One of the real standouts in the career of Ricardo Ray and Bobby Cruz – a record of incredible tightness, and one that set a whole new level for Puerto Rican salsa in the 70s! There's still a few traces here of the Latin Soul years – sometimes in the rhythms, at other times in the record's use of an additional female vocalist – who sings behind Bobby's vocals in a really cool way on some of the best numbers. But the main focus here is really on the tightness of the instrumentation – razor-sharp in the arrangements, and served up in a lean mix of piano, trumpets, and percussion. Titles include a nice slow funk remake of "Fire & Rain", plus "Sondido Bestial", "No Tin Pena", "La Vimari", "Cha Cha Huele Chango", and "Volver". LP, Vinyl record album
(Original US pressing. Cover has a split bottom seam, splits on the spine & top seam, ring & edge wear, aging.)
Don't let the title fool you, because it's similar to the album that Ricardo Ray and Bobby Cruz started off the 70s with – El Bestial Sonido – but the record's something quite different indeed! This set has Ricardo and Bobby exploring a more spiritual side of their music – one that's still socially conscious, and still plenty heavy on the Puerto Rican salsa of their fame – but one that also features all original material with themes of faith and redemption. Of course, if you're not a Spanish speaker, all you'll really notice is that the album's got plenty of salsa grooves – and at some level, that's really the genius of the album – as Ray and Cruz pushed a new sensibility into mainstream salsa audiences. Titles include "Eres Tu", "El Relajo", "Juan En La Cuidad II", "Pra Tra Y Pa Tra", and "ElSonido De La Bestia". LP, Vinyl record album
A really deep dive into the world of electrified Peruvian music – one that's put together not only with a killer collection of tracks, but also some really detailed notes that expand on this wonderfully unique hybrid of styles! Rhythms are often in the territory of cumbia from slightly farther north in the South American scene, but given all sorts of rootsier percussion touches – then mixed with electric guitar and thin keyboards, of the sort that you'd normally expect to hear on a 60s surf record – yet reworked here with a uniquely tropical vibe! The approach is often more instrumental than vocal, but you'll hear plenty of voices on the set too – sometimes just calling out to urge on the instrumentalists in the combos – on titles that include "La Hamaca" by Los Cisnes, "Humo En La Selva" by Los Invasores De Progreso, "Selva Virgen" by Los Zheros, "Descarga Royal" by Los Royals De Pucallpa, "Baila Bonito" by Ranil Y Su Conjunto Tropical, "El Pasito De Miriam" by Grupo Siglo XX De Rioja, "La Palmerita" by Fresa Juvenil De Tarapoto, and "Recordando Aguaytia" by Sonido Verde De Moybamba. LP, Vinyl record album
A cool little compilation that's as groovy as you might guess from the title – and one that finally brings to light the lesser-known genre of chica – an odd fusion of cumbia rhythms with more psychedelic-styled instrumentation on farfisa, organ, and guitar! The core grooves remind us a bit of familiar cumbia, but the overall presentation is often a bit more rough-edged and almost garagey at times – a youthful interpretation of the genre that's pretty free with its approach to the music – and which often uses cool electronic touches and weird production techniques to create some really great sounds! Many tracks feature vocals, but the emphasis here seems mostly on the instrumentation – and titles include "Sonido Amazonico" by Los Mirlos, "Carinito" by Los Hijos Del Sol, "A Patricia" by Los Destellos, "Ya Se Ha Muerto Mi Abuelo" by Juaneco Y Su Combo, "La Danza De Los Mirlos" by Los Mirlos, ", "Linda Munequita" by Los Hijos Del Sol, and "Linda Nena" by Juaneco Y Su Combo. LP, Vinyl record album
There's not much in the way of notes on the cover – and in fact, there's not any listing of titles at all – but we can tell you that this set's every bit as smoking as the first volume, and filled with rare grooves from the Peruvian scene! Styles run between chicha and cumbia, and if you like both genres, you'll find plenty to love here – amidst romping rhythms, captivating vocals, and often some mighty nice keyboards that ring out in a really beautiful way! LP, Vinyl record album
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