Andrés Calamaro

Biography

Andrés Calamaro (August 22, 1961) is an Argentine musician, composer and Latin Grammy winner. He is considered one of the greatest and most influential rock artists in Spanish. He is also one of the most complete artists for his wide range of musical styles, including funk, reggae, ballads, boleros, tangos and jazz. His former band Los Rodríguez was a major success in Spain and throughout Latin America mainly during the 1990s. He is multi-instrumentalist and became one of the main icons of Argentine rock, selling over 1.3 million records to date.

Abuelos de la Nada

Andres Calamaro was born in Buenos Aires. At 17 years of age he participated as a guest in the recording of an album of the group Raíces, and shortly after he started his own band, the Elmer Band, with guitarist friend Gringui Herrera. This band had an underground hit, "Tristeza de la Ciudad" (City Blues).
When Miguel Abuelo, leader of Los Abuelos de la Nada, returned to Argentina, he reunited the band and invited Calamaro to play keyboards. The band was a big success; Calamaro wrote some of their greatest hits, such as "Sin gamulán", "Mil horas" and "Costumbres argentinas".

First solo period

Before the dissolution of Los Abuelos de la Nada, Calamaro released his first solo album, Hotel Calamaro×Hotel Calamaro1984 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracksA1Fabio Zerpa tiene razón3:09A2La ví comprándose un sostén2:48A3Radioactividad radial3:28A4Detenida1:50A5Bienvenidos al hotel0:48A6No me pidas que no sea un inconsciente2:10B1Amor iraní3:14B2Perdería el corazón2:26B3Miro por la ventana2:57B4Otro amor en Avellaneda2:22B5Polvo americano1:29, in 1984. A second album, Vida Cruel×Vida cruel1985 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Qué vida cruel3:54A2Dice un proverbio chino4:08A3El mejor hotel2:36A4Ví la raya3:32A5Fotos de ídolos3:58B1Acto simple4:00B2Sin despedirme4:38B3Sobran habitaciones3:08B4No me manden al África3:54B5Principios3:34, recorded shortly after his separation from the band, was received warmly by the press but did not achieve commercial success.
After a third album, Por Mirarte×Por mirarte1988 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Loco por ti2:492Cartas sin marcar4:253No te bancaste4:104Lamiendo un hueso3:125Johnny B. Goode2:586Las guerras1:307Por mirarte2:548No me empujes3:149Bailar sola2:5510Sin saber qué decir4:2311Los dientes apretados3:3312Me olvidé de los demás1:3713No te bancaste (en sol)4:0314En el medio de la ciudad2:12 (1988), Calamaro started producing for bands such as Los Fabulosos Cadillacs and Los Enanitos Verdes, and soloists such as Fabiana Cantilo. Calamaro closed the 1980s with his own band, featuring old friends Gringui Herrera and Ariel Rot, who recently came back from Spain. The trio recorded the album Nadie sale vivo de aquí×Nadie sale vivo de aquí1989 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Nadie sale vivo de aquí1:342Pero sin sangre2:313Vietnam0:534Pasemos a otro tema2:225Con la soga al cuello2:206No tengo tiempo1:467Señoritas1:458Adiós, amigos, adiós2:579Ni hablar2:5910Una deuda del corazón (Traicionero)2:3811No me vuelvas la espalda por eso1:5812Señal que te he perdido3:1713Vietnam0:4814Dos Romeos3:53 (No One Gets Out of Here Alive) in 1989 with a number of guest musicians, which obtained the nomination of Best Record of the Year.
In 1990, Calamaro worked as a producer on Sandra Mihanovich and Celeste Carballo's album Mujer contra mujer.

Los Rodríguez

Due to the economic situation in Argentina, Calamaro and Rot settled in Spain, where they created the band Los Rodríguez with Julián Infante and Germán Villela on drums. The band didn't have a bass player, but Guillermo Martin, Candi Avello, and later Daniel Zamora accompanied the band in recordings and tours.
Los Rodríguez released three successful studio albums: Buena Suerte (1991), Sin documentos (1993) and Palabras más, palabras menos (1995), as well as the live Disco Pirata (1992), and the compilation Hasta luego (1996). Sin documentos gave them international acclaim, with its mixture of rock, flamenco and Latin American rhythms. They toured Spain and Latin America, and entered the history of Rock in Spanish.

