East L.A.: Rockin' The Barrio

Various Artists (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 30, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Varese Fontana
• ASIN: B000AMJE3C
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #308,520 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Land Of 1000 Dances (Naa, Na, Na, Na, Naa) • Cannibal And The Headhunters

2. Rainbow Stomp (Pt. 1) • The Mixtures

3. Remember The Night • The Atlantics

4. This Is The Night • Larry Tamblyn

5. Strange World • The Majestics

6. Don’t Let Her Go • The Romancers

7. Evil Ways • The Village Callers

8. The Return Of Farmer John • The Salas Brothers with The Jaguars

9. Where Lovers Go • The Jaguars (instrumental)

10. Darling (Please Bring Your Love) • Phil and Harv with The Mixtures

11. Leaving You • The Salas Brothers

12. Take My Heart • The Romancers

13. Farmer John • The Premiers

14. La La La La La • The Blendells

15. Follow The Music • Cannibal and The Headhunters

16. Hector (Pt. 1) • Village Callers (instrumental)

17. Poquito Soul • One G Plus 3 (instrumental)

18. Brown Baby • Willie G

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rock 'n' soul gold from mid-60s East L.A., October 22, 2005

By 

hyperbolium (Earth, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: East L.A.: Rockin' The Barrio (Audio CD)

Throughout the 1960s there were regional scenes throughout the USA that occasionally lobbed indie recordings onto the charts. But more importantly, the artists in these locales combined national influences with unique local twists to create original sounds. One of the more identifiable such pockets of artistry was barrio of mid-60s East Los Angeles. The national hits included Cannibal & The Headhunters reworking of Chris Kenner's "Land of 1000 Dances" (later reworked to even greater chart success by Wilson Pickett) and the garage-rock classic "Farmer John" by the Premiers, but the non-charting local radio spins and club favorites were just as good.

This music explosion wasn't the first time that California Hispanics rocked the charts, as Ritchie Valens had scored big in the late '50s, and Chris Montez struck with "Let's Dance." But the mid-60s version had a new style, a second-generation combination of '50s doo-wop and '60s soul that would have a lasting impact on bands like Santana, War and others. Varese's generous selection of eighteen tracks (all from the legendary Rampart label) includes doo-wop ("Remember the Night" "This is the Night" "Darling (Please Bring Your Love)"), foot-stomping dance tunes ("Rainbow Stomp" "Don't Let Her Go" "La La La La La"), soul ("Strange World" "Follow the Music" "Hector (Pt. 1)"), garage ("Farmer John," in a stereo mix that takes you right on the frat party dance floor), instrumentals ("Where Lovers Go" "Poquito Soul"), and British Invasion influenced rock ("Take My Heart").

The swinging beats, powerful vocals, and call-and-response lyrics underline these songs construction for the East Side's many clubs. Today, they rekindle the sort of excitement that Los Angelinos must have felt when heading out for a Saturday night of dancing. Varese's rounded up stereo masters for tracks 13 and 16-18, but the mono sides pack the requisite AM radio punch. [©2005 hyperbolium dot com]

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Note From The Producer, September 22, 2005

By 

Cary E. Mansfield (Studio City, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: East L.A.: Rockin' The Barrio (Audio CD)

East L.A. highlights some of the best and most exciting music ever released from the very successful Motown-influenced East L.A.-based Rampart Records - dedicated almost exclusively to the development of Mexican-American talent from Southern California and East Los Angeles. Highlights include the hits "Land Of 1000 Dances" by Cannibal And The Headhunters, "Farmer John" by The Premiers, "La La La La La" by The Blendells, and "Hector" by The Village Callers.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars condensed version, January 6, 2009

By 

Herbert Emmett (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: East L.A.: Rockin' The Barrio (Audio CD)

Great stuff, but I believe this is a single-disc compilation of the 4-CD West Coast East Side Sound series that came out in 1999. If you're a real fanatic about this stuff - like me - you're gonna want all four CDs. Too much great stuff is left off this one disc. They're out of print but they're all still listed here on Amazon.