This is an exercise in nostalgia for me and many of us Colombians who were kids/youngsters in the 70s. In 1975/76, Antonio Frío, protest/social commentary singer/songwriter born in Bucaramanga, Colombia, had a radio hit with the title track of this LP, “Pistolero Siglo XX” (“20th Century Gunman”), about an invencible, Chuck Norris-type gunman from the American Far West who was descendant of Pecos Bill and Uncle Sam’s favorite nephew. He even built the Panama Canal with one single gunshot. According to the song’s chorus, “he’s watching Latin America and wants to conquer the Middle East, sends Batman and Superman to war and the CIA guys deliver the final blow”.

Featuring the corresponding sound effects: machine guns, bombs, horse galloping, cars…

I used to have the 7″ single, but lost it many years ago. After many years of searching, I was able to find an original sealed copy of this extremely rare LP (records were never sold sealed in Colombia, but there were a few exceptions and this is one of them) including a big lyrics sheet, something hardly seen on Colombian records. The LP has a release year of 1978, but I don’t think it’s a reissue since it wasn’t that big of a hit. My guess is that only the 7″ single was released in 1975/76.

Again, just pure nostalgia here. Thank you for listening.

Antonio Frío died on August 17, 2021. May he rest in peace.

Numark TTXUSB turntable – Nagaoka MP-500 phono cartridge – ART DJPRE II phono stage preamp – Vinyl record vinilo LP