The Puerto Rican Psychedelic Holy Grail
Between the late 1960s and early 1970s, while American Psychedelic Rock was pushing deeper into darker, fuzz‑saturated territories, a short‑lived but intense underground scene was also taking shape in Puerto Rico.
From this environment emerged Bandolero, a band active roughly between 1969 and 1971, responsible for a single self‑titled album that would later become one of the rarest and most elusive artefacts of Latin American Psychedelic Rock.
The group was led by singer and composer José Nogueras, alongside Junior “El Loco” on lead guitar, Ismaelito on keyboards, George Matos (RIP) on bass and Félix “Gadget” Rodríguez on drums and percussion.
In 1970, Bandolero recorded their only LP at Ochoa Recording Studios in San Juan, released by Truth Records, with some copies also bearing the Eclipse Records imprint for the U.S. market.
— The Album —
Bandolero is a raw and visceral hybrid of American downer‑psych and early Latin Rock, clearly indebted to Santana, yet filtered through a distinctly local sensibility. The sound is driven by the constant confrontation between abrasive fuzz guitars and whirling organs, anchored by Heavy grooves infused with Afro‑Caribbean rhythmic elements. The result is a tense, uncompromising and deeply Psychedelic album, far removed from the more polished productions of its era.
All eleven tracks are original compositions by José Nogueras, with Jerry García (a Puerto Rican musician, not the Grateful Dead guitarist) co‑writing three songs. Thanks to its dark atmosphere, stylistic coherence and extreme scarcity, Bandolero was included in Hans Pokora’s book “1001 Record Collector Dreams,” cementing its status as a true collector’s holy grail.
— Rarity and Reissues —
The album has never been officially reissued on vinyl.
Original 1970 pressings on Truth (Puerto Rico) and Eclipse (USA) are exceedingly hard to locate today, with market prices typically ranging from €200 to well over €400, depending on condition.
The only known reissue is a Japanese CD edition released by Vivid Sound, a label specialised in rare material reissues. While this edition was commercially distributed as a regular release, there is no publicly available documentation regarding the original licensing.
— After Bandolero —
The band dissolved around 1971.
Only José Nogueras went on to build a highly successful career, shifting his focus toward salsa and merengue, becoming a major figure in modern Puerto Rican music.
Born in 1951 in Mayagüez, Nogueras has worked extensively as a composer, producer, singer and guitarist, collaborating with artists such as Cheo Feliciano, Cortijo, Rubén Blades, Héctor Lavoe, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Olga Tañón, Andy Montañez and Tito Rojas, among many others. After undergoing a liver transplant in 2006, he returned to performing in 2007. In 2017, he released José Nogueras Con Su Salsa as a tribute to Cheo Feliciano, continuing a long‑standing tradition of issuing a new Christmas album every year.
No verified information is available regarding the subsequent careers of the other Bandolero members.
— Conclusion —
Confined to a brief creative window and a single release, Bandolero (1970) stands today as a cornerstone of Puerto Rican Psychedelic Rock and one of the most elusive records in the broader Latin American Rock canon. A singular album born at the margins of the music industry, it continues to exert a powerful fascination among collectors and rare‑Psych enthusiasts worldwide.
Discography
Album
• Bandolero – Truth Records (1970)
Singles (Truth Records)
• Together / Love Me Tonight (7″, release date undocumented)
• I Got It / Ternura (7″, green label, release date undocumented)
Tracklist – Bandolero (1970)
Side A
I Got It
Ternura
Love Me Tonight
Don’t Hang Me
I Can Always Think Of You
Salsa Friquea
Side B
Together
My Life Is Always Going Through Changes
I Want To Get There
Awake
Truth and Understanding