EL SHOW DE TERROR DE ROCKY:
Mexican Cast (1976)

*LP*
1976, Orfeon Records, LP-13-2277

*CD*
1995, Orfeon Records, JCD-100
1996, limited edition collector's release (BOOTLEG)

CAST:
Dr. Frankenfurter: Gonzalo Vega
Chelo (Janet): Julissa
Carlos (Brad): Hector Ortiz
Riff-Raff: Luis Torner
Magenta y Usherette: Paloma Zozaya
Colombia: Norma Lendech
Eddie y Dr. Carillo: Lauro Pavon
Rocky Horror: Cecil Goudie
Narrador: Manuel Gurria

MUSICIANS
Francisco Torres: piano acustico, piano electrico, sintetizador ARP, y organo
Perico: bateria, timbales, gong, pandero, taps y vibraslap
Neto Palestino: bajo electrico
Hector Ortiz: piano acustico, piano electrico, organo y guitarra acustica
Victor Arreola: guitarra electrica y guitarra acustica
Roberto Gaytan: saxophon tenor y fluta
Mix Fedex: guitarra electrica en 'Baile Del Sapo' u cencerro en 'Dulce Trasvestista'
Gerardo Gomez "Uri": guitarra electrica en 'Que Le Ha Al Pasado Al Sabado?'
Raul Gonzalez "El Pelo": bateria en 'Los Superheroes'
COROS: Aida Pierce, Laura Aspeitia, Jose Luis Acosta, Adrian Mayo, Mix Fedex, Norma Lendech, Hector Ortiz, Luis Torner, Manuel Gurria, Perico

DIRECCION ESCENICA: J.I. de Llano
DIRECCION MUSICAL: Hector Ortiz - Francisco Torres
PRODUCCION: Alfonso Gonzalez - Hector Ortiz
GRABACION Y REGRABACION: Alfonso Gonzalez "Poncho"
TRADUCCION: J.I. de Llano
GRABADO EN ESTUDIOS CHURUBUSCO EL 13, 16, 17, 18 DE FEBRERO Y EN "LA CASA" 24, 25 y 26 DE FEBRERO

RUNNING TIME: 41:00
(Bootleg CD Running Time: 67:48)

The Mexican Cast album is an unusual yet entertaining recording. It is one of the harder-to-find recordings on vinyl.

This production was directed, translated by Julissa, a notorious triple-threat celebrity in Mexico, who has stage numerous musicals in Mexico. She also starred in the role of Janet ("Chelo.")

The album's jacket is a picture of the traditional Frankenstein creature with it's lips painted red. Then, the title is printed in the now-legendary Rocky Horror bloody font. One unusual thing to point out as well is the sound quality of this album. Either it was pressed on recycled vinyl or it was mastered poorly. (Usually bootlegs and low-budget independent releases are pressed on recycled vinyl.) Because of this, the sound quality on most vinyl copies is extremely poor. I have two copies of the LP, both have sleeves in questionable condition, but the discs are in near mint condition. One sounds pretty good but the other sounds like it's much older and scratched than it actually is. I've heard rumours of an 8-track tape release of this album and other rumours about different pressings with different coloured labels, but they've never been confirmed. If an 8-track release exists, the sound quality may rival the vinyl release. (Not to mention the value it would be to RH audio collectors!)

Also, some of the musical arrangements are taken from the Original Roxy Cast album. Some of the tunes on this recording sound a lot like the versions on the Original Roxy Cast album, but not all of them.

This is not one of the more popular international RHS albums. I think it has grown on me over the years. It's not as good as the Norsk Versjon, but then again what is? Listening to the album, one must admit that it is not a terrible RHS cast album. The sonic quality of the music is not that professional-sounding, but I like that-it is in the spirit and style of the original 1973 London production. Some of the performers are quite energetic. I DO question the translation of the original lyrics, though. Although I don't know any Espanol, someone told me that 'Baile Del Sapo,' this album's 'The Time Warp,' when translated to English means 'Dance Of The Frogs'!!!!

Also: even though the album does have 'Super Heroes,' both Brad's and Janet's verses are omitted (like the edited version of TRHPS.) This album does have it's highlights. Julissa is a pretty good Janet, and this recording, despite the fact that it's not the best of the international TRHS cast albums, it's nowhere as bad as some of the other cast albums that have been released.

This album has been one of, if not *the* rarest of TRHS cast albums to find on vinyl.

El Show De Terror De Rocky has been released in a 2 CD set on the Orfeon label (who issued the vinyl release) with a Mexican cast of Grease (called Vaselina on this set.) The 2 CD set has a copyright date of 1995, although it wasn't discovered by most RH audio collectors until 1998. It is also interesting to point out that even though this disc is an import, the discs were pressed in the U.S.A. In any case, this compact disc release is a real collectors' treat. This release is without a doubt the best release of this album (as far as audio quality goes.) The sound is SO much better than the vinyl release, and there are little or no traces of vinyl artifacts. Although the sound quality is quite good, it does have some flaws here and there. (This was NOT a high-budget, digital remaster!) There are several flaws in the master tape that are audible while listening to the disc. (However, after years of listening to bootlegs, this disc sounds FINE to me!)

It looks to me as though Vaselina, the other disc in the set, has a lot in common with El Show De Terror De Rocky. Vaselina features both Julissa and Hector Ortiz (Chelo and Carlos.)

In 1996, a VERY limited-edition collector's (bootleg) CD of this album was released. (Most, it not all, of the die-hard audio collectors didn't discover the 1995 CD release until around 1998.) However, only 22 CD's were made and they all went immediately to RH die-hards and audio collectors. This CD featured the entire Mexican Cast album (taken from one of the original vinyl copies), a replication of the cover art, as well as new, additional liner notes. The collector's CD also featured the following bonus tracks from the 20th Anniversary Convention of TRHPS in October 1996: