It has been over 25 years since modern music’s most popular “Mexican" group, Los Lobos, formed in East Los Angeles in 1973. A coming-together of four schoolboy friends, David Hidalgo, Cesar Rosas, Louie Perez and Conread Lozano, the group played with common influences at the time (the Beatles, the Rolling Stones) before evolving into their own, distinct, Tex-Mex style.
Best known for their rendition of “La Bamba" on the 80’s movie of the same name, Los Lobos originally called themselves “Los Lobos del Este Los Angeles" (the Wolves of Los Angeles). The band was a local favourite before making waves on the wider music scene with a new, shorter name – Los Lobos. Mixing rock’n’roll, R&B and blues tunes Los Lobos were a refreshing band in a time which saw many up-and-comers playing the same tunes their hero’s spouted out, with little variance.
Del Este De Los Angeles was the band’s self-titled debut and has been recently re-issued by Hollywood Records. Packaged to resemble its original state, the back of the CD keeps it’s “side one" and “side two" graphic design, sure to please vinyl-lovers who grudgingly made the “switch" to the digital age.
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Consisting of twelve traditional songs, Del Este De Los Angeles brings the listener to a place unknown in the clutter of the modern music world. A feeling of lying in the sun, or slow, soulful dancing is evoked by many of the tunes, all of which are sung in Los Lobos’ native Spanish.
Del Este De Los Angeles is a welcome release to fans of folk and old-time rock and roll. Listeners tired of canned Top 40 releases can only hope younger bands accept these older tunes as they should be – masterpieces of a day of yore.
By Erin Boyle, CanEHdian.com
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