Manal was an Argentine rock group. Together with Almendra and Los Gatos, they are considered founders of Argentine rock.El Rock
Portal Oficial del Gobierno de la República Argentina.(Spanish) The band members were Claudio Gabis on guitar, Javier Martínez on drums and vocals, and Alejandro Medina on bass and vocals. Martínez was the band's lead vocalist and leading songwriter.

Trajectory

1968–1969: Formation

The band grew out of the mythic ''"La Cueva"'' club. Martínez was a regular, and Gabis played guitar with several bands, including Miguel Abuelo's ''Los Abuelos''.Explorando el blues argentino
Claudio Gabis Biografía (Spanish) Gabis was not keen about joining a band and regularly as he was committed to college, but eventually was persuaded by Martínez, and Manal was born. The name "Manal" was based on the word ''mano'' ("hand"), which had acquired an additional meaning among young people in Buenos Aires, to refer to "things" or "the situation" (e.g. ''cómo viene la mano'', lit. "how's the hand coming", would mean "how are things going"). Martínez would use "manal" as a made-up adjective, instead of the standard "manual". Manal was influenced by The Beatles, Cream,

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

, The Animals and other blues rock acts, bringing the

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

to Argentina's rock conscience. In 1968, after their demos being rejected by multiple record labels, the band approached long time friend and producer Jorge Álvarez, who teamed up with Pedro Pujó and created the Mandioca label, which became the first label exclusively dedicated to Argentine rock. Under the fledgling label, Manal released their first two singles in 1968. Their moment of triumph came at the 1969 ''Pinap'' Festival. On the back of their near daily performances throughout the year, the group's tightness was apparent. Fans ended up doing choruses and singing along with Manal's three members, who had resorted to a cappella vocals as their bass and drums broke down from overuse.

1970–1972: Breakthrough Success and Break-Up

Manal released a self-titled debut album in 1970. Sales were encouraging, prompting RCA to offer the band a contract. Their major label debut ''El León'' (1971) proved less successful than ''Manal''. By 1972 however, musical tastes had changed. Acoustic rock (with folk-rock influences) was on the verge of an explosion fueled by artists such as León Gieco, and a heavier rock had become dominant. Blues-rock fell out of favor, and Manal couldn't make the transition. Their third album in 1972 was poorly received, leading to the break-up of the band that same year.

Pappo Norberto Aníbal Napolitano (March 10, 1950 – February 25, 2005), popularly known as Pappo, was an Argentine rock musician, guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was and is one of the most influential figures in Argentine music, and in addition ...

, who was more at ease courting heavy metal audiences, would become the godfather of Argentine blues, a role he kept for over thirty years.

1980–1981: Reunion

However, in 1980, Argentine rock was caught up in a revival period of rock from the late 1960s, with Almendra successfully reuniting. Producers asked Manal to do the same, which they did, and produced one last LP in 1981, named ''Reunión'' (reunion), but due to differences between Martinez and Gabis the meeting lasted only until 1981. After that meeting, Claudio Gabis not accept return to play again with Javier Martinez. Manal's well-attended last concerts across Argentina led to a live album, and helped mitigate the unfortunate climate of their first separation. Furthermore, during the 1982 war, English-language music was informally banned from the airwaves for several months, resulting in increased airplay for Argentine bands, including Manal.

1987–1994: Reformations without Claudio Gabis

In 1987 Javier Martínez returned from France and reunited Manal with Aldo Giacommino (guitars), Luis de León (bass),

Jorge Iacobellis Jorge Iacobellis (born August 12, 1956) is an Argentine drummer, tour promoter and producer primarily known as the drummer of the thrash metal band Hirax and former drummer of Todos Tus Muertos. He promoted and produced international bands on t ...

(drums) and Jorge Szajko (keyboards and saxophone). Today, Manal are credited with bringing the grittier form of blues-rock to Argentine rock,.Manal
www.VH1.com -- by Wade Kergan (Allmusic Guide contributor) Few at the time could have foreseen the strong influence Manal would have on the suburban rock explosion of the mid 1990s. Throughout their career, Manal's lyrics suggested a more mature outlook on life than their hippie-influenced colleagues. One song advised that the recipe for success was to have "cold tomato juice (flowing) in your veins".

Discography

;Studio *'' Manal'' - Mandioca, 1970 *''El león'' - RCA, 1971 *''Reunión'' - CBS, 1981 ;Live albums *''Manal en Obras'' - (Live at the Estadio Obras Sanitarias, June 1980) Tonodisc, 1982 *''Manal En Vivo'' - (Live at the Estadio Obras Sanitarias, June 1980) M&M, 1994 *''En vivo en el Roxy'' - (Live at the Roxy but without Claudio Gabis, August 1994), 1995 ;Compilation *''Cronología'' - RCA,

Sony BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout o ...

, 1992 *''Obras Cumbres'' -

, 2002

References

{{Authority control Argentine rock music groups Musical groups from Buenos Aires