Acid [Original recording remastered]

Ray Barretto | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 14, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 1968
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Fania
• ASIN: B000EMGJXQ
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #232,942 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

RAY BARRETTO

Making the transition from the ghettos of New York Latin barrios to the heights of the music world requires enormous character. Such is the case of Ray Barretto. Never straying from his roots, he was a great admirer of swing, jam, jazz, and the genres' most noted figures, such as Dizzy Gillespie. He made these genres his own, standing out as a great vocalist. His career took on a new dimension in 1967, when he replaced Mongo Santamaría in the Tito Puente Orchestra, with whom he recorded his first album, "Dance Mania." The album's success would set the stage for his future professional career. Between 1968 and 1975, Barretto recorded a total of nine albums on the Fania label, a label which he helped to create. He was a sensitive artist, open to all musical currents and manifestations, which allowed him to experiment with the many different rhythms he infused with his unique style. The musical legacy of Ray Barretto included a Best Latin Album Grammy in 1989 for "Ritmo en el corazón," which he recorded with Celia Cruz. In 1990, he took a seat of honor in the Salon de Fama for International Latin Music. He was also honored with the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters award. These were the most prestigious of the many awards he won over the course of his career. With his death, his life may have ended, but his star shines on more brightly than ever in the musical heavens.

RAY BARRETTO

Del "ghetto" de los barrios latinos de la ciudad de Nueva York, a monopolizar un nombre famoso entre los grandes de la música requiere haber recorrido un largo camino. Este es el caso de Ray Barretto. Sin apartarse de sus raíces de origen, fue un gran admirador del "swing", "jam" y "jazz", y de sus más connotadas figuras como Dizzy Gillespie. Géneros que también hizo suyos destacándose como un excelente intérprete. Su carrera adquiere otra dimensión cuando en 1967, reemplaza a Mongo Santamaría en la orquesta del Maestro Tito Puente, con quien grabó su primer álbum "Dance Mania". El éxito que alcanzó esta producción, pautaría lo que sería su futura carrera profesional. Entre los años 1968 y 1975, Barretto grabó un total de nueve álbumes para el sello Fania del que fuera uno de sus miembros fundadores. Fue un artista sensible y abierto a todas las corrientes y manifestaciones musicales, lo que le permitió incursionar en los más variados ritmos a los que le imprimió su personalísimo sello. El legado musical de Ray Barretto incluye un premio Grammy en la categoría de "Música Latina Tropical" en 1989 por su producción, "Ritmo en el Corazón" que grabara con Celia Cruz. En 1990 pasó a ocupar un sitio de honor en el "Salón de la Fama de la Música Latina Internacional", y también, fue galardonado con el premio "Jazz Masters del National Endowment for the Arts". Ultimos reconocimientos de los tantos recibidos en su trayectoria profesional. Con su fallecimiento se apaga su vida, pero su estrella brilla en el firmamento musical con más intensidad que nunca.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars not acid, January 31, 2006

By 

Michael Blasi "blasiriver" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Acid! (Audio CD)

The editorial review is inaccurate. This is a compilation of tracks from different sources. Most of it is pretty good. These are the tracks from the original "Acid"album:

1. El Nuevo Barretto (Barretto) - 5:50
2. Mercy, Mercy, Baby (Barretto) - 2:44
3. Acid (Barretto) - 5:05
4. Deeper Shade of Soul (Barretto) - 2:46
5. Soul Drummers (Barretto) - 3:48
6. Sola Te Dejare (Barretto/Lopez) - 3:49
7. Teacher of Love (Barretto/Cruz) - 2:27
8. Espiritu Libre (Barretto) - 8:27

Espiritu Libre is my favorite from the original, and is missing from this compilation.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have for any serious music fan and melomaniac, November 11, 2007

By 

strangeitude - See all my reviews

This review is from: Acid (Audio CD)

Latin music has always been one of my lesser music interests, somekind of a cinderella, but let me tell you: if you want to start to get serious Latin music knowledge, this is one of the places to start, no doubt.
Not only you get excellent Salsa with conga and trumpet solos, but there's also some psychedelic flavor (but not too much) and experimentation, something that tells you that these guys where not mere latin performers, but also excellent musicians and 'travelers'.

And for non-spanish speakers, there are some songs in English too and instrumentals, a good thing that makes this music more reachable by more people and 'universal'.
One of the finest and best ever latin/salsa albums of all time. If you want to explore further latin stuff check out Richie Ray's 'Jala Jala & Boogaloo' and Willie Colon's 'Cosa Nuestra'.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Latin music time capsule record if there ever was one., August 10, 2009

By 

Justo Roteta (Los Angeles, California United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Acid (Audio CD)

Ray Barretto's "Acid" was his first Fania release and a career-changing record for Ray. While nowhere near as essential as albums like "The Message", "Together", "Barretto Power", "Indestructible" or "Rican/Struction" this CD was a huge success upon its release and worth getting. Of course, the Adalberto Santiago-fronted classic hit "Sola Te Dejare" but Latin-Funk and R&B-influenced tracks like "El Nuevo Barretto", "Teacher Of Love" , "The Soul Drummers" and "Espiritu Libre" are all throwbacks to an era in which traditional Afro-Latin music, Jazz and R&B influences melded in New York City to create a unique and previously-unheard-of urban sound. In short, "Acid" is a late-1960s time capsule album which thoroughly deserved its success.