"Hector Lavoe Strikes Back": Underrated?

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For a few years after getting this CD, I was pretty lukewarm toward it, aside from a song or two. I think I was partly turned off by the oddly brooding undertones here. Do I only imagine I hear that on this album? It's still salsa, but it feels more like music for overcast skies than most salsa does to me. The instrumental side of it is jazzy in a low-key sort of way. It may be impossible for salsa not to be "flashy," but in salsa terms, things are relatively subdued, but as I listen now I here a lot of little flourishes that are right where they should be.

When he sings "Me llama loco," it sounds like there is real pain behind it, not just good crazy times.

― Rockist Scientist, Thursday, 22 July 2004 00:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Maybe someone will dredge this thread up during a web search some day.

― Rockist Scientist, Thursday, 22 July 2004 00:52 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.salsaclasica.com/hlavoe/images/hl10.jpg

― Rockist Scientist, Thursday, 22 July 2004 00:58 (twenty-one years ago)

"For a few years after getting this CD, I was pretty lukewarm toward it, aside from a song or two."

YOU ARE A FRICKIN' FOOL!!! ;D
It is probably his BEST solo album that is not a compilation. Although, yes...it's not even close to being his most popular. That'd be De Ti Depende, when he was at the peak of his 'teen idol' popularity. Thing is DTD is not even all that instantly accessible or listener-friendly (to my ears, at least). But yes, it's sung by a doe-eyed sonero, not a dead man walking "ánima en pena". By Strikes Back, all you want to do is cry with Lavoe, while seated together at the bar knocking back more than a few, just... WISHING yr words will reassure him that everything will eventually be OK...though not quite believing it yrself.

PS- "Taxi" is my favorite Lavoe song. IMHO, the quintessential Lavoe song...a heart of stone he must've had to not bust out bawling mid-song...NO ME QUEDA NADA EN ESTE MUNDO...TODO, TODO LO PERDI...that shit kills me EACH time

― Francis Watlington (Francis Watlington), Thursday, 22 July 2004 03:02 (twenty-one years ago)

"of his 'teen idol' popularity"="popularity as a 'teen idol'"

GAH...A grammatician's flair for anal-retentiveness...

― Francis Watlington (Francis Watlington), Thursday, 22 July 2004 03:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Where have you been? Are you going to nominate anything on that thread about recordings from the last five years? (I realize you probably won't nominate anything I would know or like.)

I just ordered another 2-CD Lavoe compilation. I will probably get most, if not all, the albums eventually, but I wanted to at least have the obvious songs (some of which I know and some of which I don't know, but they'd be obvious to you).

― Rockist Scientist, Thursday, 22 July 2004 03:15 (twenty-one years ago)

(Actually I just ordered some more classic old material, along with that: Joe Cuba w/ Cheo Feliciano--and everything I've heard by these two together has been really good, Kako y Azuquita, and a rumba CD by Los Munequitos de Mantanzas from before they were even called that. I've been talking about exploring Afro-Cuban rumba for a while, so this is a beginning.)

― Rockist Scientist, Thursday, 22 July 2004 03:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Joe Cuba w/ Cheo Feliciano--good choice!

"Where have you been?"
Aw, man, I can hardly summon the interest to frequent this website as much as I used to. I guess after a month-long 'tour' of Texas and California, visiting Oz with Dorothy, and seeing what the world out there has to offer me, it's become hard to care. I'm sure a select few, yourself included, value my contributions as I do yours, but I've gotten over posting on here. I guess I've just gotten bored with it. 'Sides I've hardly got the time any more. I've gained as much as I possibly could have from the ILX continuum, like a good succubus. Good riddance, say I! Yadda yadda yadda gettincarriedaway...I do find myself however becoming more of a rare lurker, so that might be the extent of my ILX-affiliated activities...

...but who knows?...

― Francis Watlington (Francis Watlington), Thursday, 22 July 2004 03:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Francis, that's a good thing then. I envy people who get completely sick of this place. I'm hoping that by some point this fall I will not be sitting on my ass in my apartment very much, so I won't have time to post as much.

