But what am I going to sing if I only know four or five things?

Camarón and Paco de Lucía.
Photo: Lamarca

Once again, not a penny reached the pockets of the performers

In Torres Bermejas, 1970.
Photo: Elke Stolzenberg.

The revolution began with them.

Camarón, Paco de Lucía and el Güito
(Torres Bermejas,1970).

"My way of feeling is not yet understood by people. so I don't mind them. I go my own way."

Camarón and Paco de Lucía.
Photo: Lamarca

Camarón and Paco de Lucía.
Photo: Lamarca

In his wedding day.
Photo: Lamarca

The story, if we were to search for a beginning, begins in 1968 when Antonio Arenas, a guitarist from Ceuta who was then at his finest period, discovered in a showroom in Madrid where the "Miguel de los Reyes group" was performing, a small blond gypsy who sang and accompanied himself on the guitar. After a few days they coincided in Tulsa, a bar often visited by living flamenco artists located in front of the Torres Bermejas «tablao» (a flamenco locale). That was when Arenas proposed that they should record together. The young «Camarón de la Isla», as he was already known, was a bit surprised and said: «But what am I going to sing if I only know four or five things?». He finally accepted to join a recording together with other artists: Turronero, Chato de la Isla, Tomás de Huelva, the «bailaora», niece of Faico and married to Juan Villar, Gitana Amadora, the guitars of Manolo Heredia and the artistic director himself, Antonio Arenas. It was recorded at the "Regson studios" in the Prosperidad neighbourhood (Madrid), and José impressed them with a couple of «bulerías», a few «soleares» and some «alegrías» with Gitana Amadora.

The businessman assured them that the recording would only be released in Germany by Miller International, but DIM records released that year two «cantes» of Camarón in a volume titled «Flamencos. "The Flamenco Group of Antonio Arenas», which turned out to be «Bulerías gitanas» and the «Alegrías de Cádiz» with Gitana Amadora. Not to mention that none of them earned a penny from the exercise. The shrewd businessman justified this by citing the common wisdom that flamenco was not profitable (Do not trust anyone who assures you that the most famous expression in flamenco is «when I sing with pleasure my mouth tastes like blood». The most famous and oft-repeated expression is the old tune of «I'm a bit short»).

In the «bulería» we can notice the inexperience of Camarón when facing the irksome red studio light -a device that causes even the most experienced to lose composure- which caused him to repeat the same phrase twice («Compañera no regañes»), leaving for posterity the proof of his initiation. They are labelled «Bulerías gitanas» and are based on young styles, with a few references to Caracol and Pastora. As to the «Alegrías de Cádiz», the oddity of hearing a 17 year old Camarón singing for dancing should be noted. Later taking advantage of the rise of Camarón's reputation, in 1970 DIM released the rest of the recording -to recover the high costs of the investment no doubt- in the LP «Flamenco. Folk Group of Antonio Arenas». A nice tide, yes sir. Not to mention that once again, not a penny reached the pockets of the performers, even though all that material has been continuously rehashed ever since with different jacket covers and in all the music formats. The «cantes» we are referring to are some «Soleares del Puerto» in the Cádiz style, badly accompanied by «jaleos» (spontaneous expressions and exclamations shouted to encourage the performer) and hand-clapping (which are more appropriate of a tablao» and here become superfluous), and the «bulerías de Cádiz» which, in reality, are reminiscent of «El Chozas» and Jerez.

Camarón travels to Caracas with the group of Antonio Arenas and upon his return participates in the Gypsy Flamenco Festival, a show he would accompany every season on a tour of three or four months around Europe, with Paco de Lucía, Lebrijano, Cepero, Maria Vargas, etc. It was organised by Lippmann and Ran, two well-known businessmen whose most-acknowledged contribution to music around the world was accomplished with blues musicians. The show in Germany was recorded and published under the title «I Festival Flamenco Gitano». This recording arrived in Spain in 1981 under the title «Gran Festival Flamenco» and features Camarón performing the vibrant fandangos of Antonio, «El Rubio» and «El Gloria» with the guitar of Paco Cepero, who was then his constant companion. When the tapes were recorded live -with excellent acoustics- we can hear the reaction of the crowd, proving the passion the «cantaor» raised in auditoriums.

