Customer Reviews

How Will the Wolf Survive

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I became aware of Los Lobos during the early 1980s with the release of their EP "...And a Time To Dance" and made sure I saw them live when they were doing the promotional tour for this album. They have since become a national act but How Will The Wolf Survives stands as one of the most enduring albums of its day. With the airwaves awash in glamrock and corporate-rock powerhouse groups, Los Lobos was a breath of fresh air. Its infectious mix of hard-driving roots rock, country, and blues judiciously tinged with the pulsing accordion of David Hidalgo provided an antidote to the stale pap being cranked out in the top-40 and AOR formats. My favorites are the irresistable Don't Worry Baby, I Got Loaded, the country-ish Our Last Night and, arguably the best song on the album, the accordion-driven The Breakdown. I think the title cut and the two Norteno songs are mediocre but the quality of the rest of the music gives it the five stars. How Will the Wolf Survive stands as the best mostly English-language album issued by Los Lobos. It is a landmark album that has yet to be matched by any of the band's subsequent releases except for the fabulous La Pistola y El Corazon. If your tastes run to the eclectic with a strong leaning toward the southwest, then this comes highly recommended. And by the way, the accordion is an important component of the music, so if you don't like accordions, you are not going to like this.

This terrific mid-80s release is a great place to start if you have not sampled the work of Los Lobos, one of this country's most essential bands. From traditional Mexican folk music to straight-ahead rockers, to outright country the band sounds fresh and free of musical preconceptions.

One of the attractions of "How Will the Wolf Survive" is that it keeps the listener pleasantly off balance throughout. In the first three cuts, for example, they deliver a steaming rocker ("Don't Worry Baby"), a poigant but topical ballad on the hopes and dreams of migrant workers ("Matter of Time") and the Hispanic roots piece "Corrido #1."

Los Lobos pulls off this musical diversity because whatever the play, they remain true to the spirit of the tune. For example, when they take on the C&W tune "Our Last Night," they take you back to the honkey tonk, but they are not mocking the song.

Best of all, the band just sounds like they are having a great time playing. Listen to the sly rocker "The Breakdown" (complete with accordian breaks) and the drinking tune "I Got Loaded" for examples of their exuberant tone and attitude.

Los Lobos continues to this day to show that when you remain open to the musical sources and ideas, you never lack for inspiration. Messrs. Hidalgo, Rosas and company deserve a big round of applause for the tasty smorgasbord they offer up on "How Will the Wolf Survive?"

This is the album for a new listener to start with as an introduction to Los Lobos. Los Lobos' music blends blues, zydeco, rock, & norteno into a rich melting pot of sounds! This album doesn't mess around - it roars off with the bluesy "Don't Worry Baby." Cesar Rosas powers it with strong vocals & guitar riffs! It also has beautiful ballads by David Hidalgo such as "A Matter of Time." The soft & stringly "Lil King of Everything" leads into their great classic "Will The Wolf Survive." Los Lobos' music has something for everybody! Since it's release in 1984, this albums remains one of my top favorites! I highly recommend it!

There is absolutely nothing mediocre or ridiculous about this album ! In fact, it's simply a feel good party album ( meant to be taken with a grain of salt and depending on the type of party) with some rather interesting nostalgic value. The Lobos are exceptionally multi-faceted in jumping from one genre to the next on the same album: Mex-Tex,Cajun, retro-50's pop rock. As for the accordion being intrusive...what do you expect ? The accordion is an integral part to some of the styles covered ! Do all of the tracks blend well ? About as well as the ingredients used to make a margarita in a blender ! Yet, the album seems to contain their trademark sound with great musical continuity.

So what if How Will the Wolf Survive? was not a top 40 pop chart busting, commercialized schlock of an album. It may not be the best album put out by Los Lobos (to appreciate their intensity and diversity one needs to purchase their hits package Just Another Band From East L.A.).

Listen to this album with even a small ounce of an open mind and some diverse cultural knowledge; Let the music do the rest !

HOW WILL THE WOLF SURIVE? is the full length debut by LOS LOBOS and boy did they hit the mark here. This album has a full range of music which helps to showcase the bands amazing talents. DONT WORRY BABY and I GOT LOADED have that R&B, slightly bluesy sound to them that makes these some rocking songs. CORRIDO #1 and SERENATA NORTENA have that Tex-Mex rhythms to them that help to showcase the bands Mexican roots. I also suggest that you give a listen to A MATTER OF TIME, WILL THE WOLF SURVIE?, OUR LAST NIGHT, and THE BREAKDOWN. I am really hard pressed to find any weak spots on this album. This is a truly amazing debut album for any type of band, and LOS LOBOS has continued to this day to make great music, which might not sound like what is popular at anytime, but it blows everything else out of the water. I highly suggest to any serious music fan to buy this album. I dont think you will be disappointed, I wasnt. I also recommend that you pick up GOOD MORNING AZTLAN, and THIS TIME. PEACE ESE!!

I had forgotten how much I used to enjoy music like this. The music on this album embodies all that is good about Rock and Roll - music that gives you that primal "get up and strut" feeling while at the same time providing lyrics that are socially meaningful. From the "cock o the walk" feeling of "I Got Loaded" to the biting lyrics of "Will the Wolf Survive" this album remains one of Los Lobos's best and it sounds as good today as it did when it first came out.

I bought this on vinyl in 1985 and it was an instant classic , one of the best albums i'd ever heard.That slab of plastic soon wore out and i've bought it again three times on CD ( friends who loved it got two of them as gifts ).The reason i'm writing this however is to appeal to whoever owns the rights to get this superb album re -released. It's a disgrace that such a brilliant classic has not been Remastered and put out with new sleevenotes , extra tracks etc and given the respect that so many inferior releases by other artists seem to get. Someone sort it out and let this wondrous release have a new lease of life , please !

Every so often a band makes its presence known in a way that forever changes the musical landscape. Los Lobos is such a band, and "How Will the Wolf Survive?" is the album that helped transform American roots music. Following the amazing success of Little Feat's "Waiting for Columbus", The Blasters, Fabulous Thunderbirds and Los Lobos almost single handedly created the "new" American music. This blues based, danceable, ryhthm genre had always been around in one form or another, but now Norteno, Cohunto and more traditional Mexican folk sounds were being mixed in to this heady gumbo to create something entirely unique. The variety and texture to the songs on "How Will the Wolf Survive?" are incredible in their simplicity and delightful to the ear. There may be many reasons why this music sounds so good and true, but adding Steve Berlin and T-Bone Burnett would have to be of primary importance. David Hidalgo, along with the rest of this multi-talented group pushed the listening public to new appreciation of roots music and laid the groundwork for revolutionary works like "Kiko" and solidified Los Lobos as an important American band. All their records are highly recommended.

I discovered Los Lobos when I borrowed this album from the library years ago. "will the Wolf Survive" is unforgettable.

I guess one of the main reasons you're reading the reviews is to try and gauge whether or not to buy the album so I'll try make this as brief as possible. THIS IS ONE OF THE GREATEST ALBUMS EVER MADE. Los Lobos cover many different styles with total excellence. The opener Don't Worry Baby is still probably my favourite Los Lobos track but the rest of the songs are magnificent and brilliantly played. Take the opening to Evangeline and the sax solo on the fantastic I Got Loaded - just great music. Buy this you will never regret it.