Café Tacvba (album)

Café Tacuba was the self-titled debut album by Café Tacuba, released in 1992. Rubén Albarrán, the band's lead singer, was credited as "Juan, Él que hace como que Canta" ("Juan, The one who pretends to sing") in the liner notes.

Track listing

1. Noche Oscura (Dark Night) – 4:03
2. Las Batallas (The Battles, based on a short story by José Emilio Pacheco called Las Batallas en el Desierto (The Battles in the Desert) – 3:26
3. Las Persianas (The Window Blinds) – 2:54
4. Rarotonga (Rarotonga is the name of a Pacific island, but the song is about a female jungle-dwelling character in a comic book by Antonio Gutierrez) – 2:51
5. María – 3:53
6. Cometer Suicidio (To Commit Suicide) – 2:37
7. La Chica Banda (The Band Girl, referring to the Punk band scene of that time) – 3:48
8. El Catrín (The Wealthy Man) – 2:50
9. Pinche Juan (an attempted translation of Johnny Rotten) – 0:34
10. Labios Jaguar (Jaguar Lips) – 2:29
11. Debajo del Mar (Below the Sea) – 3:00
12. La Zonaja (A slang term referring to Mexico City´s Zona Rosa, once a wealthy neighborhood filled with hotels, stores and mansions. Nowadays it is considered the red light district) – 3:03
13. Bar Tacuba – 3:52

Many of the songs on this album, notably "La Chica Banda" and "Labios Jaguar" makes reference of Native Americans and mestizos in Mexico.

Band members

• Juan (Rubén Albarrán): vocals, guitar
• Emmanuel Del Real: keyboards, acoustic guitar, piano, programming, vocals, melodion
• Joselo Rangel: electric guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals
• Quique Rangel: bass guitar, electric upright bass, vocals

References