Monday 30 December 2013

Orquesta la Sabrosa - Los 12 Hits De Merengues Del Año


Here's wishing you all a rump-shaker of a New Year! Happy 2014 people.

Tracklist:

01 La Calembrina
02 Comején
03 El Sueño
04 La Guacherna
05 El Gatico
06 Todo es Para Ti
07 Tobaco y Ron
08 La Vecinita
09 El Doctor
10 Las Locas
11 Palo Con Ella
12 Cómetela Ripia

Get it HERE.

Sunday 22 December 2013

Angel Viloria y su Conjunto Típico Cibaeño - Merengues Vol. 1



From Wikipedia:

"Angel Viloria y su Conjunto Típico Cibaeño was a merengue band performing in the US Latin community in the 1950s. It was the first band to enjoy major success in popularizing merengue music outside the Dominican Republic. The band featured Angel Viloria on the accordion (the accordion player was the traditional leader), Ramón E. García on alto saxophone, Luis Quintero on tambora and Dioris Valladares on vocals. Between 1950 and 1952, it notched up a number of hits under the New York based Ansonia Records banner of Rafael Pérez.
In its name, the band claimed to be authentic (tipico) El Cibao music - this is the region in north Dominican Republic, where merengue had its origins. The tipico merengue features a slightly faster tempo, and keeps the accordion sound, as opposed to the jazz-influenced music of Luis Alberti who had adapted merengue to a more urban ethos in the 1940s. The style of Angel Viloria's band however reflected more of the urban Alberti influence than the name admits; the accordion was of course, quite tipico.[1]
By 1953, the band had split up, with Viloria, Quintero, and Valladares forming separate groups."

This little gem was rescued from the £1 bin of a local second hand record shop, and its been bringing heat and a joyful energy into my world this winter.  The frantic rhythms should liven up any gathering over the encroaching party season!


 
Tracklist:

01         A Lo Oscuro        
02         Mi Cariño        
03         Yo Baile Con Joesefina        
04         Dora        
05         Una Mujer De Color        
06         La Empaliza        
07         Consigueme Eso        
08         Quita Sueño        
09         Rosaura        
10         Merengue Cerrao        
11         Eronia        
12         Te Van A Pegar

Get it HERE.

Thursday 19 December 2013

Rahul Dev Burman - Alibaba Aur 40 Chor




I'm quite consious of the fact that new posts have been thin on the ground over recent months.  Really, I've been posting less and less frequently over the course of this year, not because of 'blogger fatigue' or anything like that, but more because I seem to have less spare time, work seem is taking up more of my time than ever before - difficult as I'm naturally a pretty lazy, workshy person.  Luckily my local car boot sale continues to provide regular suprises so here is one of  this weekend's nice finds.

R.D. Burman's soundtrack to this 1980 Indian/Russian movie production is a total pleasure, a hugely enjoyable funky romp with fabulous percussion, bubbling basslines, some fuzzy guitars, huge over the top strings and all your favourite playback singers.  Each track is full of surprising turns and unusual, inventive flourishes that I'm sure will keep me listening over the coming months.  Hopefully you too will find plenty here to pique your interest.

If you have the time and inclination, here is the whole lavish movie for you to feast your eyes (and ears) on.  Just maximise the screen for the English subtitles:
  

Tracklist
01         Aa Ja Sar-E-Bazar    
02         Music    
03         Khatouba    
04         Title Music        
05         Jadugar Jadu Kar Jayega    
06         Qayamat    
07         Sare Shaher Men

Get it HERE.

Tuesday 3 December 2013

Muhammad Hassan - Musical Journey Compiled by the poet Fadl al-Mabrouk Volume 2 (Music from Gaddafi's Libya)



Ola good people!
Here we have another of the wonderful treasures provided by Joachim for our entertainment, education and listening pleasure.
The music on this tape has been beautifully preserved, the tape is in great condition and the sound is fantastic so all you lovers of Arabic and North African music are in for a real treat.
Mohamed Hassan, was one of the few musicians approved for general consumption by Colonel Gaddafi's regime following his ascension to power in the late 1970s.  Hassan composed muscular, nationalist songs whose soaring strings and mournful vocals sound heavy, martial - proud, stubborn and warlike - a hymn to, and invocation of, worldly power.   

You can read a bit about Mohammed Hassan, and modern Libyan music if you like:
Libya's Revolution Sparks a New Age of Music
It (was) oh so quiet: The Music of Libya

Get it HERE.