Changó

Changó was an American Latin-rock/funk band from Brooklyn that released a self-titled album on ABC Records in 1975, followed by Honey Is Sweeter Than Blood on Mercury in 1976.

Members: George Tacktikos (guitar, vocals), Reinol Andino (timbales, congas, percussion, vocals), Pepe Gomez (drums, lead vocals, percussion, piano), Burlin Speakes (bass), Thomas Alletto (organ, vocals, piano), Michael Britton (congas, percussion), Mike Cruz (timbales, percussion, vocals), Charles Rook (guitar), Ken Weissman (drums)

Background

Changó formed in Brooklyn, New York, in 1967. The original core lineup included bassist Burlin Speakes, percussionist Michael Britton (congas, percussion), drummer Ken Weissman, singer/drummer/pianist/percussionist Pepe Gomez, guitarist Charles Rook, guitarist/vocalist George Tacktikos, organist/vocalist/pianist Thomas Alletto, timbaleros/percussionists/vocals Reinol Andino and Mike Cruz.

Speakes and Britton both studied percussion and bass respectively in New York area music programs; Gomez’s early training included piano studies and work in Latin-rock combos. The multi-instrumentalist Alletto came up in church organ programs and local rock bands. The group’s members met through New York and Brooklyn club circuits, Latin-rock jam sessions and shared studio contacts.

In the early 1970s they built a reputation performing at Latin clubs, rock venues and bar circuits in the tri-state area, playing heavy Latin-rock funk with dual percussion and organ/guitar attack. They signed to ABC Records in 1975 and issued their debut single in advance of their album release.

Changó

Changó released their self-titled debut album in March 1975 on ABC Records.

The album presents the band’s signature Latin-rock / funk fusion with dual percussion (timbales, congas) plus organ roar, guitar sustain, and vocal intensity.

The lineup comprised bassist Burlin Speakes, percussionist Michael Britton (congas, percussion), drummer Ken Weissman, multi-instrumentalist Pepe Gomez (drums, lead vocals, percussion, piano), guitarist Charles Rook, guitarist/vocalist George Tacktikos, keyboardist Thomas Alletto (organ, vocals, piano), timbalero/percussionist/vocalist Reinol Andino and timbalero/percussionist/vocalist Mike Cruz.

Changó encompasses fiery rock-driven instrumentals (“Walk on Hell”), Latin percussion showcase pieces (“Bollo”, “Bembe”), and extended ensemble jams like “Caminando” and the title track with its nearly nine-minute runtime. The group-written “Fire Over Water” opens with swirling organ and guitar interplay over layered percussion, while “Mira Pa ’Ca” channels call-and-response vocals over Afro-Latin rhythm.

A1. “Fire Over Water” (5:34) – Written by Pepe Gomez, George Tacktikos, and Thomas Alletto. The album opens with a surge of layered percussion and organ strikes that push against tightly wound guitar figures. The lyrics invoke elemental conflict as a metaphor for desire and resistance, voiced through Gomez’s commanding delivery that rides the band’s accelerating rhythm.

A2. “Walk On Hell” (7:58) – Gomez, Tacktikos, Alletto. A long-form suite that builds from percussive sparseness into extended instrumental exchanges. The rhythm section sustains a relentless pace while organ and guitar trade phrases marked by sharp turns and tense suspensions. Lyrically, the song contemplates moral endurance amid chaos, echoing street-level struggle and faith under pressure.

A3. “Bollo” (3:24) – Tacktikos, Alletto. A brief instrumental marked by conga-driven propulsion and quick thematic shifts. The guitar’s clipped phrasing and organ accents trace angular rhythmic lines, creating a sense of chase and release before the piece abruptly resolves.

A4. “Caminando” (6:57) – Gomez, Tacktikos, Alletto. One of the record’s most vocal-centered tracks, its title (“Walking”) underscores motion and persistence. Gomez’s phrasing carries a tone of resolve as the arrangement alternates between tight percussive bursts and flowing organ passages, suggesting forward motion through adversity.

B1. “Mira Pa ’Ca” (3:00) – Gomez, Tacktikos. A compact call-and-response number that fuses street vernacular with brisk rhythmic interplay. The title (“Look Over Here”) reflects the lyric’s teasing invitation, while the brass-like organ voicings and syncopated percussion heighten the sense of spontaneity.

B2. “Bembe” (0:50) – Britton, Andino. A short percussion ritual built on hand drums and timbales, evoking Afro-Cuban ceremony. The interlocking rhythmic figures act as a bridge within the album’s sequence, grounding the next transition in pure rhythm.

B3. “Solid Karma” (4:50) – Tacktikos, Alletto. A mid-tempo instrumental balancing rhythmic steadiness with fluid solo statements. The title hints at moral or spiritual equilibrium, reflected musically through the interplay between sustained organ tones and deliberate percussive patterns.

B4. “Sacpa” (1:14) – Alletto. A brief, reflective instrumental dominated by organ and sparse percussion. The harmonic turns create a contemplative pause before the final track’s explosive return.

B5. “Chango” (8:21) – Gomez, Tacktikos, Alletto. The closing piece invokes the Yoruba deity of virility and thunder. Opening with ritual percussion, it unfolds into a climactic ensemble performance where the organ’s sustained chords and guitar’s contoured lines channel the group’s full intensity. The lyrics celebrate the power of release and transformation, concluding the album as both invocation and catharsis.

Sessions occurred at studios in New York City with producer support from ABC Records (specific producer and engineer names not listed).

Honey Is Sweeter Than Blood

Changó released their second album, Honey Is Sweeter Than Blood, in 1976 on Mercury Records.

On this record the band shifted slightly toward soul-rock and funk-rock while maintaining their Latin-percussion foundation. The lineup remained largely intact with bassist Burlin Speakes, percussionists Reinol Andino and Mike Cruz, multi-instrumentalist Pepe Gomez (lead vocals, drums, keyboards), guitarist Charles Rook, and keyboardist Thomas Alletto among others.

Pepe Gomez wrote composed six songs and co-wrote “Life Is a Rainbow” with Andino. Two tracks (“La Rumba,” “Woman in Black”) are group-written numbers.

“Life Is a Rainbow” opens with layered vocals and rock-driven guitar; “The Last Ride” slows the pace into a soulful ballad; “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” uses heavy guitar riffs, dense percussion and dynamic shifts; “Woman in Black” and “Evil Lady” lead the harder rock-funk side of the set.

A1. “Life Is a Rainbow” (3:20) — Speakes/Andino/Gomez
A2. “The Last Ride” (4:45) — Gomez
A3. “Meeting of the Gods” (5:32) — Gomez
A4. “Lady, Lady” (4:18) — D. Gomez/Gomez.
A5. “La Rumba” (2:51) — Speakes/Cruz/Gomez/Andino

B1. “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (6:31) — Gomez
B2. “Thumbing a Ride” (7:07) — Gomez
B3. “Woman in Black” (3:59) — Speakes/Rook/Cruz/Gomez/Andino
B4. “Evil Lady” (2:45) — Gomez

Sessions took place at Two Dot Studios (Ojai, California) and BRT Studios (Nashville, Tennessee) with mixing at Eldorado Recording Studios and mastering by Masterfonics.

Discography:

• Changó (1975)
• Honey Is Sweeter Than Blood (1976)

Sources:

• Discogs: Changó
• RYM: Changó