Customer Reviews

Mexico and Mariachis: Music From and Inspired by Robert Rodriguez's El Mariachi Trilogy

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
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I bought this CD on the strength of my knowledge of some of the musicians hoping to find a sleeper. And I did! The problem for the record company is how to get music stores to put it where it will be found by the "right" people, that is those with an adventurous taste in music who are not afraid to cross over into music sung in a language other than English. Waterloo Records in Austin long ago figured out how to reach that type of listener and so this is a hot seller in Austin. But what about the rest of the US?
It would surely be a mistake to put this in the mariachi section. Not that no one looks for mariachi records, but that strict mariachi aficionados would likely not accept this as representative of the genre. Mexico and Mariachis contains not much "mariachi" at all, but it does offer the listener a splendid array of tunes that range from rock to cumbia, with a few songs in English even thrown in!
I like the whole CD, but my favorites are Chingon's rendition of Malaguena Salerosa, the magnificent ballad Alacran y Pistolero featuring Tito Larriva, the Crusados' Flor de Mal, the Iguanas' excellent cumbia Por Mi Camino, Del Castillo's Spanish Castle Tango, and Los Lobos with the old standard Volver, Volver.
There is truly a lot of great musicianship here. Don't be put off by the title if your idea of mariachi conjures up images of guys who serenade the tables in touristic Mexican restaurants. Its not like that and neither is the music anything like the traditional style of Vicente Fernandez. Think in terms of this music being to mariachi as the nuevo tango of Astor Piazzolla is to the guardia vieja...then crank it up and enjoy!

Learning that this album existed was one of the most pleasant suprises of my entire life. "Mexico and Mariachis" is a compilation album of new, unreleased tracks inspired from Robert Rodriguez's phenomenal Mariachi film trilogy. As the liner notes written by Rodriguez confirm, these songs are meant to tie up loose ends and give a clearer perspective on the Mariachi films, and really stresses how important music is to the El Mariachi character. "Cancion Del Mariachi" and "Torquay" are tracks we've heard on other Rodriguez soundtracks, but everything else is all brand new and very appropriate. If you're a Mariachi trilogy fan, buy this for no other reason but to hear "Malaguena Salerosa" and "Alacran Y Pistolero", the complete and previously unheard Mariachi title tracks that are absolutely incredible. Tito Larriva's accoustic "Back to the house that love built" is absolutely fantastic, and the previously unreleased, complete opening credit theme from Once Upon A Time In Mexico is awesome. If you're a fan of the films, or absolutely loved the Desperado soundtrack, do NOT pass this album up. This is an incredible gift from Robert for us Mariachi fans out there.

I came across this album after watching Kill Bill V2. The song that starts just prior to the closing credits (and continues through the credits) is Malagueña Salerosa and I just had to know more about this song. As a result, I discovered this CD. As it turns out, Robert Rodriguez did the score for Kill Bill V2 and I subsequently have come to discover what a creative talent this man is. I heartily recommend the book "Rebel without a Crew," which I recently read. It is Robert's story behind making El Mariachi (I have also posted a review of that book).

Anyway, the CD is fabulous. I don't know Mariachi music all that well, but this seems to me to be more a fusion of Mariachi with some rock flavors. I have played this CD many many times in succession and there are some absolute gems in here.

When I ordered this from Amazon, I was unaware a DVD bonus was included with the CD. This has some nice live footage and an "interview" with Robert. The interview is in quotes because it is basically Robert setting up a camera in his home studio at 4 a.m. and filming himself. What a treat!

I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

I am not new to Mariachi, but the classics can't really hold my attention like the songs on this cd. This cd is a breath of fresh air to new sounds ands songs which will attract new listeners to the Sounds of Mexico.
If you love Mariachi or Mexican music, you will truly love This cd.

This is a good compilation. If you're looking for the song that Antonio Banderas plays to the kid in Desperado, this has the full version. Mostly good songs, but a few that aren't amazing. There's a few songs that supposedly inspired the story, but really aren't near as good as the rest. If you like the "epic mexican spaghetti western" sound of Rodriguez's stuff then this is good to have. And I think some of it is previously unreleased, so if you've got all the other soundtracks, this should be next on the list. Good stuff for a Rodriguez fan, or even just someone that's into the unique style.

It is so wonderful to see the continuation of Chicano/Mexicano cultural production that exclaims to the World, we are still here. The songs performed are reminiscence of the Mexican classical masters of the past, i.e. Cuco Sanchez, Migel Mejia, and Jose Alfredo Jimenez. All the Musicians on this album are superb and accomplished musicians. If you love Mariachi or Mexican music, you will truly love This album.

If you liked the Mariachi movie trilogy, you'll love this CD! I found this by accident and it's the best I've found in a long time. The interview with Robert Rodriguez gave me a lot of insight into the differences in the music between Desperado and Once Upon a Time in Mexico. I was wondering a lot about that since he made both movies and they're so different. The bonus DVD was worth the price alone, but the music on the CD is the best! Tito's acoustic version of Back to the House Love Built is very different from the movie, but very good. Then you have Antonio Banderas's Cancion del Mariachi which is always good! Add some live music not on the soundtrack along with the main title music and you have one GREAT CD!!

If you enjoyed the El Mariachi movies by Robert Rodriguez, then you'll love this CD. I bought it for two tracks and ended up really enjoying the whole CD. Like the title of the CD says, it's not all soundtracks from the movies but it' worth buying if you love the genre.

Without a doubt the album has some of the catchiest tunes that you could want. The 1st track being so good that it is also featured in the KILL BILL vol1 soundtrack. To top it off, we finally get to hear the full version of the "hook" which the Mariachi strums during the Desperado movie... better than I imagined it, with lyrics that keep the to the spirit of the movies.

Slight disappointment on the lack of mariachi, however, solid musical enjoyment. But, also came with a bonus DVD featuring material of Del Castillo, and those guitars are just incredibly riveting, and so hot. Wow!