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RODRIGUEZ – COLD FACT
It's one of the lost classics of the
'60s, a psychedelic masterpiece drenched in colour and inspired by life,
love, poverty, rebellion, and, of course, "jumpers, coke, sweet mary jane". The
album is Cold Fact, and what's more intriguing is that its maker – a shadowy
figure known as Rodriguez – was, for many years, lost too. A decade ago, he was
rediscovered working on a Detroit building
site, unaware that his defining album
had become not only a cult classic, but for the people of South Africa, a
beacon of revolution.
Sixto Diaz Rodriguez was born in 1942
to Mexican immigrant parents in Detroit, Michigan. He recorded Cold Fact – his debut
album – in 1969, and released it in March 1970. But the album sank without
trace, thanks, in part, to some of Rodriguez's more idiosyncratic behaviour,
like performing at an industry showcase with his back to the audience
throughout.
As his music career became a memory,
Rodriguez's legend was growing – on the other side of the world. In
South Africa,
Australia and
New
Zealand, Cold Fact had become a major word of
mouth success, particularly among young people in the South African armed
forces, who identified with its counter-cultural bent.
But Rodriguez was an enigma – not
even the label knew where to find him – and his demise became the subject of
debate and conjecture. Some rumours
said he'd died of a heroin overdose or burned to death on stage. Others said he
had gone mental.
But the tide began to turn in 1996,
when journalist Craig Bartholemew set out to get to the bottom of the
mystery. After many dead ends, he found Rodriguez alive, well,
free and perfectly sane in Detroit.
Rodriguez himself had no idea about
his fame in South Africa (the album had gone
multi-platinum), and embarked on a triumphant South African tour followed,
filling 5,000 capacity venues across the
country.
Rodriguez was still largely unknown
in the northern hemisphere until 2002, when Sugar Man, the album's
extraterrestrially wonderful lead
track, was picked up by David Holmes. The DJ discovered the album in a
New York
record store, and included it on his Come Get It, I Got It compilation,
re-recording the song with Rodriguez for his Free Association project a year
later.
Now, Light In The Attic is set to
commit Cold Fact to CD for audiences in North America, UK, Europe, and Asia, who can finally find out why – halfway across the
world – Rodriguez is spoken of in the same reverent tones as The Doors, Love and
Jimi Hendrix.
- First Official Reissues & 3+
years in the making!
- Mastered from the original
tapes
- Co-produced by Beastie Boys/Mos Def
sample heavy guitarist Dennis Coffey
- Featuring legendary Motown players
The Funk Bros.
- Songs covered by Paolo Nutini &
David Holmes…(Oceans Eleven OST, Primal
Scream)
- Deluxe Digipak includes 36-pg
booklet feat. unseen photos, archival material, and new notes including interviews with
Rodriguez
- Sold over 100,000 copies in
Australia and
South
Africa
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