Solo

Andrés Calamaro released Grabaciones Encontradas ("Found recordings", which in Spanish could also be understood as "Conflicting recordings") while working with Los Rodríguez. After Palabras más, palabras menos, the band released a greatest-hits album, which sold nicely, and then dissolved.
In 1996, Calamaro performed "Cosas Que Me Ayudan A Olvidar (Things That Help Me To Forget)" for the AIDS benefit album Silencio=Muerte: Red Hot + Latin produced by the Red Hot Organization. In 1997 Calamaro recorded Alta suciedad (literally "High filth," but also a pun "High society"/"Alta sociedad"), which sold over half a million copies and took him again touring around Latin America.
Calamaro began composing song after song. In six months, he had over 100 songs ready to be released. Thirty-seven of these found their way to his next album, Honestidad brutal×Honestidad brutal16 April 1999 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 37 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11El día de la mujer mundial3:292Te quiero igual3:583La parte de adelante4:234Clonazepán y circo2:595Los aviones4:236Más duele3:117Cuando te conocí3:198Prefiero dormir4:199Jugar con fuego3:0010Maradona1:5011Una bomba4:2012Socio de la soledad3:4213Son las nueve3:0814Las dos cosas5:1015Veneno6:2516Ansia en Plaza Francia2:5017Paloma4:5718Con abuelo5:29Disc 21No tan Buenos Aires7:302El tren que pasa3:383Victoria y Soledad2:584Mi propia trampa2:355Negrita4:586Voy a dormir3:007Eclipsado3:328Mi quebranto3:409Me pierdo4:2210Hacer el tonto3:0811Naranjo en flor3:5212Aquellos besos4:3413No son horas4:1314Las heridas2:3815Hay3:4716El ritmo del lunes3:1017¿Para qué?2:1518No va más3:4719La parte de atrás3:06. The album included hits such as "Te quiero×Quiero5 November 1999 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Quiero igual", "Paloma×Paloma2014 · Single · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track11 Paloma6:00", "Los aviones", "Cuando te conocí" and "La parte de adelante". This double CD was created after the breakup with his girlfriend, which is reflected in the songs. The album also contains a collaboration with Diego Maradona.
In 2000, he recorded 103 songs in his five-CD album El Salmón×El salmón2000 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 25 tracks1Output-Input4:002El salmón2:463Días distintos3:304Tuyo siempre3:135Ok perdón2:166Horarios esclavos1:547Nos volveremos a ver2:008Gaviotas3:219All U Need Is Pop3:1610Cafetín de Buenos Aires1:5711Enola gay4:3412Para seguir3:0813Revolución turra2:4714Rumbo errado2:3515Mi funeral 114:3616Crucificame2:0217Vigilante medio argentino1:5218Me fui volando1:2919Chicas2:4620Tu pavada4:2821Time Is on Mi Side2:2922El viejo3:1723Lorena5:1824No sé olvidar2:2425Revolución turra (Mix de Simon)2:53.

Free music

In the following years, Calamaro made many guest appearances in concerts and recordings. He posted unpublished songs from 2001 to 2002 for free download over the Internet, saying that "Music belongs to those who want to hear it; and to nobody else".
He also made his home recordings available online. Due to the low quality of the recordings, and with permission of the author Camisetas Para Todos, a group of fans, re-mastered Calamaro's songs and made them available on their site. He also started Radio Salmón Vaticano, a virtual recording studio at his web site.
In 2004 he released El Cantante (The Singer), an album with covers of tangos and other Latin American rhythms, and a few of his web-released songs.

The Return

In 2005 he released El Regreso (The Return), a compilation of the live recordings from his appearance in the Luna Park Stadium earlier that year. The disc was presented on December 17 to an audience of 20,000 in the Obras Sanitarias Stadium, and was awarded with the 2006 Gardel Awards for Rock Album by Male Artist and Best Album Cover. Calamaro was awarded the Golden Gardel (main award).
After that, he released Tinta Roja, a collection of classic tangos such as "El día que me quieras", "Como dos extraños" and "Sur".
On November 20, 2006 was released El Palacio de las Flores, recorded with Litto Nebbia and on September 11, 2007, La Lengua Popular was released. In 2008 Raíces 30 Años followed with the band Raíces, and in 2009 Andrés, a solo anthology of 6 CDs.
In June 2010 he released his album On The Rock×On the Rock2010 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Barcos3:572Te extraño4:283El pasodoble de los amigos ausentes3:004Todos se van3:345Los divinos2:486Flor de samurai2:527Insoportablemente cruel4:148Tres Marías3:349Te solté la rienda2:3610Me envenenaste3:0211Gomontonera3:1512El perro2:2813Insoportablemente cruel (Puerto Rico mix)4:0614Tres Marías (Pablo Lescano mix)3:42, which returned to his more rock-oriented sound. The album became an instant hit, as well as the first single, "Los Divinos×Los divinos2010 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Los divinos", a song about the passing of time.

Los Abuelos de la Nada

Los Abuelos de la Nada [The Grandparents of Nothingness] (1982)
Vasos y Besos [Glasses and Kisses] (1983)
Himno de mi Corazón [The Hymn of My Heart] (1984)
En Directo desde el Ópera [Live Album] (1985)

Los Rodríguez

Buena Suerte (1991)
Disco Pirata (1992)
Sin Documentos (1993)
Palabras más, Palabras menos (1995)
Hasta Luego (1997)
Hasta Luego (Collector CD/book) (2001)
Para no olvidar (2001)

Solo

Hotel Calamaro (1984)
Vida Cruel (1985)
Por Mirarte (1988)
Nadie sale vivo de aquí (1989)
Grabaciones Encontradas Vol. I (1993)
Loco por Tí - Live in Ayacucho '88 (1994)
Caballos Salvajes (1995)
Grabaciones Encontradas Vol. II (1996)
Alta Suciedad (1997)
Las otras caras de Alta Suciedad (1998)
Una Década Perdida (1998)
Honestidad Brutal (1999)
Alta Suciedad (Collector Series) (1999)
El Salmón (2000)
Duetos (2001)
El Cantante (2004)
El Regreso (2005)
Tinta Roja (2006)
Made in Argentina (DVD) (2006)
El Palacio de las Flores (2006)
La Lengua Popular (2007)
Dos son Multitud (collaboration with Fito & Fitipaldis) (2008)
Nada se Pierde (released by EFE EME magazine, with previous unpublished songs) (2009)
On the Rock (2010)
Bohemio (2013)
Hijos del Pueblo (collaboration with Enrique Bunbury) (2015)
Volumen 11 (2016)
Cargar la Suerte (2018)
Dios los Cría (2021)