Tito & Tarantula - Tarantism

Tito & Tarantula are a rock band formed in 1992, a few years after Tito Larriva's previous band, the Cruzados, disbanded. Album Description

Sountrack Wonder (as oppose to 1 Hit wonder)

I've always loved the song "After Dark" (heard during Selma Hayek's dance in "from dusk till dawn").... and liked a couple other songs as well that I knew were from the same band (from desperado, frm d to d, etc.)... so I finally decided to check out the Band's CD Releases ---- Read all the Reviews ---- and ALL of them kept Praising the Band's (Tito's in particular) "Great Sound", "Great Music", "Great from Start to Finish", etc. etc. etc. _____ WHAT A CROCK!!

I bought the following (allegedly their BEST works): The Cruzados (self title & "after dark"... which oddly enough, doesn't have the song After Dark on it).... as well as the 1st 3 albums by "Tito & Tarantula": Hungry Sally, Tarantism, & Andalucia ------- IF YOU'RE A FAN OF HOW THE SONG "AFTER DARK" IS SUNG, PLAYED, ETC..... YOU WONT FIND ANYTHING ELSE EVEN CLOSE TO IT... ON ANY OTHER ALBUM... PERIOD.

The Cruzados CDs are EXTREMELY SLOW, none of them even "catchy" tunes... and generally sucked total balls from start to finish -- the OPPOSITE of what I'd read in all the reviews! And amazingly enough... the SAME was True for "Hungry Sally", "Tarantism" (w/ the exception of THREE songs), & "Andalucia"!! ____ & the ONLY good songs on Tarantism is of course, "After Dark", "House that Love Built", & "Strange Face of Love"... but those last two songs... are only DECENT, not GREAT.

It's no wonder they never took off / got radio play / etc..... Either everyone reviewing those albums were Hispanic & praising them out of loyalty... or they're the few who actually (SOMEHOW) liked the music enough to Praise it Endlessly! Well, I'm here to tell you... DO NOT waste $30 - $40 getting ANY of those CDs!! They're HORRIBLE... & quite possibly the WORST music I've ever heard claiming to be "rock 'n roll". I still for the life of me can't understand how they're able to keep making & releasing music!!! I can name at least 10 bands who DID get radio play... DID have "top 20" songs... etc.... and who were released & never signed to another label, due to sales of only 400,000 copies of an album, and so on.... Bands who have Yet to be signed by a label... etc. etc. ____ Either they're making & releasing the albums themselves (R.Rodriquez had a hand in Tarantism; but none since).... or one of them is Married to a Label Executive!!

DOWNLOAD just a few tracks from ANY of the albums mentioned here... and you'll see exactly what I mean... pure junk. If you HAVE to show your support by buying a CD because you think downloading free songs is a crime... then buy Tarantism --- at least you'll get THREE songs worth listening to... instead of none... and by listening to the other tracks on the album, you'll understand just how terrible the rest of their music is. Apparently, their best & only decent songs, come from the Inspiration of Movies.... but on their own... pure crap. They're not the 1st Band to be this way... and they surely wont be the last.... you are forewarned! December 4, 2008

Overrated

I bought this on a whim when I saw it in the bargain bin at the local store. Angry Cockroaches, the one song I remember from the movie "From Dusk Till Dawn" is still awesome, but the rest of the album is generic mid 90's schlock.

If you like the type of music played in "From Dustk Till Dawn" check out a group called Ch*ngon instead (and yes, that is a swear word in Spanish). They did some of the music in Planet Terror and the Kill Bill films, and it's much better than this. July 22, 2008

KICKING

This music is QUALITY. Tito and Tarantula are one of my favorite bands - and how can you not love music that has been chosen for gems like FROM DUSK TILL DAWN, the EL MARIACHI series, and PRISON BREAK? This quy's voice is awesome, and the styles, moods, performance is bar none. Some of the best music one could ever find. September 11, 2007

Muy caliente

I first encountered Tito Larriva in David Byrne's 1986 slice of absurdist Texas life "mockumentary" TRUE STORIES. I quickly became enamored of his Tex-Mex rock sound, and have followed his career through his work with the CRUZADOS, as well as his current band - through its various musician change-outs. TARANTISM is Tito & Tarantula's best-selling CD to date and, although it contains only 10 tracks, they are some of the band's best known songs: From the full-throttle, sultry and white-hot "After Dark" (is there a red-blooded male out there who doesn't remember Salma Hayek's "would you like some fries with that shake" table dance in FROM DUSK TILL DAWN) and the frenetic "Angry Cockroaches" (also made famous in the same film), to "Back To The House That Love Built" and "Strange Face Of Love" from the film DESPERADO, Larriva's music has frequently provided the driving musical energy behind Robert Rodriguez's films. (The CD is in fact co-produced by both Larriva and Robert Rodriguez.) This CD represents the best cross-section of the band's early work--before they started to veer off into the musical experimentation of their album LITTLE BITCH.

I am surprised that Larriva hasn't found more of a following in this country. Perhaps it is because his music is hard to categorize. It incorporates elements from classic rock, as well as "Tejano," but doesn't really conform to either. Until the rest of the country catches on, and Tito & Tarantula becomes a household name, they will just have to be our little secret. April 20, 2007

Excellente

First came across Tito and Tarantula on Robert Rodriguez's Desperado soundtrack - it kicked [...] and this album is more of the same bluesy rock. Stinging guitar licks and passionate highway rock - very visual, very dramatic, very poetic. Highly recommended... October 17, 2006

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