Los Lobos C/D

as a band, Classic.

Of course, tons of it. And I LIKE tons of it, especially in the early-to-mid '90s, when Los Lobos were supposedly at their peak of weirdness. But compared to Maldita Vecindad, Fobia, Santa Sabina, Aterciopelados, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, La Castanenada, La Derecha, Heroes Del Silencio -- TONS of bands at that time -- Los Lobos's supposed weirdness just sounded really timid to me. And thin, too - they didn't rock as hard, they had less dance in their music, their prog beauty seemed way more amorphous. (What Caifanes was doing though, seemed more what Los Lobos and Latin Playboys too were *shooting* for, whether they'd actually heard Caifanes at the time or not. And they probably had, since Caifanes, in Mexico, where HUGE. But Los Lobos weren't even the most interesting Latin-rock band in the USA, actually -- I'd take Pastilla or Maria Fatal over them.) (As for their earlier stuff, I'd compare them to the Blasters, but not as good, with more emphasis on the Tex-Mex element that the Blasters had, though the Blasters did it first, in songs like "Border Radio," as I recall. But neither of them did it as much fun as Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs.) My main question while looking at that EP and LP yesterday was "damn, these guys were a bunch of cornballs. But I liked these records okay, once, so maybe I shouldn't mind." And I probably wouldn't have. Just didn't feel like carrying them around. (And again, maybe I WAS underrating their '90s stuff at the time; it's possible -- I'm just telling you how that hit my ears then. And for whatever it's worth, I actually DID buy a CD copy of *La Pista Y La Corazon* at the Virgin megastore last week, believe it or not -- but not for me; as a birthday present for somebody. It was the first Los Lobos album I bought in decades!)

I might be wrong; as I said, I'm re-investigating it all, as I was kind of out of their loop, or they were out of mine. But I'm loving every possibly-cornball second of everything I hear, even The Ride, which Roy underestimates above. And Roy, the new one alternates between atmospheric stuff and more boogie-ish stuff, cumbia rock b/w floaty/growly things.

Yeah, good point. I always forget all the local stuff Los Lobos was doing before their first national EP (not to mention the rockabilly-label Blasters LP before *their* first national LP). But wasn't Los Lobos's earlier stuff extremely folkloric, mainly devoid of the more eclectic, and well, I hate to say modernized but I will anyway, country/r&b/soul/rock/etc hybrid they eventually hit with, a hybrid I'm *pretty* sure the Blasters uncovered first? That's certainly the impression I always got, though I could be wrong. Either way, as far as I can tell, the Blasters did it *better* -- better (as in more specific, less obtuse) songwriting, better (as in more beautiful) singing, more push. And even at that, I don't much care about the Blasters (or the Alvins solo) after *Nonfiction* or so, either. (And honestly, Los Lobos's lyrics never really did all that much for me.)

>it's not like Kiko and Colossal Head were really any kind of weird avant-garde statement or anything, just the same sorts of grooves with a bit of Tom Waits and psychedelia layered on top. They were allowed to do that, it's a free country<

Who said they weren't? But yeah, maybe it was the Tom Waits part that stood in my way. Tom Waits parts do tend to do that to me. (And given that Tom ranks with history's all-time cornballs, and given that NPR-style "roots-rock", which usually tends not to have very much rock in it, is kinda cornball by definition, there you go.)

CLASSIC

The 2000's Los Lobos that is a Tex-Mex jam band - DUD.

I'm only familiar with the 1990's avant-garde Lobos in passing, so I can't comment (even though I love the Latin Playboys). But when a review copy of the GOOD MORNING (MAZATLAN?) album came my way around 2002 or so, I was shocked at how hippiefied they'd become.

For some reason, the vinyl of HOW WILL THE WOLF SURVIVE? is so common that if you pay more than $3 for it, you've been had. It's probably the best $3-or-less album you can get for the money.

And GOOD MORNING SACRAMENTO (or whatever the hell that was called) may as well be an avant-garde Los Lonely Boys. I'm sticking with HOW WILL THE WOLF SURVIVE and BY THE LIGHT OF THE MOON.