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Thursday, 22 July 2004 13:01 (twenty-one years ago)

My dear Rockist, I am PROOF that willpower is hardly a requisite to quit this mother cold turkey. I'll be praying for you, haha. BTW, I'm curious to find out whether you're aware of the Hector Lavoe bio that came out last year: Cada Cabeza Es Un Mundo. It's available here pretty much everywhere, but it's in Spanish, so I doubt that it could be even found at specialty stores/web catalogs based in the States. The writing is pretty mediocre for the most part (courtesy of a local journalist) but it truly conveys the emotional resonance of his life and music. Even if your Spanish is basic, and have a dictionary in hand, it shouldn't be an extremely difficult read.

― Francis Watlington (Francis Watlington), Thursday, 22 July 2004 13:33 (twenty-one years ago)

I still really have next to no Spanish. Like I keeping saying: eventually I think I will start taking classes again. This summer has been kind of a waste, mostly due to the way moving to a fairly bumpy transition into a new apartment.

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Thursday, 22 July 2004 13:43 (twenty-one years ago)

I highly recommend a rumba cd that came out last year called "Cachete Maldonado Y Los Majaderos". It's on an independent label called SMG Productions. It's not widely available, and I've only seen it at a couple stores. I bought it and J&R in Manhattan. The vocals and drumming are spectacular. It even has a special guest appearance by Tego Calderon.

And thanks for reminding me about that Lavoe cd. I've always meant to pick that up, but I've yet to.

― pheNAM (pheNAM), Thursday, 22 July 2004 14:39 (twenty-one years ago)

I remember seeing that CD described at descarga.com. I will check that out if I get pulled further into rumba.

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Thursday, 22 July 2004 14:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Tidbit of trivia: I hear Tego Calde is a stellar salsa drummer. That's how he used to make ends meet back in the day not so long.

― Francis Watlington (Francis Watlington), Thursday, 22 July 2004 17:10 (twenty-one years ago)

I bet he's making a little more now as a reggaeton star.

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Thursday, 22 July 2004 17:20 (twenty-one years ago)

--ago

"I bet he's making a little more now as a reggaeton star."

Haha. Yes, he is. 100,000 copies sold in PR the first yr. That's platinum here.

― Francis Watlington (Francis Watlington), Thursday, 22 July 2004 19:47 (twenty-one years ago)

That's a lot of platanos.

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Thursday, 22 July 2004 19:58 (twenty-one years ago)

two years pass...

I don't have that album, but I am enjoying the Willie Colon/Hector Lavoe Christmas album I am listening to with the crazy picture on the cover, Asalto Navideño

― James Redd and the Blecchs, Saturday, 14 April 2007 04:30 (eighteen years ago)

Which I see you mentioned on [Removed Illegal Link]

― James Redd and the Blecchs, Saturday, 14 April 2007 04:31 (eighteen years ago)

http://www.ilxor.com/ILX/ThreadSelectedControllerServlet?boardid=41&threadid=23464

― James Redd and the Blecchs, Saturday, 14 April 2007 04:31 (eighteen years ago)

Maybe I should find my copy of El Sabio and see how that is sounding these days.

― James Redd and the Blecchs, Saturday, 14 April 2007 04:59 (eighteen years ago)

Yeah, Asalto Navideño is a good one. I haven't heard it for a while, so that's about all I can say. I don't have a legit. copy of it, so it's one of a hundred or so Fania reissues I definitely want to get.

― Rockist Scientist, Saturday, 14 April 2007 12:43 (eighteen years ago)

six months pass...

Ponce! Ponce!

― Rockist Scientist, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 02:02 (eighteen years ago)

Tito Puente, Papo Lucca
Eddie Palmieri, mi hermana,
Cheo Feliciano

― Rockist Scientist, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 02:18 (eighteen years ago)

That part I can understand.

― Rockist Scientist, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 02:18 (eighteen years ago)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsxNeh5F5dg

― Rockist Scientist, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 02:23 (eighteen years ago)

I own this album now, purchased during my Fania flurry of a few months back. I should listen to a few (more) times, I guess.

― James Redd and the Blecchs, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 02:28 (eighteen years ago)

It's good. It definitely took a little while for it to grow on me (as mentioned above). It's pretty dark for salsa.

― Rockist Scientist, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 02:33 (eighteen years ago)

You think the late Hector might be one of the top selling salsa artists in 2007? I think I saw a couple of his releases in a Billboard top tropical sales list.

― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 14:39 (eighteen years ago)

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