La Polla Records

La Polla Records was a Spanish punk rock band from Salvatierra, Álava. Active from 1979 to 2003 and from 2019 to 2021. It is considered one of the greatest references of punk rock in Spanish and one of the most important in the history of rock in Spain.

History

La Polla Records was formed in 1979 in Salvatierra, province of Álava in the Basque Country, with Evaristo (vocals), Fernandito on drums, Abel on bass, Sumé and Txarly on guitars. The name of the band was controversial and shocking because in Spain "cock" is what the penis is commonly called.

According to Evaristo

[...] he went out because we said a lot “I shit on the dick”. “Récords” did not know that he wanted to say “disco” in English, [...] but that we put it in the sense of athletic records.

Initially they used to play in garages and bars. They performed for the first time in the bar of their town. In 1983 they released their first EP with only four songs, "And now what?", under the independent label Soñua.

Shortly after, in 1984 they released a more complete album, with nineteen songs called «Salve» (in the recording of this album Maleguín participates on bass because Abel was doing military service mandatory). In their lyrics they make strong criticisms against fascism, capitalism, nationalism, authoritarianism, Catholicism, politics, alienation, fashion and other factors in society, something that would characterize his entire career.

To the front, Evaristo together with Sumé (behind) only stable members of the group.

During the following years they recorded the album «Revolución», «We are nothing» whose cover has become the image of the group, «Donde se habla” in 1988, “En directo” (the first live album recorded at a concert in Lakuntza), “They say shit, we amen” and “ Los retirees” (both released in 1990), their second EP “Barman”, “Negro” in 1992 and “Hoy es the future” in 1993.

In 1994, a court banned the name of the band, due to a dispute with a former sound technician expelled from the group that started the lawsuit in 1991. LPR ignored the ruling by releasing the album with the same name «Under Pressure» in 1994, a very significant title for what was happening around the group. Finally, in 1996 they changed the name, leaving only "La Polla" on the album "Carne pa' the chopper», 1996.

Later they released the second live album titled «La Polla en tu recto» in 1998. In 1999 they commemorated the twenty years of LPR by recording «Toda la puta vida igual ». As of the year 2000, Txarly leaves the band, being replaced by Jokin from M.C.D., with whom they record «Bocas», released in 2001.

During the 2002 tour, Fernandito died on September 3 of a heart attack. LPR canceled all their concerts and tours. After the loss of Fernandito, they recruited drummer Tripi and released their latest album, as its title indicates: "El último (el) de la Polla", ending their twenty-four-year career in 2003..

After the band dissolved, Evaristo published a book called «For the children whatever it is» in which he narrates stories, stories or anecdotes that have the same purpose as his lyrics, also continuing his career music in groups like The Kagas, The Meas and later with Gatillazo, his stable band ever since.

The group was not fond of promotions or video recordings. During their long career they made few video clips. His history has left a total of 226 songs, of which two have never been released in the studio (nor do they appear on any of his three official live albums, although they do appear on some pirates). Said songs are «Tú serás nuestro dios» (a song that was going to appear on the band's first LP, «Salve», but finally it was not like that) and «Gilimetal».^{[< i>citation required]}

In February 2019, they announced their return to the stage, initially as a one-off meeting of the group, but without ruling out its continuation. This meeting began with a presentation on March 13 at the Palacio de los Deportes de la Comunidad de Madrid and continued with a tour of four great concerts in Valencia, Baracaldo, Madrid and Barcelona and another eight in Latin America, in addition to the edition of an album, Neither rest, nor peace!, released on May 10, 2019, with 19 re-recorded songs from the band's first three albums and a new song, which gives its name to the album and for which they shot a video clip. From this tour, they released a live album: Get up and die.

La Polla Records closed the tour with a last concert in Madrid at the Palacio de Deportes de la Comunidad de Madrid on December 28, 2021, after many postponements due to the COVID 19 pandemic. Evaristo announced that he would continue performing, but with a new project: Tropa do Carallo.

Members

Current training

• Evarist - Voice (1979–2003 / 2019–present). Then member of The Kagas, The Meas and Gatillazo
• Me. - Ritmic guitar (1979–2003 / 2019–present). Then a member of Lack of Irrigation. He recorded all the records.
• Txiki - Solo guitar (2003 / 2019–present). Then member of Gatillazo.
• Abel - Low (1979–2003 / 2019–present). All the less "Save" albums.
• Tripi - Battery (2003 / 2019–present). Then member of Gatillazo.

Previous members

• Txarly - Soloist guitar (1979–2000). He recorded from the "Vatican Bank" (1981) model until "All the same fucking life" (1999). He left the group for an accident that affected him in the audition.
• Jokin - Solo guitar (2000–2002). He was on the record "Bocas" (2001), after the band's Txarly march. Exguitarist of MCD, and later Motorsex. Currently with MCD again.
• Maleguin - Low (1984). He recorded the "Salve" album.
• Fernando - Battery (1979–2002). From the beginning of the group until 2002, died on September 3rd of that year while sleeping. The group suspended its activities for a while learning about the news. He recorded from the "Vatican Bank" model to the "Bocas" album.

Timeline

Discography

Studio Albums

• Salve - 1984
• Revolution - 1985
• We're nothing. - 1986
• Where you speak 1988
• They say shit, we amen 1990
• Retirement 1990
• Black 1992
• Today is the future 1993
• Under pressure 1994
• Meat for chopper 1996
• All fucking life equals - 1999
• Bocas 2001
• The last (the) of La Polla - 2003

Re-recordings

• No rest, no peace! - 2019

Demos and EPs

• Vatican Bank (Maqueta) - 1981
• And now what? (EP) - 1983
• Barman (EP) - 1991

Live Albums

• Live 1988
• In turkey 1998
• Come on. - 2005 (Grab at the Rock Festival 2003)
• Get up and die - 2020

DVD

• Come in., 2004 (Grabado at the Festival Viña Rock 2003.) Villarrobledo, Albacete.
• Get up and die, 2020 (Grabbed during the tour 'No rest, no peace!')

Simple

• Salve (Sencillo) - 1984
• The ostrich (Sencillo) 1988
• The Wild Dog (Sencillo) 1988
• The guru (Sencillo) 1988
• They say_mierda (Sencillo) 1990
• My kidneys (Sencillo) 1990
• Black (Sencillo) 1992
• Today is the future (Sencillo) 1993
• Under pressure (Sencillo) 1994
• Gol in the field (Sencillo) 1996
• The dick_in your rectum (Sencillo) 1998
• Pastelarium (Sencillo) - 1999
• All the same fucking life. - 1999
• Bocas (Sencillo) 2001
• Promotional Sampler - 2002
• The last (the) of the_polla (Sencillo) - 2003

Compilations

• Volume I 1990
• Volume II 1990
• Volume III 1992
• Volume IV 1992
• 14 years old from La Polla 1996
• And now what? + Barman (Recollection of the two EPs of the band on one disc).
• No rest, no peace! - 2019

Others

• Tribute to La Polla: 2003 - 29 versions of La Polla Records by various groups.
• Tribute to La Polla: 2005 - Very Punk Latino