Break It All: The History of Rock in Latin America

It is likely that this docuseries's aim is to provide a glimpse, a primer on the history of Latin American rock, while also linking to the history of the region as well, rather than to create an absolutely comprehensive encyclopedia. To compare it to the great BBC series "The Seven Ages of Rock" would not be a stretch.

However, from the start it is clear that controversy will abound here as even the definition of "Latin America" for the purposes of the documentary is bound to cause polemic. Brazil is left out despite being the largest and most-populated country in the region, but this is a clever decision as it allows to keep the focus in Spanish-language rock (thus also leaving out a large number of United States and Canadian acts with members of Latin American origin or immigrants, but which mostly produce music in English).

This is also not a compendium of all rock in Spanish, as bands from Spain are only somewhat mentioned in tangents related to their influence on Latin America, specially in the 1980s, or projects with members that span both sides of the Atlantic (like Madrid-based Los Rodríguez, which included Argentinian members). In general, the main axes of the documentary seem to be Mexico and Argentina. A difficult decision but one that makes sense as these are both the historical (due its cultural and geographic closeness with the U.S., Mexico tends to be the gateway for many of that country's innovations to move south) and commercial axes of Latin rock itself.

In its successes, the series is exhaustive enough. Every major rock trend of the 20th century is well-represented and showcases general tendencies. Mexico favors blues- and folk-rock, Chilean rock has almost always had to fight repression of some sort, while in Colombia, the genre is generally a niche one and hardly tops the mainstream charts. The production is solid and a good balance is struck between archival footage and modern-day interviews.

On the other hand, its flaws are not tragic at any moment, but they could have been so easily addressed that it is likely that they will continue to be mentioned when the series is reviewed from now on. The edition is somewhat lacking, as some episodes will spend almost all their runtime focusing either on Mexico City or Buenos Aires, thus leaving out many important contemporary acts from the other countries/cities. These are often mentioned in the next episode, but by that point the momentum of showcasing all the acts as they related to their timeframe (early 1960s or 80s, for example) is normally lost.

The conclusion definitely feels rushed and is the weakest element of the series since, after being so comprehensive for the majority of the 20th century, it barely delves into the trends that defined rock in the early 21st century. Many movements were ridiculed shortly after they happened, like new wave and glam rock, but hindsight has vindicated them. While this might not yet be the case for pop-punk or emo, or even the peak hipster-ness associated with types of indie rock, if the series had chosen to showcase their Latin variants regardless, it would have been a step ahead of the curve and less likely to feel dated in a few years.

Particularly egregious are the complete lack of mention of movements like math and post rock, which had a very important and popular Mexico City representative in Austin TV, or the huge indie trends in both Mexico (Porter, Niña) and Chile (Pedropiedra, Ases Falsos). That these subgenres were skipped over in favor of the "after-rock" acts like Calle 13 and Nortec is probably the one true mistake of "Break it All", specially as they are widely considered to be part of the rock genre as a whole. That this could have been such an easy fix in dedicating the 6th episode to 21st century rock, and a 7th one to the possible future of the music, is frustrating but not to the degree of ruining the previous enjoyment.

This is a good initial overview, but misses too many scenes. The focus, as usual, is on Argentine and Mexican musicians, with an occasional nod to other countries. At times it is insightful, knowledgeable, and fair; they cover acts that were hits across the continent; and musicians that were clear innovators or influencers. Those parts were the best. They also cover the general history of Hispanic America, and many items that were relatable across countries. And they provide insights as to why rock bands from some countries got more exposure than their contemporaries from other countries; certain producers and etc.

But when they talk about generic bands that were not hits outside of their country (and misportrayed as 'everyone' was listening to them locally), it becomes annoying. Why not focus on acts from other countries that were more enduring in those cultures?

I wish they do a 2nd season or a follow-up series, and cover Brazil; Chicano rock; the ska rock, punk, pop rock, and political rock of Peru, Chile, and Central America; metal, post-rock, jazz rock, as well as the class division that created new musical genres (e.g. psychedelic rock fused with huayno becomes the super-popular andean chicha).

A good beginning. It is so focus on Argentina and Mexico, but what we can do if those nations are the cot of the rock in latinoamerica.

Hopefully the get more information the next season (if there's a next) about the current status of the Latin American music and their impact all around the world.

For those who says, Calle 13 and Julieta aren't rock. Is not about the kind of music they play but the inspiration the got from all the sociopolitical history of their countries that inevitably are linked with the Rock! 🤘🏼🤘🏼

No es un documental completo, pasan por alto muchas bandas que sentaron las bases del rock en latinoamerica. Es la historia de los grupos producidos por Sanaolalla, pero no es la historia del rock en Latinoamerica. Hablan de influencia española sin mencionar a Heroes del Silencio u Hombres G? No tiene sentido. Bueno para perder un par de horas, pero no esperen mucho.

I enjoyed the first part of the documentary, showing the early stages of rock, the political circumstances that model the artist. Then this documentary turns into cheap and gross propaganda of Gustavo Santaolalla bands.

In the part of the 90s to the actuality only talks about the commercial (complacent rock as Santaolalla says) and left behind the really popular bands like La Renga, Ataque 77, Callejeros (Only named for Cromagnon), Rata Blanca, and many others. The time dedicated to Los Redonditos and Pappo is insulting compared with other artists.

This is a documentary of commercial/complacent rock, not about popular rock.