“Acostumbrado a ver T.V. los Martes 36” (1968) – Los Shakers * Written by Hugo Fattorusso and Osvaldo Fattorusso * LP: La Conferencia Secreta del Toto’s Bar * Label: Odeon Pops
Los Shakers, who sang in heavily accented English, were Uruguay’s very own mop tops, and they enjoyed a pan-South American following during the sixties. In spite of their brazenly derivative approach, the group’s knack for hooks and cheerful guilelessness – featuring the kind of vibrato-free vocals typical of children – is both endearing and addictive. Their La Conferencia Secreta del Toto’s Bar, long title and all, aims for the Sgt. Pepper album’s levels of philoso-poetry, but ends up winning listeners over with its bossanova-tinged hooks and ESL charm. “Acostumbrado a ver T.V. los Martes 36” is one of its highlights, using a “Day in the Life” news motif (the title translates to “I used to watch TV on Tuesday 36”). “Here I am in my chair,” they sing with gusto. “I try to found the channel that I used to watch, a special one that never has commercial talk.”