Divididos in concert in Jujuy in 2004 (Photo: querman)
Four different drummers, a major squabble with their record label, and a 9 year break, Divididos have had rather the trajectory since their nativity in 1988. A 3 piece hybrid of rock and folk, the so-called `steamrollers of stone` came crashing onto the Argentine music scene in the mid nineties, and released their final album just concluded a twelvemonth ago.
It was the end of frontman Luca Prado from cirrhosis of the liver in 1987 that led to the decomposition of the ska band Sumo. Prado himself was a fast-living, enigmatic character with a huge following; after his death, graffiti of the words "Luca`s not dead" could be seen scrawled over many a fence in Latin America and still as far as Europe. At this point, the ring was enjoying the fruits of more success than it always had.
After the release of it`s central figure, artistic differences began to arise, eventually leading members to break in to two, smaller bands; Los Divididos and Las Pelotas. Both names were coined from an expression Prado himself used when talking around the opening of a rift; "Divididos, las pelotas", which can be roughly translated as "split, we would be bollocks".
Despite this forewarning, Divididos went on to attain an outstanding success, and, though their first concert may have been held in a small pub in Flores, are now heralded as one of Argentina`s most influential rock bands. Ricardo Mollo (vocals and guitar), Diego Arnedo (bass guitar) and Gustavo Collado (drums) released their first disk `40 Dibujos Ah en el Piso` in 1989.
Their most acclaimed album however is `La Era de la Boludez`, or `The Age of Ignorance` which, going direct to come one in 1993, sold out 20 thousand tickets in the Velez Sarsfield Stadium. It is this book that marked their heyday more than any other.
However, in 1995, after pressure from their record label to hammer out another album- the mountain was to get one every two years- they released `Otroletravavaladna`. A bit of a mouthful, the title was a work on words, spelling out otra letra vale nada, or another word means nothing. A the title suggests, the album didn`t do really well, and the band split from their label Polygram.
Not that this held them back. In 2000, they traveled to Abbey Road`s infamous studios to record `Narign del Siglo`, Big Wind of the Century. Back home, their hits were sailing to the top of the charts, winning prizes left right and centre, including the platinum Konex award. Their single `Spaghetti del Rock` was still voted best song of the 10 by readers of Rolling Stone.
Nine days on and we hadn`t heard a peep from them, till, in 2009, they released their live album, `Amapola del `66′.
Genre: Rock, with a folkloric twist.
Names of band members: Ricardo Mollo (vocals and guitar), Diego Arnedo (bass guitar). As for the drummers_ The master drummer Gustavo Collado lasted two years, but a few artistic differences later he was replaced by Frederico Gil Sol, who was replaced by Jorge Araujo, who was replaced by Catriel Ciavarella. Arauju lasted the longest, with 9 days in the ring to his name.
Dates active: 1988 to present
In their own words:`Recorded music is information. Live shows are a point where you embrace emotion`
Most notable song and it`s best lyric: `Spaghetti del Rock`, `Que ayer no es hoy, que hoy es hoy, y que no soy actor de lo que fui`. Today is not Yesterday, today is today, and I`m not a master of the past.
Famous for:their breed of the Door`s `Light my Attack` on their first album, `40 Dibujos Ah en el Piso`.
Best to hear to:on a long car journey.
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