Customer Reviews

Camaron de la Isla Con la Colaboracion Especial de Paco de Lucia - Al verte las flores lloran

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If you don't know who Camarón and Paco are, it will have to suffice to say that they are (or were, in Camarón's case), by universal consensus the greatest flamenco singer and guitarist of the last fifty years.

However, their recording history, confusing enough even at the beginning, is now so complex that I think it worthwhile to include a short guide as to where the present album fits in.

They started recording together in 1969, when Paco was barely into his twenties and Camarón even younger; the collaboration revolutionised both their chosen fields, and changed the course of Flamenco forever.

Unbelievably, their first five records together were ALL entitled "El Camarón de la Isla con la colaboración especial de Paco de Lucía". For this reason, they are known to aficonados by the titles of their opening tracks, as follows:

1969 Al verte las flores lloran
1970 Cada vez que nos miramos
1971 Son tus ojos dos estrellas
1972 Canastera*
1973 Caminito de Totana

They also recorded four further albums within the traditional framework, before abandoning it for the experiments with rock, bossa nova, orchestras etc. that resulted in the Flamenco Fusion we know today. These albums are:

1974 Soy Caminante
1975 Arte y Majestad
1976 Rosa María
1977 Castillo de Arena

All of the above adhere strictly to the traditional format, which is to say just voice and guitar, plus the usual rhythmic and other support known as jaleo. Frequently Paco's brother Ramón (a fine player in his own right) is heard on second guitar.

I am not alone in thinking that these albums are some of the finest Flamenco ever recorded; musically, you can't go wrong with any of them.

They are, however, short by CD standards. Only the present album is over 40 minutes, and "Castillo de Arena" is just over 31. But If you're serious about Flamenco, it's still worth getting all of them instead of the various anthologies.

The title track of the present album is a driving bulería, with Ramón on second guitar. The soleá and the siguiriya are alone enough to show that Camarón was a master of traditional material, before he started doing his own thing. Paco's accompaniments, the virtuosity always under strict control, are models of what such things should be.

I could go on, but you get the idea...

The contents are as follows:

01) Bulerías «Al verte las flores lloran»
02) Tientos «Que un toro bravo en du muerte»
03) Siguiriyas «Si acaso muero»
04) Fandangos «En una piedra me acoste»
05) Bulerías por soleá «Anda y no presumas más»
06) Tarantas «Camina y dime»
07) Tangos «Detras del tuyo se va»
08) Soleares «Y tu no me respondias»
09) Fandangos de Huelva «Llorando me lo pedía»
10) Bulerías «Una estrella chiquitita»
11) Fandangos «Con la varita en la mano»
12) Alegrías «Barrio de Santa María»

*Canastera is in fact so labelled on some copies. Also, I'm noticing that some CD reissues have the more useful titles.

This is possibly the first CD that de Lucia and Camaron recorded together. Although they were both very young (19-21) at the time, they show a great deal of artistic expression and technical virtuosity. This is unadulterated, absolutely pure flamenco. Highly intense and emotional - a must have for the lover of traditional flamenco.

The first reviewer's overview of the entire output of Camarón de la Isla and Paco de Lucia is excellent and I have little to add. This early recording was when the artists were young (look at the photograph on the album!) and still rooted in the traditions. de Lucia's radical jazzy and popular innovations would come later. Even so, these recordings were regarded at the time as evolutionary. They already were taking flamenco into modernity. The remastering makes the album sound newly minted. As for the performances, few would contest their greatness. This is powerful stuff. Brilliant guitar work, passionate vocals. It is any wonder why in all the traditional restaurants and flamenco clubs I visited in Andalusia there is a photograph or painting of Camarón in place of honor? It is a pity that the album is so short in duration. A double album or a multi-disc set would make better sense. Instead, we must set our player for "replay" so that we can listen further and deeper and enjoy some of the best flamenco you can find. It is brujo, magic.