Customer Reviews

Comedia

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is Lavoe in top form! His signature tune "El Cantante" is here. Produced by Willie Colon!!!
This remastered edition, although a bit better than the old Fania cd pressing lacks depth and detail. If you have a turntable look around for the Fania LP. No type of remastering will duplicate the sound of a LP.
And another thing--one of the pictures in the tray card is actually not Hector. It seems to be Ray Barretto.

Now I didn't give this CD 5 stars due to the lack of close perfection, as opposed to the others, but I definitely love it and play it hard when diving into Hector's music. This album expands his talent to the audience and allows us to see less commercial tunes that take us back to chillin' on the stoop in Spanish Harlem and hearing some good tunes. If you're not a huge Hector fan or lack the albums, I suggest Hector's Gold, or the Live album, only to feel what we fell in love with and hear him in his most famous tunes. Once you feel it, grab this and listen to the different array of tunes. Blades' "El Cantante", original studio recording, is here, as well as "Porque te Conoci". One of my favorite tunes, "Songorocosongo", is a must to hear some hard conga sounds, as well as "Comedia". "Tiempos Pasados" is romantic, and Bandolera runs through the blood. I wouldn't call this a dance album, but rather one that lets me sit back on a weekend and enjoy El Cantante himself.

Let's get this out of the way from Jump Street: great music. But this is the 2nd of the "new" Fania reissues that I've heard that sound, well, crappy. Fired up by seeing the movie "El Cantante" (the Acadamy Award is safe but if you dig salsa, I think it's worth your time) my girlfriend and I went out and made a couple purchases. I got Comedia, since I lived with the old LP when it came out and she got the just-issued CD of Lavoe's originals performed in the movie. El Cantante sounds just slightly better on her disc but on both of them there's a miniscule drop-out at about 4:45. And they sound muffled, like the early days of Dolby. So maybe they're just working from masters in poor shape. But when I think of some of the jazz & blues reissues from waaay back that sound so darn good, can't help but wonder if corners were cut. Musically, the album is so lush that it's almost listening rather than dancing salsa, although there's some cookers on here. Interesting samba influence on a couple of cuts. I think I hear Salvador Cuevas on bass and Oscar Hernandez on piano, but I can't say for sure since there's no musician listing on this "new deluxe remastered edition". Hector's phrasing is wonderful and since he always was nasal, can't really say that all that cocaine was a problem here.

If you like Marc Anthony's version of the music on this album you don't know Salsa. This is the real deal. If you think Marc sounds the same, you don't know music. If you wanna learn why Hector was so big to us back then, buy this album then you'll get it. If you don't agree, all I can say is Grasshopper...you gotta lot to learn. Dig it cocolos, this swings!

This is "La Voz" in his later years but still con mucho sabor. You get a little of everything on this album. From very poetic and stylistic boleros like "Comedia" and "Porque Te Conocí?" to swinging, true to salsa songs like "Songorocosongo", "La Verdad" and the samba-tinged "Tiempos Pasados". As if that weren't enough, you have Lavoe's classic, classic song "El Cantante", written Ruben Blades. 10 minutes of why Hector Lavoe IS El Cantante de los cantantes. To finish off the set, you have another true to salsa number entitled "Bandolera". Pianist Gilberto 'Pulpo' Colon, Jr. takes a tremendous, extended piano solo on this one and, as always, Hector is soñando with mastery.

This album has everything you need all in one package. Hector Lavoe should be named El Sonero Mayor and not Ismael Rivera (Perdoname, Maelo).

This 1978 blockbuster / million-seller was the next hit for Hector LaVoe and Fania records alike. The original version of "El Cantante" (penned by Ruben Blades) is nearly 11 minutes of the greatest salsa / funk to please the salsero in all or any of us. A truly immortal classic! Don't get me wrong, the rest of the album is just as good as the smash that blew up Latin radio stations, discotheques and house parties everywhere! In my time, no matter where I went, everybody had this album for the tremendous force it bore. Although LaVoe had to deal with demons (like the accidental death of his son, drug addiction and death from AIDS), it didn't mean that he was not a brilliant sonero (singer). "Bandolera" was the next follow-up hit (dig the piano solo by Gilberto "Pulpo" Colon), along with, to end the album "Songoro Cosongo" (penned by the late Rafael Cortijo, done first on one of his albums for Coco Records "Caballo De Hierro", now reissued with Musical Productions). If you thought "De Ti Depende" was good, one hit from this recording and you will say this was definitely one of LaVoe's greatest. Along with the aforementioned (recommended), he was and always will be La Voz! Also recommended is Gilberto Colon's "Pulpo's Hot Bread".

I recently moved from NJ to VA so I gave away all my old "33's Long Play Albums" which included this one: "Comedia". After reminiscing on how much I enjoyed listening to the hauntingly beautiful voice of Hector LaVoe I decided to buy the CD. If something is truly outstanding you go back for seconds.


Howard B