Customer Reviews

Corridos Of The Mexican Revolution

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A boxed set of 4 CDs for [so cheap]? We bought it figuring "It's bound to be terrible, but [it's inexpensive]" What we got was a rare gem. This wonderful collection includes recordings from as early as 1904 to as late as the '70's, but mostly from the '20's. A beautifully produced 178 page booklet includes historic photos, a capsule history of the Mexican revolution -- the earliest of the great social revolutions that characterized the last century -- as well as a history of the music and all the lyrics, in English & Spanish. If you are a serious fan of Mexican music, don't pass this one up. If you just kinda like Los Lobos or Linda Ronstadt's Mexican songs, get this set and discover where it all came from.

I have been looking for a cd of this category. I love to read about the Mexican Revolution. My grandfather and other relatives have filled our nights around the patio with stories and ballads such as the ones on this cd. Singing was not only a form of storytelling but a way of people finding out of what was going on in other parts of the Mexican territory in the times of Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata.

Soy un admirador de Pancho Villa y he tratado de leer todo lo referente a ese gran Revolucionario Mexicano. The Mexican Revolution, título de este magnífico álbum es realmente una joya en cuanto a la colección de canciones y corridos de la época de la revolución. Uno escucha de pronto a unos músicos auténticos de esa era, con el sabor incomparable de la gente de campo, de la gente que gusta de llevar por los pueblos los mensajes y hechos de los acontecimientos que extremecieron a todos los Mexicanos. Entre ellos los corridos de Pancho Villa, Felipe Angeles, Francisco I. Madero, Heracleo Bernal, etc. Realmente le damos 5 Estrellas y lo recomendamos ampliamente. Disfrutenlo escuchandolo y tomando una buena taza de café negro como se decía antes... pues.

This is the kind of collection that, really, only the folks at Arhoolie Records could put out. Drawing on label head Chris Strachwitz's vast library of Mexican music, this includes recordings that date back as far as 1904, and also collects post-revolution recordings over the decades. The style is the corrido, a form of folkloric/political ballad that can be propagandistic as well as historical. An entire CD's worth of songs are dedicated to the legend of the revolutionary leader, Francisco (Pancho) Villa, and others cover less prominent leaders and mythic figures. You might expect some of this stuff to be pretty dry, musically speaking, but actually it's quite nice -- Mexican and Mexican-American folk music at it's best. A 4-CD set may be more than the average listener can sit through, but then again... Arhoolie itself isn't necessarily for the average listener! Cool stuff.

I have long enjoyed all genres of Mexican music...from mariachi, to musica norteña, musica tejano, to rancheras, to musica sinoalense (or banda), to marimba, to just plain guitar duets/trios. I also enjoy the study of history, especially of the American Southwest and California where the Hispanic influence is especially strong. For some reason I've always been enchanted by the "hispanic mystique (which also includes the history and music of Spain)".

In ordering this CD, I wanted to hear as much as possible the uniquely authenic and melodic sounds of the music of the "Mexican Revolution" during the time it was created, during the period closest to the 1910-1916 revolution era. When I was a young boy growing-up in rural Kansas and parts of Texas, I recall hearing Mexican railroad workers playing their guitars and singing those beautiful old songs in the evenings. In this CD, I have been able to once again relive those wonderful nights. The mellow and beautifully-blended voices of the singers accompanied with the old Mexican gut-string guitars have an unique and especially beautiful sound, wonderfully characteristic of Mexico. The "play" on these old instruments between the sonorous high notes and the deeply resonant bass sounds are, indeed, music to my ears. Various arrangements also include accordions and conjunto/mariachis sounds. This CD is now among the most coveted of my possessions.

My granmother lived with luz Villa in Mexico during those days. As a child she would tell stories of those times and those men. Her father was also a General in the Divsion De Norte from the beginning to the end. She passed away in 1998 but the stories will live on. This box set is the stories all in one.When it was still fresh in there memories. If you have this you will not haver to buy any thing else.

Compré este album de mùsica de la Revolución Mexicana para un amigo que le encanta ese periódo historico y su musica.
Fué una selección muy acertada, le ha gustado muchísimo.

Great recopilation of corridos about the Mexican Revolution, old recordings brought back to life, including one from 1904, prior to the revolution. Excellent material for us at [...]

If you are a student of Mexican history, the first thing you need to know is that it does have a complete English/Spanish transcript. Amazon, why don't you tell us this? The translation to English is fairly competent, but many of the Mexican words are dialectical, with (competent, intentional) misspellings, and many words have no equivalents (you will not find maybe 20 to 30 words in any dictionary). If you love the idea of things new, this will give you some new, never-before imagined words. I suppose, for the non-perfectionist, this is a plus. Dull thing that I am, I have probably spent 20 hours reviewing the translation, history, and internal relationships in this album. I would not take anything for these CDs. Please, don't expect great music. These are very repetitive, musically, but very important, historically.