Laghonia

by Steve HueyLaghonia was an important part of Perus surprisingly fertile psychedelic/progressive rock scene during the late 60s and early 70s. Originally formed in 1965 as the New Juggler Sound, their initial lineup featured lead guitarist/vocalist Davey Levene, rhythm guitarist/vocalist Saul Cornejo, keyboardist Carlos Salom, bassist Eddy Zarauz, and drummer Alex Abad. At first they played British Invasion-style pop/rock, and released a few singles in this vein (including 1967s Baby Baby b/w I Must Go). As their style evolved, they became a harder-edged psychedelic garage band (think Nuggets) with touches of prog rock, soul, and blues-rock. Abad left in 1968, upon which point the group replaced him with Manuel Cornejo and changed their name to Laghonia. That year, they recorded their first full-length album, Glue, which was released in extremely limited quantities on the MAG label. In 1970, Zarauz left and was replaced by Ernesto Samamé; this lineup recorded the second Laghonia LP, Etcetera, which was released in 1971 and drew more from the progressive late-period Beatles. After leader Levene departed, the remaining members recruited guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Carlos Guerrero and regrouped as We All Together, releasing two albums during the 70s that later found a cult audience among devoted record collectors.