The legendary Bronco swap meet on Alameda is not all candy apples and Quinceañera dresses. A lot of vendors often have a crate of records to look through aside from their normal merchandise of random items. The best time to go is before 11 a.m., any later and traffic is a mess and you’ll have to park a block away. It’s not as bad as the Fox Plaza swap meet.
Strolling through the Bronco with my hot cup of corn, I begin my journey. Not even 5 minutes in and I’ve already bought some pumpkin seeds and a 60s luchador movie starring El Santo called Santo Contra El Doctor Frankenstein. Another great addition to my luchador movie collection, but I need to focus on my primary objective for my visit: vinyl records.
So, I ask around and people point me in different directions to possible vendors with records. The first guy I bought records from sold me an original copy of The Smiths first self-titled album in mint condition with the original inner sleeve for $2. The guy tells me “Es que no me gustan los discos en Ingles.” Sweet! I was blown away even more when I found a Los Seven Teens record (60s surf rock band from Juarez). The vendor told me to return the following week and he would have more of the Mexican garage stuff that I was looking for. Months of going every weekend to hit this guy up for records, and still no dice. He would always say he forgot to bring them but decided to try and help me out a bit. The man ran over to a different vendor down the way and brought me back the killer Los Apson record No Hay Amor for 2 bucks.
Los Apson from (A)Agua (P)Prieta (Son)Sonora were a Mexican rock & roll/garage band that blended original material with killer cover versions of English favorites, like Dale Hawkins “Suzie Q” (made popular by Creedence Clearwater Revival) and probably one of their most recognized covers, the Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction,” but their version was called “No Soy Nada.”
What set Los Apson apart from other Mexican garage is that they included saxophone players in the band creating a new dynamic in the music. Originally calling themselves Los Apson Boys, the band dropped the Boys and found a record deal with a strong label Peerless Records—home to fellow rockers Los Solitarios, Los Babys and The Goyo’s Cats.
Known to be a part of what is called “La Invasion Norteña”—the Mexican version of what was the British Invasion (Stones, Beatles, The Who, Zombies, and The Hollies)—Los Apson led the rock & roll pack and represented proudly the north part of Mexico. The bands of La Invasion Norteña also included noisy garage ragers Los Matematicos, Los Rocking Devils and Los Reno. Recognized mainly by your parents, grandparents, tios and tias, the music of Los Apson is being greatly appreciated by the younger generation of party animals. Dance floors all over El Paso could not be wrong; Los Apson can get the good times rolling and the dance floor moving.
Their third album, No Hay Amor, is not all up-beat dance floor rock & roll. The band slow the tempo down with some ballads like the album opener and title track “No Hay Amor”—a tender ballad with cynical lyrics: “Ya no hay nadie y sincero, todo es lujo y dinero, y falsedad,” and also, “Los que son tus amigos pueden ser enemigos, alguna vez.”
The tempo picks up with their raunchy surf version of “Suzie Q” where the only thing that is the same lyrically between their version and the English version is the girl’s name. The lyrics of the song are completely different, as it was a common practice to make up your own words in Spanish to a song that was originally sung in English. It was much easier this way. It was impossible to match phrasing, rhyme words and translate songs from English to Spanish. It just didn’t work. The standout track is the album closer “Con El Tiempo y un Ganchito”—their take on the Outsider’s “Time Wont Let Me.” The blaring saxophones in the backdrop give the song a more mod/soul feel, showcasing Los Apson’s wider range of sound.
Los Apson are the biggest name in the Mexican rock & roll scene of the 60s, and after listening to their music, it’s easy to see why they were known as the Mexican Beatles.
