I first became aware of Los Lobos when I saw the video for Will the Wolf Survive on Radio with Pictures in what must have been about 1984 or 85. Great song and I immediately searched out and bought the album.
It was about this time that everyone else became aware of them as the band that played La Bamba from the movie of the same name and a song that became so huge for them that it came to define their career for many. They indeed felt it became hard for their own music to be appreciated by many more than their initial fans.
At the time they were suddenly everywhere on record with David Hidalgo as an in demand guitar player, Steve Berlin producing albums for others. They also contributed to Paul Simon's Graceland album. However that ended in acrimony when the band felt they were not given the credit they deserved
A few albums later and out of the blue almost came the groundbreaking and very different sounding Kiko. An album that has ever since been in my top ten of all time and a family favourite. So much so that when he was only about 5 Sam wrote out the entire words to Whisky Trail for something he was doing at school. Not sure what his teacher made of that!!! The album was quite experimental in nature which two of the band and the producers Mitchell Froom and Tchad Blake took to even more interesting places with the offshoot Latin Playboys. From what I gather the album was only released on vinyl in Croatia!!! (and while I did find a copy eventually the quality of vinyl and printing was not quite right so I am now considering the newly released version)
The title track, Kiko and the Lavender Moon, has been one of my go to auditioning songs when I upgrade my stereo (which is normally a gradual process with cables, power supplies and cartridges being moved and tweaked about annually and larger gear only when it has to - that is probably another blog topic or page).
Since Kiko there have been many good solid albums with only two standing out for me. The immediate follow up Colossal Head and Good Morning Aztlan. The latter I consider their great lost album while their last album proper Tin Can Dance seemed to gain a lot of praise it did not grab me the same way -
While they had released some Spanish language music earlier and had also released an excellent EP this was really their debut and was part of roots related mini music boom around Los Angeles (including Jason and The Scorchers, The Blasters and Rank & File). It had that sometimes rare mix of sounding new and and old at the same time as well as having great songs and musicianship.
It was also the first time I heard the name T Bone Burnett as a producer. Soon he would be everywhere and that is another story for my Connections series.
The follow up, By the Light of the Moon, was not that well received at the time - I could not quite understand why as I thought it was a better album. In that respects it mirrored the path of the first two albums by The Band with Big Pink being so revered that anything that followed always being a let down. The almost cinematic One Time One Night and two stories of the Mexican/Los Angeles diaspora (Is this all there is and Hardest Time) made to sound almost universal. And then there is Shakin Shakin Shakes which Lil' Band of Gold covered at a great show in Christchurch between quakes.
It was about this time that everyone else became aware of them as the band that played La Bamba from the movie of the same name and a song that became so huge for them that it came to define their career for many. They indeed felt it became hard for their own music to be appreciated by many more than their initial fans.
At the time they were suddenly everywhere on record with David Hidalgo as an in demand guitar player, Steve Berlin producing albums for others. They also contributed to Paul Simon's Graceland album. However that ended in acrimony when the band felt they were not given the credit they deserved
A few albums later and out of the blue almost came the groundbreaking and very different sounding Kiko. An album that has ever since been in my top ten of all time and a family favourite. So much so that when he was only about 5 Sam wrote out the entire words to Whisky Trail for something he was doing at school. Not sure what his teacher made of that!!! The album was quite experimental in nature which two of the band and the producers Mitchell Froom and Tchad Blake took to even more interesting places with the offshoot Latin Playboys. From what I gather the album was only released on vinyl in Croatia!!! (and while I did find a copy eventually the quality of vinyl and printing was not quite right so I am now considering the newly released version)
Since Kiko there have been many good solid albums with only two standing out for me. The immediate follow up Colossal Head and Good Morning Aztlan. The latter I consider their great lost album while their last album proper Tin Can Dance seemed to gain a lot of praise it did not grab me the same way -
BUT LOS LOBOS DO NOT MAKE BAD ALBUMS.
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