The year is 1969. The moon would not become a half-ball of cheese as Camarón dreamed in his fandango, but an American was able to walk on it. That year Sabicas came from America to record a double album «that he conceived and conducted» - wrote Antonio Murciano- «as an anthology or small history of the art of flamenco, with four insuperable guitar solos and the rest a rich variety of «cantes» accompanied by his habitual mastery and serenity (...) for the past thirty years the flamenco record market has not had any «Long Play» featuring Sabicas as back-up, in the traditional manner, of such a wide cadre of cantaores». And it was Sabicas who chose that group which included, of course, Camarón. Camarón would speak to him of his lunatic dream and emulate the style of «El Rubio», with whom he recorded the later unfortunately titled «Entre Valverde y Huelva»(the second fandango is a version of what Juan "el de la Vara" performed). With «bulerías» he put the finishing touches to a series featuring the «cante» of Juan Cantero and Manuel Soto, «El Sordera». The height of absurdity is reached by the title, which appears in the credits as «Estilos variados de Manuel Soto». Sabicas, who was influential in the RCA at the time, signs all the cuts as the author.

Hitherto we have the chapter of what we could call oddities or peculiarities, because the real Camarón Revolution would start after his meeting with Paco de Lucía.

José Monje considered the recording with Sabicas his first one, and expressed his interest in making another with «El Niño Ricardo», But it was a contemporary of his, who combined on the guitar the teachings of the two great masters, with whom he was called upon to transform flamenco: Francisco Sánchez Gómez, "Paco de Lucía". Both were Sagittarians, talented artists, good-looking, imaginative, innovators and from Cádiz. The revolution began with them.

In 1969 Camarón signed up with Polygram and his first longplay record was released in the market, accompanied by the guitar of Paco de Lucía (who already belonged to that recording company). The former was eighteen years old and the latter, twenty- one. It must be emphasised that the recording company introduced them as a duo, each appearing on both cover and back photos and with letters of the same size: «CAMARON DE LA ISLA with the special collaboration of PACO DE LUCIA».

Incidentally, the photographer was the ineffable Pérez de León, who would still have some surprises for us regarding the kitsch nature of his work. In the photo we see them in the dress style of the period, with Paco sporting discrete sideburns. We do not know the reason why in later releases of that album the original front cover of the jacket would be changed, but we shall discuss this later. Side A opens with the tangos of Extremadura «Detrás del tuyo se va», which became his first commercial hit -something that did not make Camarón lose any sleep at the time, as can be gathered from his comments to José María Velázquez in the television program "Rito y Geografía del Cante":

«It is commercially popular like so many that have been commercially popular but are not worth anything... There are many records out there that are not worth anything, but people go crazy over them. A record is launched and they may like one (cut) because they can recognise its tune, yet there is another (cut) that is very good -extremely good- and they don't understand it. They don't know where to catalogue it.»

Of the tangos he says:

«This was first done by Juan Cantero and the gypsies of Badajoz -and Porrina before everybody-, El Portugués'... I took that "cante" and performed it my way, and it became a hit. A lot of records were sold and everybody sang "a rin, tin, tin", "a la bim, bom, bera". But it isn´t worth anything to me.»

Putting arguments aside, if we omit the tangos we end up with a record very much in the Cádiz fashion because of its performers and selected singing styles («tientos», «soleares», «alegrías», «bulerías», «seguiriyas»), but where the influence of the artists Camarón met in Madrid can be seen, in the tangos, in a certain «bulerías» with echoes of bambino; or the fandangos of Antonio («El Rubio»). «I left my homeland singing the "bulerías", the tangos, the "soleas", the ("seguiriyas" ...but one comes to Madrid and gets to hear more things, and if you are interested and like it, then you try to learn it. » Velázquez, in the role of devil's advocate, answered him with the innocent provincial argument:

- «People say that Camarón is losing his purity because of his stay in Madrid.»

- «No, no, it's not that. Purity is never lost when one really has it inside him. What happens is that I see that people do nor understand how I sing. My way of feeling is not yet understood by people. so I don't mid them. I go my own way.»

The recording is ended by a "bulerías por soleá", ("bulerías" with cadence of "soleá"), finished off with "soleá" and "tarantos", accompanied rhythmically, as should be the case. This was the first and last time they performed it this way. The variety of the repertoire should be highlighted up to ten distinct styles of "cante". On the other hand, a bit of hastiness in some of the cuts should be pointed out. To be specific, the "alegrías" and the "bulerías" are a bit too fast, probably because of Jose´s youth and scarce experience in the world of recorded music.

Some changes to the lyrics and music, appearing as traditional, were effected in future releases of the recording being the fandangos, -one of which was given a different title taken from a previous recording of the same fandango by "El Rubio" -attributed to Blas Vega, with or without the pseudonym. The tangos of Extremadura were also attributed to F. Almagro and M. Villacañas, who title them «La espera». The order of the recording sides was also changed, from A to B and vice-versa. Adding to the present confusion there is an error in the date of recording, which is put forward to 1973.

Although criticism of the album was not absent, the record caused a sensation, especially in professional circles. The fans could not accept the innovations of the duo, which clashed directly with the fundamentals of the reigning «Mairenism» (Mairena's style) but the first step was made and we were really made to see the great performer Camarón was destined to be.