In the early stages of the girl group, Fandango was singing and dancing to something other than “Autos, Moda, y Rock and Roll.”
The all-girl group that hailed from Monterrey, Mexico began as a local pop group singing and dancing and parties and local venues before signing a contract with EMI Records. They released the album, Contrastes on a small local label.
The album was far from great. It sounded really low budget, but that had nothing to do with the group and the style that their creator, Abelardo Leal, wanted. He chose five girls to be the next hip and hot group. Female groups were a hot trend in Mexico with the creation of Flans and Pandora.
The album featured a couple of awesome tracks like “Ladrona De Amor” and a cover of The Go-Go’s hit, “Head over Heels” called, “Guerra Del Amor.” The sound was rough, almost like it was recorded in a garage somewhere.
When the group was discovered and signed by EMI, two of the five girls did not continue on with the future success of the band. To give the girls the start they needed, EMI reissued the album in 1986 with the new members and the new look of the group.
They also recorded new versions of some of the tracks including a solo for the group’s member, Alexa. “Te Siento Amor” was added to the album while EMI discarded a very bad rendition of Cyndi Lauper’s “She Bop.”
The album was released nationwide without much promotion. It was not exactly what EMI wanted for the group’s official debut. Mexico really would have to wait another year to see EMI’s love for Fandango. Many fans did not know this album (either version) until the internet came to play a big part in collecting.
At one point, the group’s 1985 version of Contrastes fetched big dollars to collectors as it was once thought to be rare, but over time the amount of these albums have been plentiful and not worth what it once was. On the other hand, the group’s 1986 version seems to be a little less readily available and can cost a tad more for collectors.
EMI really did not enhance the sound of the album. There are a few noticeable variants to some of the tracks but for the average listener, the music and songs sound the same.
It’s a decent album but not what you would expect the Fandango that Mexico has grown to love.
Since that day, I have been study Latin pop and rock music and have become a Latin pop music historian through the publishing of articles, fanzine, and websites. My goal is to teach people about Latin pop music and the history behind it with my website, Siempre En Domingo.
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