Spain, 1970s, 1981, 2026

Almost 50 years ago, Offbeat Music  – my former record store and now online presence – was  effectively born in Spain, while the ashes of General Franco’s dictatorship were still smouldering.
 In the village of Sóller, on the beautiful island of Mallorca, where I lived on and off for four years, I worked with a number of bands.
We shared a mission: to energise the local youth through our ‘Marcha Rock ‘n’ Rolera’  -bringing them a taste of the cultural revolution that young people across the Western world had embraced, but which Spain’s fascist rulers had suppressed for decades.
One of the bands that helped kick it all off was The Offbeats, whose adventures took us to stages across Mallorca and on one particularly memorable voyage to Ibiza.
Over time, The Offbeats metamorphosed into The Sex Beatles, going on to make recordings, tour the UK and play gigs across mainland Spain.
Along the way, we shared the stage on numerous occasions with the legendary Kevin Ayers – a dear friend, neighbour and extraordinary musician with whom I had the pleasure of working for several years.
Kevin’s brilliant guitarist, Ollie Halsall, was an unforgettable character and the greatest guitarist I have ever known. Whenever he wasn’t busy playing with Kevin, Ollie loved nothing more than getting together for a jam, frequently joining The Sex Beatles on stage.
One of those collaborations led to a remarkable recording session in Palma, taking place against the backdrop of one of the most dramatic moments in modern Spanish history.
On 23 February 1981, Spain’s fledgling democracy was hanging by a thread.
Armed Guardia Civil officers, led by the pistol-waving Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Tejero, stormed the Spanish Parliament in an attempted military coup.
While this extraordinary drama unfolded, we were making music!
That session produced ‘Al suelo, coño!’, a song inspired by the chilling command shouted by Tejero as he brandished his pistol and ordered the parliamentarians to the floor.
It was rock ’n’ roll colliding head-on with history!
And now, almost half a century later, the story has come full circle.
Two weekends ago, three of the original Sex Beatles – Hamish, Pere and Jordi – reunited in Sóller, joined by local guitarist Tomeu and a wonderfully enthusiastic crowd of Mallorquins, for a gig in the very village where our musical adventures began all those years ago.
What a thrill to see that the spirit of those extraordinary days is still alive and kicking!
These rough little video clips captures all the raw energy, joy and irreverent rock ’n’ roll spirit I remember so vividly.
(Curiously, ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ was the only cover the Sex Beatles did.)
Fifty years on, the music lives, the memories remain, and the spirit of rebellion refuses to grow old!

 

Stereo Story 901

The word ‘Coño’ is a very commonly used Spanish word and its meaning depends entirely on the tone of its user.
Ian Carpenter explains: In this case, the most natural, forceful spoken English translation of “Al suelo, coño!” would be:
“Get the f— down!”
Other possibilities, depending on the tone:
“Get down, for f—‘s sake!” — conveys anger and impatience.
“Everybody, get the f— down!” — captures the command to the entire Spanish Parliament.

Editor: Vin MaskellAssistant editor: Louise MaskellWeb legend: James Demetrie, of DISKMANdotNET