2003 JUNE 25 #176
Los Chavalitos T.V. - Vamos a la Cama/El Mago
This record reminds me of many a great night a tiny hidden away bar I used to go to in Barcelona in the early 90s - the bar man/owner looked like Paul Weller - he had good taste but was a miserable sod. They played the track at 3am closing time every night - the title ""Vamos a la Cama" meaning "Let's go to bed". That brass, vibraphone, guitar and all the other many little solos slung in there can't help but make you smile, not forgetting the great vocals.
I was well chuffed when I spotted it at a flea market over there about a year later - to be honest I only got it because it was this groovy looking multicoloured 7", and was keeping my fingers crossed until I got back to London!
My Andalucian (now ex) girlfriend told me it was the song from Spanish TV played at 8 o'clock each night in the 70s and early 80s, sung by funny little cartoon people to tell the kids that it's time for bed. Which is exactly where you should be right now... What? Oh all right, you can look at the nice internet pictures for 5 minutes more but then it's upstairs, lights out and I don't want to hear a squeak out of you.
- El Buccanero de Londres
TT-3:52 / 4.4MB / 160kbps 44.1khz
from the EP, "Los Chavalitos TV" (Zafiro Records
Z-E-616) 1964
Patrick writes:
WOW! Sweet Memories. I remember how I hated that song!
It was the 'signal' to end games and go to bed for us
kids... too bad. Those days (mid-60s) there were only
two TV channels in Spain, and in many parts of the country
you couldn't even see the second channel 'UHF'. The cartoon
characters were the 'Familia Telerin' (Cleo, Tete, Maripi,
Pelusin, Coletas and Cuquin). http://www.teacuerdas.com/nostalgia-animados-telerin.htm.
They were created in Estudios Moro by brothers Santiago
y Jose Luis Moro (spanish pioneers in cartoon animation)
and first broadcast was in 1964. I was told that the animation
is still aired in some South American countries.
(Images courtesy of El Buccanero de Londres)