1968 The Formell Period

photo courtesy of Bill Tilford

Personnel:
Elio Revé - timbales
Miguel "Lele Sr." Rasalps - voice
Juan Formell - bass
Pupy Pedroso - piano
Raúl "El Yulo" Cárdenas - congas
? - güiro
? - flute
? - strings
? - electric guitars

Juan Formell probably joined in 1967 as a bassist and quickly became the musical director. On the other hand, Revé may have specifically hired him to be the musical director. In any case, Formell changed everything. Two names used to describe the new style are "changüí 68" and "changüí-shake". It involved adding electric guitars, drumset, and a massive influx of musical ideas from North American pop. Although we have no dates for most of the pre-1980 Revé tracks, you can listen to 5 seconds of any one of them and immediately identify it as pre-Formell or post-Formell.

Formell only stayed until 1969 when, as with Ritmo Oriental, he staged a full-scale mutiny and took the majority of the musicians to form Los Van Van. Again, we don't have a definitive list, but it definitely included Pupy Pedroso and conguero El Yulo.

The next musical director was pianist Manolo Coipel, who continued along the path Formell had instigated. Thus, it's extremely difficult to know exactly which songs Formell himself recorded. The following list is probably incomplete - these are only the songs that we're nearly certain were recorded and written by Formell.

There is a compilation with 6 songs by Revé and 6 by Neno González, a Peruvian release called "De la Habana a Lima", three Miami pirate CDs, and many compilations from after Revé's death which contain songs from this, and the next period, but we have no photos of EGREM LPs or EPs from either period - nothing until 1982! Please help!!!