Los Mockers

The best group that South America produced during the 1960s, and not merely a novelty item. Formed in Montevideo, Uruguay, in the mid-'60s, the group relocated to Argentina in 1966 after winning a contract with EMI Argentina. Their sole LP and a few singles show the group to possess an uncanny ability to imitate early Rolling Stones songs without being that obvious about it. Almost all of their material was original, sung in English by Polo Pereira, who (with a slight accent) emulates Mick Jagger's early snarl more accurately than anyone else from the time. You can detect apparent reference points to early Jagger/Richards tunes like "Off the Hook," and more sophisticated works like Aftermath ("Empty Harem" is complete with a "Paint It Black"-like guitar). The original lineup of los Mockers disbanded in 1967, although other configurations using the name recorded a few more discs in the late '60s. In the '80s and '90s, los Mockers reached a much greater international audience than they did in their heyday via internationally distributed reissues of their mid-'60s work and are widely respected by collectors as one of the best '60s garage groups.