If Los Shakers were (according to the official history of rock) The Beatles of the River Plate region, then Los Mockers were the Stones. Los Mockers were born in Montevideo, Uruguay, and they risked their lives and careers for EMI in Buenos Aires during a feverish two years, between 1965 and 1967 (the band had relocated to Argentina in 1966 after winning a contract with EMI), then disintegrated into nothingness. Los Mockers started out in as a quais-skiffle/Teddy Boys outfit. The band: Alberto (Beto), drums, nickname: "The Spiritual One"; Esteban, organ and backing vocals, nickname: "The Philosopher"; Jorge, lead guitar and backing vocals, nickname: "The Nice One"; Julio, bass and vocals, nickname: "The Quiet One"; Jorge (Polo), rhythm guitar and vocals nickname: "The Wild One". by 1965, they called themselves "Los Encadenados" (The Chained Ones); they really lived up (or down) to their name, using chains instead of straps for their guitars. They wore beige cardigans, played Route 66 in seedy bars, and came to be called The Notorious. Yet today the band members are scattered around, lost. The drummer, Beto, died in a motorcycle accident. As they say, all is music, the music is all: the great What a Life, the irresistible My Baby, the experimental and formidable Empty Harem. A heady twenty-one tracks, including two live bonus tracks (I Just Want To Make Love to You, Willy Dixon) and Oh Baby, We Got A Good Thing Goin, recorded at Radio Ariel Uruguay and on Argentine TV. Almost all of their material was original, sung in English by Polo Pereira, who (with a slight accent) emulates Mick Jagger's early snarl more accurately than anyone else from the time. You can detect apparent reference points to early Jagger/Richards tunes like Off the Hook, and more sophisticated works (Empty Harem is complete with a Paint It Black-like guitar). Some say that Los Mockers were the best group that South America produced during the 1960s (yes, you, All Music Guide)... while we wouldn't go that far (Los Shakers and El Kinto spring to mind), there is no doubt that they were certainly one of the best. And this is far and away the best collection of Los Mockers that we've seen.