What 1966 record from a Spanish band with a German lead singer was written and recorded in England before becoming a top 5 hit in America?  The answer, of course, is "Black is Black," the No. 4 smash from Spain's Los Bravos.  Cherry Red Records' RPM imprint has recently released a definitive 2-disc compendium from the group.  Black is Black: The Anthology 1966-1969 boasts 60 tracks on 2 CDs from the band most often thought of as a "one hit wonder" in the United States.

Los Bravos was formed as a combination of two earlier band, Los Sonor from Madrid, and Mike and the Runaways from Mallorca.  The new five-piece was led by the Runaways' Mike Kogel, born in Germany and able to persuasively sing in German, Spanish, and English.  The band was signed to the Spanish Columbia label, which at that point had no ties to either the U.S. Columbia (CBS) or U.K. Columbia (EMI) labels but did have a connection to the U.K.'s Decca Records.  Decca placed the group with producer Ivor Raymonde, best known for his hits with Dusty Springfield and The Walker Brothers.  Though Manolo Diaz, Los Bravos' multi-instrumentalist, was already songwriting, Decca was eager to place outside songs with the band.  One such tune was "Black is Black" from Tony Hayes, Steve Wadey, and Michelle Grainger.  Though the band members took a back seat to session players like Vic Flick and John McLaughlin, "Black is Black" featured the full throated, Gene Pitney-esque vocals of Mike Kogel out front.  It soon became an international hit, reaching No. 2 in England, No. 4 in the United States and No. 1 in Canada, not to mention a double platinum seller in Spain.  (Its chances for success in France were torpedoed by Johnny Hallyday's French language cover!)

The single "Black is Black" opens RPM's collection along with its B-side "I Want a Name," which is heard in both Spanish and English versions.  Its hit status led Decca to commission a full album from the band.  Black is Black, the LP, was released in the U.K. on Decca and in the U.S. on Press Records, with a slightly altered track listing for the latter version.  It included the title song plus more Grainger/Wadey/Hayes songs, a pair by Bill Martin and Phil Coulter, and original songs from Diaz.  A follow-up single, Raymonde and Tony Clarke's "I Don't Care," was included on the album but didn't match the chart success of its predecessor.  It did, however, make No. 16 on the British singles chart.  Their 45 "Going Nowhere" closed out 1966, its title sadly proving prophetic where the charts were concerned in the U.S. and the U.K. - though it belatedly became a hit in Italy in 1967, and gained new life on Rhino's Nuggets II box set decades later.

Still, Los Bravos kept a high profile, appearing at the San Remo Music Festival in Italy with their song "Uno Come Noi," appearing in the Spanish film Los Chicos con Las Chicas as themselves and providing its soundtrack, and recording with Raymonde in London in search of the elusive follow-up hit.  (The soundtrack featured compositions such as The Bee Gees' "Like Nobody Else" and Les Reed and Barry Mason's "Bye Bye Baby.")  Disappointed by the band's diminishing returns, manager Alain Milhaud took the reins himself as producer, bringing in French arranger-conductor Jean Bouchety.  Milhaud then got the band involved in another film, Dame Un Poco de Amor, and gave them another chance for a comeback with the single "Bring a Little Lovin'" penned by Harry Vanda and George Young of Australia's Easybeats.  The catchy track made it to No. 51 in the U.S., but that wasn't enough to resuscitate the group's fortunes.

Tragedy struck when 23-year old organist Manolo Fernandez committed suicide after his young, pregnant wife perished in a car accident.  When Dame Un Poco de Amor was released in September 1968, it became a sad tribute to the late Fernandez.  Shortly after its release, Mike Kogel announced his intentions to go solo; he soon rechristened himself Mike Kennedy.  Los Bravos soldiered on for a time with personnel changes (one of their latter-day lead vocalists was Andy Anderson, brother of Yes' Jon Anderson), and in 1969, they disbanded.  The same year, their final 1968 recordings were released in Spain as the Illustrisimos Bravos LP.

Black is Black celebrates the short career of the talented pop-rockers, anthologizing the music from both films as well as their albums in Spain, England, and the United States.  Among the disparate offerings on this collection are songs by such notable names as Scott English and Kenny Young ("Save Me, Save Me"), Mark Barkan and Hank Hunter ("If I Were a River"), and Larry Weiss ("Just Holding On").  Nick Rossi tells the story of the band in his detailed liner notes found in the 14-page color booklet.  Simon Murphy has remastered all of the tracks.  You can order this illuminating and comprehensive collection from an underrated sixties band at the links below!

Los Bravos, Black is Black: The Anthology 1966-1969 (Cherry Red/RPM Retro D 992, 2017) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1

1. Black is Black
2. No Se Mi Nombre
3. Will You Always Love Me
4. Quiero Guitar
5. Una Flor Corte
6. Recopilacion
7. I Want a Name
8. Trapped
9. Baby, Baby
10. Make It Easy for Me
11. She Believes in Me
12. Stop That Girl
13. Give Me a Chance
14. I'm Cuttin' Out
15. Two Kinds of Lovers
16. You Won't Get Far
17. Baby, Believe Me
18. I Don't Care
19. Don't Be Left Out in the Cold
20. Uno Come Noi
21. Going Nowhere
22. Brand New Baby
23. I'm All Ears
24. You'll Never Get the Chance Again
25. Like Nobody Else
26. I'm Wearing a Smile
27. Te Quiero Asi
28. Bye Bye Baby
29. Don't Get in My Way
30. Come When I Call

CD 2

1. Show Me
2. Sympathy
3. I've Been Hearing Things
4. Then the Sun Goes Down
5. Get Out of My Life
6. This Way, That Way
7. Down Down
8. Bring a Little Lovin'
9. Make It Last
10. Play with Fire and You'll Get Burned
11. You Got Until the Morning
12. I'll See You Through
13. Deeper Roots
14. Yakipo
15. She's My Girl
16. Dime Donde Estoy
17. If I Were a River
18. Just Holding On
19. We'll Make It Together
20. Save Me, Save Me
21. Baby, I Love You
22. Cool It
23. Individuality
24. Viva La Vida
25. Amor y Simpatia
26. Dirty Street
27. Live Girl
28. Wait a Minute
29. Como Superman
30. Two People in Me