WHICH, as I've said before, IS FINE. Because those albums rocked too. But they always still do rocking tracks on all their records. Yes, including on Good Morning AZTLAN.

b) So they still do rocking tracks, huh? Rock as in "classic rock," or rock as in greasy, pre-psychedelic, ROCK & ROLL like they used to do in the punk clubs back in the 80s? 'Cause for the one minute I owned GOOD EVENING MASHMAHKAN (sold it long ago), I only remember hearing rock of the posthippie "classic rock" variety. I would have bought an El Chicano album if that's what I wanted.

Now you may be right - remember, I sold that joker because none of it sounded good to me. So even if they rocked and rolled like on the Slash albums, evidently it didn't make an impression.

(P.S. Froom's "Cafe Flesh" soundtrack - "The Key of Cool" - is pretty dull.)

I lump This Time and Colossal Head together--both are post-Kiko, very "deconstructed," rough, loopy, and seems to trade the delicate production and melodicism that preceded them for a rougher style, both in production and in songwriting. More droneys, blues progressions, found-soundy effects, and lots of distortion. I liked Life Is Good because I can clap to it, and I liked "Buddy Ebsen Loves The Night Time" because it reminds me of sleepytime. That said, it was pretty disconcerting if you listened to The Neighborhood, which I loved for the AOR/folky pop songs, and Kiko, for its balance of that songwriting with a little more weirdness, and then turned on Colossal Head. Still neat for a major label album for me.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, LL seems to sway with the adventurousness of their producers--and this is the period when Froom/Blake started moving more and more towards experimenting beyond the polite edge of adult-alternative pop music, and they took a lot from Latin Playboys back to LL. After these two albums, LL went in search of new producers, with some middling results. Now this new one is with Tchad Blake sans Froom. And I don't like it so much.

Don't know if this at all answers your post. I suppose the other respnose could be, what do you think about it?

I myself only like them after "Kiko." "Kiko" is a bit diffuse for my tastes. for me, "Colossal Head" is far and away their best record, actually big-hearted and political, song structures actually ingenious, playing up but relaxed, plus their best-ever songtitle, "Buddy Ebsen Loves the Nighttime." Having seen them live a couple times, I think they're a tad overrated, but not much, and their whole shtick comes from Steve Berlin, my friends who know some of the band tell me. Anyway, I'll leave discussions of Cougar vs. The Wolf to others, but as usual Chuck makes an interesting point. To my ears, they are indeed the Little Feat of the (fill in the era). I think their specifics are far more in touch with the "world" than Lowell George or Bill Payne goin' on about Rock and Roll Doctors and their whole white-negro-funkateer thing they got into, but I get some bad wishy-washy vibes from "Kiko" that make the undeniable virtues of the *music* seem not so undeniable But I think the Latin Playboys are great, and I even have a live boot of them that's pretty amazing, with great sound. And it occurs to me that Calexico's stuff owes an awful lot to the Playboys, only it's not as good.

Maybe John Cougar's band didn't have enought Telecasters or something.

Often? I would say maybe temporarily (around Spotlight Kid, Clear Spot).

i was hoping the video for 'Kiko & The Lavender Moon' would be on youtube. but no joy. :(

-- Konal Doddz (blueski), Friday, 14 July 2006 12:34

is is now :)

This is Los Lobos at their most the Band:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCSKdR0E1cA

From New West:

Congratulations to Los Lobos on their Grammy win last night! The band was awarded Best Americana Album for their 2021 studio album Native Sons at last night’s ceremony. It is their fourth Grammy Award win.
Watch Steve Berlin accept the award on behalf of the band, and catch Los Lobos near you as they begin the next leg of their extensive Native Sons tour this Friday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEH_NxkUwrM

tour dates:
https://www.loslobos.org/site/tour.shtml?utm_source=Mailing+List&utm_campaign=80ceed6939-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_04_04_11_16&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9d7f017887-80ceed6939-415586925&goal=0_9d7f017887-80ceed6939-415586925&mc_cid=80ceed6939&mc_eid=3ce2be0c08

I really regret missing their free show at Prospect Park in Brooklyn a few years back. There was the threat of heavy rain, so I didn't want to make the 90-120 minute trek just to be disappointed. (It was merely a light rain.)

