(Los) Dug Dug's: Discography 1971 - 1978

 

In the foothills of Mexico's famous Sierra Madre lies the industrial, iron-rich city of Durango, the capital

city of the Mexican state also known as Durango. It is here that the story of Los Dug Dug's began in the early sixties with a local high-school band called Xippos Rock. And it is in this band that two young, musically-inclined teenagers named Armando Nava and Jorge de la Torre began a long and productive musical partnership. In 1966, after working hard at perfecting their sound, Xippos Rock decided to pursue their dream of a rock & roll life on the road. 
                        

Mexican garage rock legends Los Dug Dug's were led by singer/multi-instrumentalist Armando

Nava, born in Durango, Durango in 1946. At 15 he acquired his first guitar, and at 17 he joined his first band, Xippos Rock -- when their original frontman quit, Nava assumed lead vocal duties, and after graduating high school the group toured the Tijuana region, with Nava's salesman father driving their van and conducting business along the way. 
                            

While on the road, Nava made the executive decision to change their name from Xippos Rock to Los Dug

Dug's -- the name being the abbreviation of their home city and state -- while playing in Texas he scored copies of early Beatles records, and the band became not only to the first in Mexico to cover the Fab Four, but also the first to sing all of their material (covers and originals) in English. 
                           

Los Dug Dug's "create a harrowing sonic universe that's at once expansive and claustrophobic, like some of your most memorable drug trips". They have been called "a fiery and exciting band of acid rock

iconoclasts" and their music described as "fuzzy, epic psych-rock jams" and "swirling, wild psychedelia". When reissuing their self-titled debut, Light in the Attic Records referred to Armando Nava as a "psychedelic guru" and describes their music as a "heavy, explosive Rock, which captures the fever/dream humidity of flower children 
running amok on a July afternoon."
                  

Today, Los Dug Dug's continue to exist in one form or another, always with Armando Nava at the helm & sometimes also featuring younger brother Enrique on drums. Along with his manager-mother Elena,

Armando runs the Mexico City rock club La Reunion, at which Los Dug Dug's regularly play and rehearse at. Recordings have been qute infrequent lately, but a few years ago the band contributed to the compilation CD ROCKIN' TONIGHT, performing their own interpretations of songs by James Brown, the Troggs, Steppenwolf, and Wilson Pickett. They also appear quite frequently on Mexican TV, and were the star attraction at 1998's Avandaro 2 concert at Mexico City's famed Teatro Metropolitano. Now, as then , Armando Nava remains totally committed to his music. All of us can only hope he never gives up.

                                 

STUDIO ALBUMS

                       

 

Dug Dug's (RCA Victor, 1971)
Smog (RCA Victor, 1973)
Cambia, Cambia (RCA Camden, 1975)
El loco (RCA Camden, 1978)

01. LOS DUG DUG'S - DUG DUG'S 1971

                              

A strong effort by THE seminal 70's Mexican Rock Band this eponymous album is their best. During a time of great turmoil in their native country (Avándaro). No other band ever came close to capturing its

sound, due to lack of funding and xenophobia, as Los Dug Dug's. Long after '67, though in Mexico's secluded society it may have been the first reactionary album to the Hippie movement in San Francisco. Lost in time, Café Tacvba, Molotov and the like are subpar to what could have been the awakening of a Latin Rock Golden Era.
                          

Dug Dug's – Los Dug Dug's
Label: BMG Entertainment Mexico, S.A. De C.V. – PECD-472, RCA – 
Format: CD, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue
Country: Mexico
Released: 1997
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock

TRACKS

                               

01. Lost In My World (Perdido En Mi Mundo)    3:26
02. Without Thinking (Sin Pensarlo)    1:30
03. Eclipse    2:39
04. Sometimes (Algunas Veces)    2:22
05. Let's Make It Now (Hagámoslo Ahora)    4:32
06. World Of Love (Mundo De Amor)    3:23
07. I Got The Feeling (Tengo El Sentimiento)    3:18
08. It's Over (Se Acabó)    3:29
09. Going Home (Yendo A Casa)    1:55
10. Who Would Look At Me (Quién Me Mirará)    3:15

LINE - UP

Armando Nava - Guitar
Moises Munoz - Bass 
Jorge Lujan - Guitar
Sergio Orrante - Drums
Jorge De La Torre - Vocals

NOTES

Initially the band did not have electric guitars or drums, so they performed using acoustic guitars with homemade pick-ups. For drums, they used a steel chair. 

Flac Size: 209 MB

02.  LOS DUG DUG'S - SMOG 1973

                            

This 1972 sophomore album found Los Dug Dug's pared down from quintet to trio and effectively remade according to the personal vision of bandleader Armando Nava, who not only took over all songwriting duties, but took it upon himself to play every instrument outside the rhythm section of bassist Jorge Torres

Aguayo and drummer Daniel Tello (note: brother Enrique Nava provided a few backing harmonies). Ironically, given its title, Smog also saw Los Dug-Dug's reverting to their native Spanish language -- a willful about-face from a band responsible for pioneering English-sung lyrics in Mexican rock during the late '60s, and obstinate enough to spearhead the push back to national pride soon after. The end results only heightened Smog's unique cult standing in years to come amongst global heavy rock aficionados, and, in the short term, arguably spelled commercial disaster for Los Dug Dug's at home, but that in no way diminishes the unique daring of these songs. 
                       

