Eloise Horsfield
A NEW CD box set tells the story of the birth of rock ‘n’ roll in Spain.
The three-CD set, entitled La leyenda del Price (The Legend of the Price) features recordings from the first ‘modern music’ concerts at Madrid’s Circo Price music hall.
Only student residencies hosted rock ‘n’ roll concerts in the early 60s, and the Circo Price, situated just behind Gran Via, was the first venue to bring the new craze to the Spanish public in November 1962.
Following the lead of groups in Paris and London, bands played their own new-fangled versions of American R&B hits.
Although the gigs were a huge success, bringing in over 2,000 people each time, they were banned within the year by the Franco regime because authorities deemed the ‘collective hysteria’ they induced inappropriate.
The police even tried to ban the famous ‘twist’ dance because it was ‘indecorous’.
Organiser Miguel Nieto made a last plea to save the show by personally inviting the police commissioner to see one of the concerts for himself.
But the commissioner responded with: “I shall choose to ignore your request for me to attend one of these dreadful events that you so like. Is that understood?”