Ah damn. Did he record with them?

Francisco González, a founding member of Los Lobos, has died. He was 68.
In the early 1970s, González joined fellow musicians Louie Perez, David Hidalgo, Cesar Rosas and Conrad Lozano to form one of East LA's most eclectic bands.

Los Lobos paid tribute to González on its Instagram page.

"We are deeply saddened by the passing of our brother and founding member, Francisco González. He, along with Cesar, started the group in 1973 for the purpose of 'playing Mexican music for our mothers,' as he always put it. Francisco was a brilliant musician, and after leaving the group in 1976 to follow a different musical path, he went on to master the Veracruz harp, then became the musical director of El Teatro Campesino theatre group—always shining across a lifetime of accomplishments."

nah he never recorded with them

Cool concert review:

The band brought Nuevo guitarist David Jimenez and keyboardist Anthony Farrell onstage for the jam, which must have lasted 10 minutes at least, and then each performer got to walk through “The Neighborhood,” roaming about on fret boards, across the ivories, over the baritone sax’s buttons. Los Lobos drummer Fredo Ortiz, the longtime Beastie Boys drummer, held down the beat and was as entertaining to watch as he was to hear. It’s hard to put into words how exhilarating this particular moment of the show was, but if Los Lobos brings “The Neighborhood” to your neighborhood, you should try to be there.

I read the Los Lobos "Dream in Blue" book and learned so much, like how they never grew up particularly interested in traditional music, or even acoustic instruments, gravitating toward the usual jammy stuff in the '60s - Cream, Hendrix, the Dead, and so on - but then followed the lead of bands like the Band and Fairport Convention in embracing their own folk equivalent; they would scour the thrift shops for all these old traditional instruments that no one wanted. Or that they never really bothered writing their own songs until much later, maybe the early '80s, taking specific inspiration from the Blasters. Lots of other great stuff in there, too. Worth a read. Also discovered this fascinating document through it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfpdejgOBpk

There's that classic quote from Louie Perez: "If you were married between 1973 and 1980 in East L.A., we probably played your wedding."

An example of a band that got better with each album.

This is awesome---watch it while you can (although there was an ad for DVD version, maybe CD as well)(scroll down for bonus performances)

Dia de los Muertos
Special | 55m 36s

¡Dia de los Muertos! is a musical celebration of this much-anticipated and highly celebrated fiesta by people of Mexican heritage everywhere. Special guests include Latino rock greats, Los Lobos, the salsa-rap-reggae-funk of Ozomatli — both Los Angeles-based — and the all-female mariachi band Flor de Toloache from New York City.

Aired: 10/28/22

Expires: 11/25/22

Rating: TV-PG

actually just bought a ticket today to see them down the street in a couple of weeks! been a while.

xpost Just watched that, that was rad. We're going to miss Los Lobos when they're gone.

Seeing Los Lobos tonight. Pretty sure I'm the only one seeing them, the 1975 and Sunn O))) the same week, lol.

Man, this band is a national treasure. They were so good tonight I was practically jealous of myself.

I just checked the setlists, and holy crap they're crazy. A ton of covers, but also they're completely mixing it up each night - very, very few repeats, even when playing material from the same album. I already missed most of the New York residency (there's one more show tomorrow night, and I may miss that as well) but if I had the money it would've been worth going every night.

Yeah, I meant to follow up. They played four nights here. I saw them on a Saturday, the Sunday set was pretty much 100% different. And then Monday's set after that looks like it was 3/4 different from the previous two nights. I didn't check the set list for the fourth night, but I assume it was equally different. They have such a deep catalog. And the night I saw them a local blues guy sat in for a few songs, and needless to say Los lobos is so tight that pretty much they can back anyone, no sweat.

