Color Humano -

Color Humano was an Argentine heavy-psych trio that debuted with a 1972 album on Microfón, followed by the 1973 titles Vol. 2 and Vol. 3. Original drummer David Lebón played in various other local bands during this period, including Pappo’s Blues and Pescado Rabioso.

Members: Edelmiro Molinari (guitar, vocals), David Lebón (drums, backing vocals, 1971-72), Rinaldo Rafanelli (bass, vocals), Oscar Moro (drums, 1972-74)

Background

Color Humano formed in late 1971 by guitarist and vocalist Edelmiro Molinari following the breakup of Almendra, the seminal Argentine rock group in which he played alongside Luis Alberto Spinetta. Molinari initiated the project with bassist–vocalist Rinaldo Rafanelli and drummer–vocalist David Lebón, both active participants in the city’s rising hard rock and blues scene. The band took its name from a Molinari composition originally slated for Almendra’s third album.

They made their live debut in April 1972 at Buenos Aires’ Teatro Atlantic. In November, they performed at the third BA Rock festival with a revised lineup featuring Oscar Moro on drums, whose tenure with Los Gatos brought further visibility to the trio. Their set, including “Larga vida al sol” and “Cosas rústicas,” opened the concert film Rock hasta que se ponga el sol. Sessions for their debut album took place the following month at Phonalex Studios with guest appearances by Rodolfo García (ex-Almendra) and singer Gabriela Parodi.

Color Humano

Color Humano released their self-titled debut album in February 1972 on Microfón.

The album presents a six-track set composed by guitarist–vocalist Edelmiro Molinari, blending brief acoustic pieces with extended instrumental sections and dynamic transitions. Guitar textures range from layered acoustic overlays to sustained electric solos, supported by the pulse of bassist Rinaldo Rafanelli, who anchors the low end while adding backing vocals and organ. Drummer David Lebón contributes flexible rhythmic phrasing and counter-vocals on select tracks. Molinari also plays piano on the closer, while guest Rodolfo García (ex-Almendra) drums on “Sílbame Oh Cabeza,” and Gabriela Parodi contributes lead and backing vocals on the opening track.

Color Humano opens on a brief acoustic frame with “Padre Sol, Madre Sal,” where light arpeggios and layered choral textures center around two repeated vocal lines. The album’s first extended piece, “Sílbame Oh Cabeza,” shifts rapidly between declamatory phrasing and interwoven instrumental buildup. Molinari’s guitar enters in short punctuated lines, then surges into a drawn-out solo shaped by contour and escalation. Rafanelli’s bass bridges the passage into a slower middle section where percussion thickens, tempo slackens, and a quiet standoff between guitar and drums builds into a clustered, polyrhythmic climax. “Larga Vida al Sol” layers open-string figuration with anguished phrasing before bursting into a tensioned riff passage with fluctuating vocal pressure and snare-heavy propulsion. Near the midpoint, a sharp command—“¡Nubes blancas!”—triggers a tempo shift, and the final third descends into a raucous exchange of clustered guitar shapes and accelerant drumming.

“El Hachazo” compresses its form into three minutes of classically tinged phrasing blended with scalar blues accents and rapid chordal strikes. “Humberto” stretches across ten minutes of dynamic layering and sectional contrast, alternating between ascending phrases and tightly clipped rhythmic episodes, with bursts of agitated lead tone from Molinari and high-end scalar movement from Rafanelli. “Introducción Polenta” closes the album with a driving ostinato built on downward riff cascades, collapsing and reassembling in looped cycles with full-band emphasis.

A1. “Padre Sol, Madre Sal” [Father Sun, Mother Salt] (1:51)
A2. “Sílbame Oh Cabeza” [Whistle Me, Oh Head] (6:30)
A3. “Larga Vida Al Sol” [Long Life to the Sun] (7:52)

B1. “El Hachazo” [The Hatchet Blow] (3:15)
B2. “Humberto” (10:30)
B3. “Introducción Polenta” [Polenta Introduction] (4:18)

Across the album, the trio cycles between improvisatory expansion and compressed repetition, building pressure through repetition, staggered phrasing, and sharp-edged tonal layering.

They recorded the album in December 1971 at Estudios Phonalex with engineer Héctor “Fogerty” Ithurburu and Norberto Orliac. Molinari produced the sessions under the abbreviation E.M. The record appeared on Microfón with pressing and printwork by Santiago Conforti S.A.

Vol 2

Color Humano released their numerical second album in August 1973 on Talent.

The album expands the trio’s dynamic range with longer structures and detailed instrumental layering. Guitarist Edelmiro Molinari alternates between amplified lead lines and tonal atmospheres, often reinforcing the harmonic frame with piano and auxiliary percussion. Bassist Rinaldo Rafanelli, credited with lead vocals and the composition “Humanoides,” reinforces each piece with firm low-end counterpoint and electric organ textures. Drummer Oscar Moro locks into shifting time patterns, adding accents and contrast beneath the solos and vocal passages. Guest percussionists Egle and Rino contribute additional detail on the opening track.