Dug Dug's – Smog
Label:BMG Entertainment Mexico, S.A. De C.V. – PECD•0538, RCA 
Format:CD, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue
Country:Mexico
Released:1998
Genre:Rock
Style:Acid Rock, Psychedelic Rock

TRACKS

                           

01. Smog    2:50
02. Buscalo    1:35
03. Hagamoslo Ahora (2a. Parte)    (11:45)
03.1.Sigueme    
03.2.Dime Que Eres Tu?    
03.3.Cortalo    
03.4.Ven, Ven, Ven    
03.5.Hagamoslo Ahora    
04. Yo No Se    3:51
05. Cual Es Tu Nombre?    3:10
06. Meditacion    1:11
07. No Somos Malos    3:08
08. Voy Hacia El Cielo (Voy Hacia El Sol)    6:20
09. Smog (Versión En Inglés)    2:48
10. I've Got To Run Away From Here    2:26

LINE - UP

Vocals [Vocalista], Electric Guitar [Guitarra Eléctrica], Acoustic Guitar [Guitarra Acústica], Flute [Flauta], Piano, Percussion [Percusiones] – Armando Nava
Vocals [Voces] – Enrique Nava
Electric Bass [Bajo Eléctrico], Bass [Distortion Bass, Bajo Con Distorsión], Vocals [Voces], Percussion [Percusiones] – Jorges Torres "Cochona"
Percussion [Percusiones] – Daniel Tello
Written-By – Armando Nava, Gustavo Garaizar Davis (tracks: 4), Jorge de la Torre (tracks: 4)

NOTES

Track 10 incorrectly listed on the release as "I've Got To Run, Way Frome Here" on the back cover and in the booklet.
"Smog (English Version)" and "I've Got To Run Away From Here" are tracks not present on the original release. 

Flac Size: 254 MB

03.  LOS DUG DUG'S - CAMBIA, CAMBIA 1975

                             

I've always docked this one a bit for being more poppy vs. vs. their 2 previous standard bearers of

Mexican heavy psych. Having recently acquired a vinyl copy of this one, fresh ears reveal it to be certainly less heavy but to be honest every bit as strong as it's predecessors . That is also not to say this lacks in the rock quotient, there are still plenty of groovy guitar driven ditties herein.

                        

Dug Dug's – Cambia, Cambia
Label: RCA – PECD 551, BMG Entertainment Mexico, S.A. De C.V. 
Format: CD, Album, RE
Country: Mexico
Released: 1998
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock

TRACKS

                       

01. No Te Asustes (Es Sólo Vivir)    3:37
02. Timido    2:24
03. Brillo De Sol    3:24
04. Te Quiero    4:14
05. Felicidad    4:15
06. Ya Te Deje (No Volveré)    2:08
07. No, Si, Yo, Tu, Ya    3:45
08. Cambia, Cambia    3:18
09. ¿Donde Esta A.N.?    2:24
10. Al Diablo...    5:45

LINE - UP

Acoustic Guitar, Guitar [First And Second], Synthesizer, Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals – A. Nava
Backing Vocals – Pajaro Alberto (tracks: Track 2)
Drums, Backing Vocals – Enrique Nava
Electric Bass, Twelve-string Guitar [Acoustic] – A. Nava (tracks: Track 9)
Electric Bass, Vocals – Gabino Araujo, Jorge Torres
Written-By – Armando Nava

Flac Size: 193 MB

04.  LOS DUG DUG'S - EL LOCO 1978

                         

"El Loco" is the fourth and final full-lenght album of the mexican band Dug Dug's, released back in 1975.

They plays a typical hard rock of the mid-seventies, with some psych/prog elements and use of synthesizer. The sound isn't particularly aggressive but tasty.The prog elements here are more prominent than in the other albums and there's also more synths here, but their earlier psychedelic sound is intact. 
                        

Dug Dug's – El Loco
Label: Sony Music – 194398084329
Format: CD, Reissue, Remastered, Stereo
Country: Mexico
Released: 2020
Genre: Rock
Style: Acid Rock, Psychedelic Rock

TRACKS

                       

01. Stupid People (Gente Tonta)   3:53
Accompanied By – Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán    
02. Let Me Breath (Déjame Respirar)    5:58
03. Joy To The People (Alegría Para La Gente)    4:29
04. We Always Hate Your Manners (Odiamos Sus Maneras)    3:36
05. La Gente    7:01
06. El Loco    3:08
07. Quiero Verte (Junto A Mí)    2:16
08. La Flauta Del Fauno (Instrumental)    1:41
09. I Got My Emotion (Estoy En Onda)    3:34

NOTES

Arranged By, Directed By, Written-By, Realization – Armando Nava

Flac Size: 211 MB