Customer Reviews

"Silvio Rodriguez - Cuba Classics, Vol. 1: Silvio Rodriguez Greatest Hits"

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Un disco que resume en varias canciones lo mejor de la nueva trova Cubana. Silvio, sin duda es uno de los mejores, sin menospresiar a Don Pablo que es el nectar a los oidos de los amantes de la nueva trova.

For all of us latin americans who know Silvio's work from long time, is not surprising the beatuy of each of these songs. What i did like about this particular recopliation is the fact that it was made byb David Byrnes (Former Talking Head), amnd is oubviously intended for US people who not know much about what is being done in Cuba in Music in the last years. I haved enjoy each and every of this song, even tought i git them on their original albums, but you got to listen to "Unicornio", this live version is WONDERUL! Again, if you are intrested in listen to Silvio for the very first time, this is what you just need. For us spanish speaking people listen to these songs is a double pleasure, plase try to get a translation of these songs to understan why Silvio is so BIG in Latin America

People from the United States (such as myself) need desperately to listen to music from around the world. Musically, we're a very isolated country. The burgeoning latino population has helped, but the music still somehow remains in the background, there for people who are looking to discover something new, but not for the public at large. Why Silvio Rodriguez is not played on most radio stations in the United States can only be explained by our monolingual culture and maybe xenophobia.

This CD shows that the Spanish speaking world has created some of the world's best music. If we've missed it because we're afraid of non-English lyrics, it's entirely our own loss.

If you haven't heard Silvio Rodriguez, then you are missing out. He is one of the best. His name is known everywhere south of the Rio Grande, and it's not hard to figure out why. This CD showcases some incredible music and lyrics and tells bits of his story. The guitar playing and singing are amazing. Some tracks are more produced than others. Some feature stark productions with guitar, voice and some rhythm instruments ("Sueño con Serpientes", "La Maza", "Playa Girón"). Others feature a wall of horns or strings or both ("Sueño de una noche de verano", "Como Esperando Abril", "Canto Arena"). All of them are great songs.

I've had this CD for years, and it has not fallen from prominence in my CD rotation. Silvio Rodriguez is still recording and going strong. If you're going to take a chance and listen to something new, unique and not in english, take a chance on this one. It could open up a new world to you.

I bought this production 4 years ago just because somebody recommended Silvio's music to me. This was the first of him that I saw so I decided to buy it, and it was one of the biggest musical discoveries of my life. I got traped since the very fist song Sueño de una noche de Verano, and one of its phrases "Si dicen que fui hecho para soñar el sol, y decir cosas que despierten amor, ¿cómo es posible, entonces, que duerma entre llantos de angustia y horror?.
Playa Giron, Unicornio, Oh Melancolia, Causas y Azares, there are many masterpieces in this cd.
But I have to tell something you must know and you must never forget. This is not a "greatest hits" production, this is only a selection of songs. Don't think that if you buy this cd you will have Silvio, you will have a minimal part of Silvio, I made that mistake.
This is a great introductory cd to the magnificent music of Silvio, but you should look for many more songs like Ojala, Por quien merece amor, Ya no te espero, Del sueño a la poesía, and many more. I have hundreds of songs of Silvio, and theres more to discover, Im sure.
Keep discovering Silvio Rodriguez, it could be one of the biggest discoveries in your life too.
Good Luck!

Please, excuse my english. Silvio is the most lirical singer of the revolution, and this CD is the basical baggage to begin listen Silvio. Is a good purchase.

Silvio Rodriguez has recorded over 20 CD's while living in La Havana, Cuba. His music is melodic, sometimes intricate while at other times captivatingly simple. It is well worth translating the Spanish lyrics to get the true scope of this artist. His command of the language is exceptional. The subject of his music ranges from the most mundane (how to keep others from eating your ration of chocolates), to the romantic (he lost a blue unicorn, has anyone seem him?), to political dialectic (songs about Nicaragua, Cuba, and the US). Internationally acclaimed, he continues living in Cuba and doing his part for his country.

This compilation pays a great tribute to a master, a Giant. Silvio's music scope is vast as it is his talent. After listening to this compilation, stereotypical ideas of Latin, or more specific, Cuban music are forever shattered. If you do not know Silvio, there is no better recording out in the market to start enjoying him. All the people that have listened to my copy have ended up buying it, so ... you get the point. Enough said.

This cd features some of Silvio Rodriguez's best songs. There is nothing quite as beautiful as "Unicornio" and "Playa Giron". These are my two favorite songs on the cd, but this cd is simply great and serves to prove that Silvio Rodriguez is one of Cuba's finest contemporary singer/songwriters.

This CD is a must for anyone who likes immortal pop - irrespective of the tongue in which it is sung. It takes the listener through an odyssey spanning the better part of a decade in this prolific artist's life. Opening with the bittersweet chorused horns in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and departing with the chillingly beautiful "Melancholy", this collection of Silvio's work takes us beneath the skin - beneath the shallow wash and wear label of 'Cuba's Dylan' - and into the profound and stirring beauty of music and word that has inspired not merely a nation, but the entirety of South America. With crowds in excess of 100, 000 attending his concerts, he could be considered more an institution; the great stadium rocker. Rather than rabbit on about the individual tracks, I should draw attention to my personal favourites; "Sueno Con Serpientes" (I dream of serpents) - ostensibly a song of the Cuban defiance in the face of US Sanctions and worse but sobering in it's juxtaposition of the lives affected by such actions. The simple guitarwork is dazzling. "La Maza" (The Hammer) - again, a song about conviction but in the realm of personal politics this time. This song, together with Violetta Parra's, "Gracias A La Vida" (Thanks to Life) is frequently found in the repertoire of other South American heavyweights such as Illapu and Mercedes Soza. "Unicornio" To all intents and purposes, a beautifully crafted pop song but I can't help but liken it to Citizen Cane's enigmatic Rosebud. A song that fills in the missing puzzle pieces in one soul's life. Again, covered by many artists throughout Europe and South America.

If you've never heard the power of Cuban and South American pop, then I urge you to buy this CD and play the damn thing to death, as I've done with my copy. I don't think you'll regret it.

The only real, genuine, "new" sound I've heard in a long time comes from Silvio Rodriguez. There are lots of good artists in the world, but in terms of uniqueness, variability, and pure listenability (that's a lot of bilities!), I fear I'll never find again anything as perspective changing as Silvio...this is the 1st album of his I ever heard, and it's just great. It's wonderful music.