I almost want to say they're like the Band if the Band had their shit together and didn't self-destruct. (Musical differences aside, though the both do draw on musical traditions that pre-date rock, including some overlapping ones.)

I've probably commented before how well Los Lobos nail The Band on "When the Circus Comes to Town."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZUtkRDfmMk

Love that album, but I especially love that track.

They start to lose me with Kiko, but up till that moment every album was better than the last.

I do love that song, though.

Leave us not forget:

Desperado Soundtrack (1995)

"Canción del Mariachi" ("Morena de Mi Corazón") (Los Lobos and Antonio Banderas) 2:06
"Six Blade Knife" (Dire Straits) 4:34
"Jack the Ripper" (Link Wray) 2:31
"Manifold de Amour" (Latin Playboys) 2:03
"Forever Night Shade Mary" (Latin Playboys) 3:00
"Pass the Hatchet" (Roger & The Gypsies) 3:00
"Bar Fight" (Los Lobos) 1:54
"Strange Face of Love" (Tito & Tarantula) 5:51
"Bucho's Gracias/Navajas Attacks" (Los Lobos) 3:56
"Bulletproof" (Los Lobos) 1:42
"Bella" (Carlos Santana) 4:29
"Quédate Aquí" (Salma Hayek) 2:05
"Rooftop Action" (Los Lobos) 1:36
"Phone Call" (Los Lobos) 2:16
"White Train (Showdown)" (Tito & Tarantula) 5:57
"Back to the House That Love Built" (Tito & Tarantula) 4:41
"Let Love Reign" (Los Lobos) 3:22
"Mariachi Suite" (Los Lobos) 4:22

(Tito, of course, was a colleague of LL & Blasters and Flesh Eaters and Impalas when in The Plugz, then

Larriva teamed up with former Plugz bandmates Charlie Quintana and Tony Marsico to form the Cruzados. With the Cruzados, Larriva's music began to move in a different direction, straying from his typical punk rock to a bluesier 1980s rock sound.

Oh speaking of David Hidalgo guesting with Los Centzontles, as I did upthread in 2020, he's also with them a couple of times on the 2022 release Putamayo Presents--Songs From The Sonoran Borderland---Feels Like Home: Linda Ronstadt's Musical Odyssey, musical companion to her book of approximately the same title. This is my fave of all the non-LR tracks (by various artists), in terms of song, playing, and singing---DH only gets to pick on the other one with Los C., and it's good too, but

https://putumayo.bandcamp.com/track/voy-caminando

(He's not on the tracklist for this one, but gets credit in the notes, along with Taj Mahal.)

I’ve always struggled to find an entry point to LL, although I love I Got Loaded, and (the song) This Time, and this wonderful late cover that utterly trounces the Shins original:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpcJ-8_Bxws

Any pointers?

Maybe this?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_Another_Band_from_East_L.A._–_A_Collection

Sorry, link didn't come up right.

Just Another Band from East L.A. – A Collection

Kiko seems to be the obvious entry point, and also their best album, but maybe it's just me that feels that way.

Chuck, I had the same problem. It took the pandemic to give'em the listen they deserve.

Los Lobos rules. They're here again this weekend, playing a benefit. Don't think I'll be able to go, but I know they'll be great.

I'd Koko was their best too, but for someone who is still trying to get into them, it may be worth exploring that compilation first before diving into the albums in their entirety.

That comp is a great, great overview of their career up to that point, and will in turn send you to the right starting place/album depending on what pops out at you.

Just saw the do a spectacular free show at a city park amphitheater up the road from me in Houston. They said Cesar Rojas was under the weather, so he didn't play, but they more than made up for it in a situation where you could understand them taking a sleepwalk. Encored with "She's About A Mover" & "La Bamba" -> "Good Lovin'" -> "La Bamba".

LEGENDS

Band is so good.

i was at the show tonight as well. beautiful weather, great set, my 80 yo parents were there too and they really dug it