guerrero, who (along with some other members) had been in the Peruvian rock band Laghonia, they released two albums (singing in English) in the first half of the '70s. These were fashioned after the lighter side of the late-'60s Beatles, particularly in the vocal harmonies, melodic tunes, and sophisticated arrangements blending keyboards, acoustic guitars, and electric guitars in a graceful manner.

Although Lennon, McCartney, and for that matter, Harrison's influence, show up in We All Together's work, they had more of an affinity for McCartney's engaging melodicism, to the point of covering some obscure, early McCartney solo tunes. On their second album, they also reached into some British progressive rock riffs, although the Beatles vibe remained dominant. 


With the exception of Badfinger, they may have been the best band of their time to play in an avowedly Beatlesque style. Their albums, once all but impossible to find in the Northern Hemisphere, were reissued in the U.S. in the late '90s. Richie Unterberger, allmusic.com)


The 2007 compilation Singles rounds up the 13 tracks that never appeared on We All Together's two proper albums. This description suggests that Singles has a motherload of rare material, which isn't quite true: the two LPs were reissued on CD and were graced with bonus tracks that happened to be taken from these singles, so all but a handful of these tunes should be familiar to fans. Fortunately, that handful of tracks -- unlike the proper albums,

these rare cuts are mostly in Spanish, with "We Live Too Fast" being the only one in English -- maintain the group's high standards, offering wonderful evocations of Paul McCartney and Badfinger. That's enough for the devoted to pick this up, but anybody who has yet to fall in love with We All Together will find this a good introduction to their charms. (S.T. Erlewine, allmusic.com)




Flac (zippy)                               Flac (M)

mp3@320 (zippy)                     mp3@320 (M)

                               pass; SB1


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