Customer Reviews

By The Light Of The Moon

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
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One of my favourite albums of all time. Each & every track is very different & each one speaks volumes. The diversity is nearly overwhelming, but what is more surprising is how Los Lobos have mastered these musical styles as if they were born playing them. The songs, arrangements, performances & lyrics are all exceptional. Peaks for me are the intro to "All I Wanted To Do Was Dance" and the middle 8 of "River Of Fools".

I think this is far and away their best. Their songwriting has never been better. In fact, I've been a little disappointed with each subsequent recording because they're never quite as good as "By the Light of the Moon"

Like a previous reviewer, I'm totally knocked out by the intro to "One Time One Night" which opens the CD. It has a great feeling--always makes me want to dance.

One of Los Lobo's strengths is its ability to take a variety of musical styles and influences and turn them into their own unique music. "By the Light of the Moon" exemplifies this strength. Great songs, fine musicians, great music!

Mixing a bit of Tex-Mex with that Old-Time Rock & Roll, Los Lobos keep you tapping your toes, singing along or getting out of your chair to dance. Even the potentially somber "Is This All There Is" is a real sing-along cheerful number. "Shakin' Shakin' Shakes" delivers exactly what the title promises. "All I Wanted to Do Was Dance" moves you to do just that, dance with the guys. "The Hardest Time," nominally a sad ballad, is a tuneful cut that'll get your fingers moving. You'd expect a song called "Tears of God" to be mournful, but you'll find yourself humming harmonies along with its optimistic energy. When they sing "My Baby's Gone," an up-tempo blues, they sound HAPPY about it! In fact, that's the main thing about this whole album: it's got a HAPPY mood. Not a downer on it. There aren't many albums that are just plain good-time music, fun to listen to. This is one of them. These guys are enjoying themselves, and it's infectious. I love it.

Los Lobo's "By The Light of the Moon" was my first exposure to the band, and I've been hooked ever since. I'm often mystified by the critics' dismissal of the ballads; perhaps I'm just a mushy sentimentalist. The guitar intro for "One Time One Night" is one of my very favorite instrumental lines. Yes, the lyrics are dark, but the subject is serious, and the music is uplifting. Less experimental than their other efforts, "By the Light of the Moon" is excellent nevertheless. Who wants to be the critics' darling, anyway?

This was my first 'LOBOS' album. When I was growing up my musical influences ran the gamut of 50 styles rock, Top 40 and Tex Mex here is a band that has it all on one album. Isn't that a cool cover?BEST SELECTIONSONE TIME ONE NIGHT, SET ME FREE, MY BABYS GONE, SHAKIN SHAKIN SHAKES, IS THIS ALL THERE IS? ALL I WANTED TO DO WAS DANCE AND PRENDA DEL ALMA

I am listening to "BY THE LIGHT OF THE MOON" right now.This CD is probably my favorite by Los Lobos.What a great band they are!I'm not gonna go through their songs one by one.I'm just gonna tell people they will not be disappointed in any CD by Los Lobos.I don't listen to words very much.Just the music.And the music is awesome!

I always thought Los Lobos peaked relatively early with Kiko, but after a binge of relistening, I now believe the even earlier "By the Light of the Moon" is their true masterpiece. It's beautiful, it's funny, it rocks, it makes you cry. The guitar work on the cinematic numbers "One Time One Night" and "Tears of God" is exquisite. They give us tight-rocking blues in songs like "Shakin' Shakin' Shakes" and "Set Me Free Rosa Lee." This album exudes the confidence of a band with nothing to prove, no hipster rock critics to placate, a clear sense of its identity as a unique melder of Latino, rock, blues and folk sounds. The lyrics are miniature portraits that expand in the mind to represent America in microcosm. As Los Lobos progressed, they continued and continue to make great music, but I think "Kiko" made them self-conscious, made them strive for sounds and meanings that sometimes eluded them. But on "By the Light of the Moon," Los Lobos lets the music come to them. That's why it endures.

This album came out right before "La Bamba" made Los Lobos a household name briefly in 1987. Unfortunately, in all the hubbub over that #1 song, their album got lost along the way, and underperformed commercially. Thus, many people missed a brilliant album with no weak spots anywhere. I have had this cassette since 1987, and am patiently waiting for the band to have Rhino remaster their first few albums. The originals sound pretty good still, but hearing amazing songs like "River of Fools" and "One Time One Night" in glorious Rhinophonic sound would be to die for. For those who want to get this now, find a used CD copy at your local store and hear the sound of a band that has few rivals in American music history.

The band masters several musical styles, touching soul, raw, gripping rhythm and blues and mexican folk songs, and mixes it all into a unique, distinguisable sound. The best songs are touching, describing the world from a romaticized blue-collar perspective. David Hidalgo's voice goes straight to the heart.

BY THE LIGHT OF THE MOON by LOS LOBOS is another gem that this group has turned out. LOS LOBOS are a great band that has the ability to combine all of their musical influences together and make great sounding songs. PRENDA DEL ALMA shows the band digging into their Mexican heritage and belting out a traditional song, which is just a beautiful song. This album is a good rocking song that has some standout tunes on it. Listen to the songs ONE TIME ONE NIGHT, SHAKIN SHAKIN SHAKES, ALL I WANTED TO DO WAS DANCE, ROSA LEE(SET ME FREE), THE HARDEST TIME, RIVER OF FOOLS, THE MESS WE'RE IN, and TEARS OF GOD. Actually every song on the album is good, I cant think of any low points. All of the songs have some killer melodies to them and I think that you will enjoy this album. PEACE, ESE