Search - Pete Rodriguez :: La Herencia [Remastered Compilation]

A COMPILATION! AVOID! Buy Pete 'Conde's' original albums ins

S. | 07/16/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"La Herencia is a series of compilation "collection" cd's that the new owners of FANIA, Emusica have decided to do (as if we didn't have enough compilations around in this world!) There's ALREADY the compilation albums that the original FANIA owners of the time use to do back in the early 70's - 80's, the other compilation series that Emusica are now doing, (including these 'La Herencia' ones) + another infinity of compilation Cd's that the last FANIA owners of the 90's (SONIDO) ALSO did!...



Anyway, focusing on the material of this compilation, the songs here were easier to select because Pete 'Conde's' discography as a soloist was not THAT big, (he did 6 albums for the FANIA label between 1974 - 1990 EXCLUDING the albums that he did with Johnny Pacheco, and some of the songs that he singed in some of the Fania All Stars albums).





The first song from this Cd, Alto Songo comes from the third EVER Fania release titled: PACHECO AT THE N.Y. WORLD'S FAIR (recorded: 1965. Original Catalogue Number: SLP-327). Stylistically, there were so many other songs that were more in Pete 'Conde's' singing style than this one which got selected for this Cd (but, it's still not a bad version of that song by any means...)



2. The SUPER-CLASSIC Pacheco & 'El Conde' HUGE HIT La Eséncia Del Guaguancó (from Catalino 'Tite' Curet Alonso) is an ESSENTIAL song for this Cd, not to be missed out at all. It comes from the album: JOHNNY PACHECO CON PETE CONDE RODRIGUEZ LA PERFECTA COMBINACION (recorded: 1969) which is a VERY NICE album to listen to, which also yielded 2 other BIG HITS (Sonero from Cheo Marquetti, and Shalom Malecum from Justi Barreto). [Remastered version not available YET, G-E-T I-T WHEN AVAILABLE!].



The song 3.Dulce Con Dulce (from Julio César Fonséca) comes from their 1970 follow up PACHECO Y EL CONDE LOS COMPADRES (now available remastered). They selected from that album the biggest hit as well, and the album doesn't have one single song that is not good. I do recommend it, it's very nicely made in the Típico Cuban conjunto format and it's consistent, although the sound could've been a little bit better in my opinion, but it's still not a big issue either, it's MORE than listenable enough!



The AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL AND GREAT SONG 4.Primoróso Cantar (from Curet Alonso) comes from THE ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL Pacheco and El Conde album titled: TRES DE CAFE Y DOS DE AZUCAR (from 1973).

The album is EXCELLENT, and a MUST HAVE! (It's NOW available remastered! G-E-T I-T! [I've also reviewed it.])



5.El Conde Negro and 6.Fiesta En El Cielo (a Bolero [Ballad]) are 2 songs from his first album as a soloist from 1974: EL CONDE PETE RODRIGUEZ that could have been avoided. Babaíla is MY favorite tune from that album and 2 other contenders could have been the album's opener Los Compadres or Un Toque Pa' Yambao.

EL CONDE PETE RODRIGUEZ is a fine album that is worth being added to your LISTENING 'collection'. (Remastered version now available).



The MIGHTY FAMOUS BIG HITS 7.Catalina La O and 8.Pueblo Latino are 2 EXCEPTIONAL songs from his MARVELOUS: PETE CONDE ESTE NEGRO SI ES SABROSO album (from 1976)! G-E-T T-H-A-T A-T A-L-L C-O-S-TS!

(I'M STILL WONDERING WHY ON EARTH V2 MUSIC DIDN'T REMAKE A UK VERSION OF THAT ALBUM AT THE COST OF HAVING REMADE MOST OF THE ALBUMS THAT THEY HAVE!...)

Anyway, the other song from that same album is 9.Guaguancó De Amor (which is also the 9th and last one from the original album).

It's another very good song that could STILL have EASILY been replaced by ANY other song from that album, SO MUCH that it is good!...

2 BIG contenders from that album for me would have been: Sentimiento and Tumbakutún. (Remastered version now available; I've also reviewed it!).



10.Mi Bongó Antillano (which funnily contains a Conga solo instead of a Bongo solo) and 11.Que Rico Pa' Bailar are 2 EXCEPTIONAL songs from his follow up from 1977 PETE CONDE RODRIGUEZ A TOUCH OF CLASS (not available remastered yet) BUT make sure you GET IT when available! IT'S A MUST HAVE!



12.Soy La Ley and 13.Recuerdos De La Escuela are 2 very nice songs from his 1979 album Pete "El Conde" Rodríguez Soy La Ley.

It is ANOTHER album that I highly recommend from Pete 'Conde'!

(It's also available remastered now).



14.Pastorcíllo comes from his 1982 album FIESTA CON EL CONDE which I got the chance to hear once, and it didn't quite convince enough, so I'm not sure there, I should hear it again one day. (Not available remastered yet)





Finally 15.Encántigo which comes from the 1980 album FANIA ALL STARS COMMITMENT which is a pretty good "SINGER'S" album (now available remastered) is the final song from this compilation Cd.

To be honnest, the song is good and very lively, but it isn't more Pete Conde's than it is Celia Cruz's (as they are both on a duet in this song, and they share the vocals very equally between the two, taking turns).

Therefore, I would have selected instead what is for me the best song from his last 1990 album Pete "El Conde" Rodríguez "El Rey". The Song I'm talking about here is (Junior Cepeda's) La Rumba Es Mía; it's the most exciting song from that album which is a prettier album in style and a little bit more romantic... (That one is also available remastered now, and is worth considering if you like your music a bit slower and less rhythmical; but no album from Pete Conde Rodríguez beats ESTE NEGRO SI ES SABROSO!...)

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