Vol. 2 opens with “Sangre del Sol,” where staggered percussion patterns and clipped riff cycles frame a dragging vocal line. Midway, the structure shifts, breaking into brief instrumental motion before locking into a heavier pulse that reins in its earlier tension. “La Tierra del Gitano” follows with light cymbal articulation and slow-motion phrasing from Molinari, who alternates lyrical fragments with sparse lead accents that stretch toward the upper register. In its final third, the arrangement lifts as the trio converges into a louder, thicker section that sustains to close.

“Pascual Tal Cual” alternates between repetition and release, revolving around an anchoring ostinato that reemerges after each instrumental digression. The central solo pushes into upward bursts, while Moro’s phrasing adjusts dynamically across shifting subdivisions. “Humanoides” begins in isolation, with an eerie ascending line that floats above minimal accompaniment. The guitar enters with delayed bends and distortion blur, escalating until it fractures into syncopated phrases backed by sudden tempo surges and stop-start rhythmic changes.

The B-side centers on “Va a Salir un Lugar,” a 14-minute progression that starts in slow pulse, then settles into a long, fixed bassline that drops the pace into stasis. Rafanelli’s line holds tension while Moro cycles fills across the upper kit, then recedes for a reprise of the opening verse. “Un Blues Para Adelina” ends the set with sparse, deliberate pacing and restrained interplay, pairing bent guitar lines with downbeat accenting and held tones.

A1. “Sangre Del Sol” [Blood of the Sun] (4:30)
A2. “La Tierra Del Gitano” [The Gypsy’s Land] (3:55)
A3. “Pascual Tal Cual” [Pascual As Is] (5:40)
A4. “Humanoides” [Humanoids] (4:35)

B1. “Va A Salir Un Lugar” [A Place Will Emerge] (14:00)
B2. “Un Blues Para Adelina” [A Blues for Adelina] (6:10)

Sessions took place at Estudios Phonalex with Norberto “Dolby” Orliac as engineer. The album appeared with packaging and printwork by Conforti and cover art by Oscar Cervera.

Vol 3

Color Humano released their numerical third album in November 1973 on Talent, completing a rapid trio of releases within a two-year span.

The album deepens their emphasis on expansive arrangements and layered ensemble textures, with extended song forms and increased tonal diversity. Edelmiro Molinari anchors the set as guitarist, lead vocalist, lyricist, and co-producer, incorporating additional percussion and shaping each track’s instrumental contour. Rinaldo Rafanelli underpins the material with expressive basslines and supporting vocals, while Oscar Moro sustains the dynamic pulse with flexible drumming and auxiliary percussion. Guest contributors include Alicia Varady (vocals on “Hace Casi 2000 Años”) and Jorge Cutello (flute on “Vestidos De Agua”), alongside percussionist Egle Martin, who appears on two tracks.

Vol. 3 opens with “Hombre de las Cumbres,” built on a backward-looped guitar figure that casts an unsettled tone across its slow descent. “Mañana por la Noche” breaks the pace with a clipped rhythm and conversational vocal phrasing, driven by tight coordination between short bass pulses and restrained drumming. “A Través de los Inviernos” reintroduces weight through low-string riffing and thickened rhythmic pacing, followed by a charged drum solo that closes the track in accelerating bursts. “Hace Casi 2000 Años” unfolds in stages: a quiet first section gives way to broad instrumental surges and a choral interjection that reframes the piece in open contrast before returning to its original frame.

“Cosas Rústicas” shifts tempo midway—its slow entry ruptures under a sudden electric riff that triggers a sharper instrumental segment, reinforced by Molinari’s upward solo phrasing. “Las Historias Que Tengo” centers on expanded form and alternating dynamics, with staggered peaks that break into long phrasing cycles and spaced accents. “Vestidos de Agua” closes with narrowed instrumentation, unfolding gradually around flute overlays and a light-paced rhythmic frame that resolves in tonal suspension. The album pushes its structures through alternating tension, tempo breaks, and tonal shade, with dynamic interplay between full-band aggression and sudden retreat.

A1. “Hombre De Las Cumbres” [Man of the Summits] (5:22)
A2. “Mañana Por La Noche” [Tomorrow at Night] (2:57)
A3. “A Través De Los Inviernos” [Through the Winters] (4:29)
A4. “Hace Casi 2000 Años” [Almost 2000 Years Ago] (7:51)

B1. “Cosas Rústicas” [Rustic Things] (6:25)
B2. “Las Historias Que Tengo” [The Stories I Have] (11:44)
B3. “Vestidos De Agua” [Dressed in Water] (5:19)

Sessions ran from March 29 to June 1, 1973, at Estudios Phonalex with engineer Norberto “Quadraphonico” Orliac. Edelmiro Molinari produced the album alongside Jorge Álvarez. Artwork and illustration were provided by Oscar Cervera, with a poster photo by José Luis Perotta.

Discography: