I have been collecting records since I was a teenager. I started working in high school, and my job as a carry out at Fry’s provided a nice check every two weeks, and I remember spending most of my money on ,both new and used. I still have all of them. I even have some that belonged to my mom and my brothers and sisters. A couple of weeks ago, I started posting my favorite albums on Facebook. I was chosen to name one album a day without any comment, and to pick other people to play along. That got old after a couple of days, and I just decided to post an album a day, with commentary about it and a song selection from it linked from Youtube. I have gone way past posting 10 of them at this point. I have so many I want to talk about. I’m replicating here what is on Facebook so that I can remember what I’ve done without having to scroll through my wall,, which can sometimes take forever, as there are other things I post along the way. I will be updating this post daily as I post new material on Facebook. Stay tuned!
Here we go. This was the first one.
My older brother Rudy bought this album on the day it came out and he played it to death. He owned all of the Beatles albums, and they were all very influential, but this one was a favorite of mine. I really liked “When I’m 64” and “It’s Getting Better All The Time”. The only song I didn’t care for was “Within you, without you”. it was just too weird for me at the time. I’ve since learned to appreciate it, especially the lyrics. George Harrison was a beautiful cat.
La Enorme Distancia came out in 1961. All my aunts and uncles owned it, it seems, as did my parents. My favorite song was El Corrido del Caballo Blanco. The introduction was especially cool. We played this album at Christmastime a lot. There’s a song on it called “Se Va Diciembre” that’s about Christmas and the coming new year. This is my all time favorite ranchera album. Every song is a classic. Para Morir Iguales is another favorite.
My brother Rudy bought this back in 1965. Like A Rolling Stone was a huge hit. I wasn’t crazy about Dylan when I was a little boy, but this album and Blonde on Blonde had a huge impact on me when I was a teenager. I especially love the song It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry and Desolation Row.
This album was introduced to me when my brother Charles met his wife Elaine. She had this album and left it at our house sometime around 1970. It got destroyed, of course. We never took care of our records while I was growing up, and this album got played a lot when there were parties and lots of beer everywhere. “A la guerra ya me llevan” was great. Little Joe later re-did the song, but it wasn’t the same as the original. Here’s the original.
I played the cello from the 4th grade to the 8th grade, and was very interested in classical music, but hadn’t much exposure to it growing up. That changed one day back in the early 70s, when my sister brought home a stack of classical albums that a friend had given her. Among them was this little gem. This pianist is my favorite of all. Her playing is just incredible. It’s so clean and light and precise. Here’s the entire Piano Concerto No. 15 in B Flat Major, in three parts. My absolute favorite.
This album was released in November, 1963, the same month John F. Kennedy was shot. I stumbled upon it one day about 10 or 11 years later at the public library downtown, back in the days when it was located across from Armory Park, and when cassettes were in use. I fell in love with it and with Joan Baez, and soon found my own lp copy. Here’s Joan singing, Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright, live on the BBC. The song also appears on this album, but on the stereo version only of the lp. If you bought the original mono version, it wasn’t included. Luckily for me, when I found my own copy, it was the stereo version. I love this song, and Joan’s guitar picking is just incredible.
My mom bought this for me at the El Campo Drugstore when I was a freshman in high school in 1974. Antonio Aguilar recorded scores of albums, but this is my favorite. He used to perform at the Rodeo grounds with his wife Flor Silvestre and his sons Pepe Aguilar and Antonio Aguilar, Jr. The album is filled with classic corridos, such as Juan Charrasqueado and Rosita Alvirez. This one is very popular, and it’s called Gabino Barrera. It’s the title cut.
I found this one at the old Main public library downtown. In the 70s, the library used to have the most amazing music room, filled with recordings of classical music, and the librarian that worked there was one of the nicest people I’d ever met. This is from the Concerto for Flute and Harp. It’s the most beautiful of all of Mozart’s melodies.
I first heard this in high school. It’s filled with songs about being Chicano, like America de los Indios, and the great tune, America. I wish Daniel Valdez would’ve written and recorded more. Here’s a sample from this amazing album.
This is the very first Aretha Franklin album I ever owned. I didn’t know much about her at all when I first started listening to her back in the mid-70s, but I’m glad I picked an album from the Atlantic label. She recorded for Columbia before making the switch to this label and that stuff is not as “soulful”, shall we say. This song was only released as a 45 single prior to appearing on this album.
This is the very first album I ever bought with my own money. I purchased it at Discount Records on University Blvd. back in 1973, 46 years ago. I remember it like it was yesterday. Here’s one of my favorite songs from the album.
My brother Charlie owned this album back in the mid-60s when he was in the Navy. This is my favorite Motown album of all time. None of the other greatest hit packages available by the Temptations include all of these songs. Every one is a gem. This song was on it.
I first heard this back in the late 60s. My sister owned a copy of it, and she would play it all the time when she was home. While all of the songs are amazing, I really like this one a lot.
I found this recording, a compilation of Lucha Villa’s best loved songs, on cassette at the swap meet a few days after my mom died. She used to love listening to Lucha Villa, so I bought it and took it home. I played it for my dad, and he almost wept, saying that it was mom’s parting gift to us. Every song, it seemed, spoke to him directly about their relationship. This one hit especially hard.
Time for the album of the day. I played this one to death. I know every song by heart. It’s just the best. I have many of Carole King’s albums in my collection, but this one was the first. One of my all-time favorites…This was THE song. For my buddy, Richard.
Today’s album is one I will always treasure. Back in high school, my friend Richard and I were inseparable, mostly because I was a royal pest. He owned this album, and it spoke volumes about friendship and heartbreak and other things that adolescents experience like only they can. Every song was so, so deep…at least they were at the time. I still enjoy listening to it, and with Richard’s passing, it’s taken on new meaning. Here’s one of the songs.
Here’s my album of the day. Picking one by Joni Mitchell was difficult, as I love many of her albums. This one, however, really struck a chord with me. When I first started at the University back in 1977, I had a big console stereo that I bought from a lady with whom I worked at Fry’s. One of the speakers didn’t work, and when I would play this album, I couldn’t really hear some of the instruments. The dulcimer sounded so faint at times. It wasn’t until I could afford a better stereo that I realized what I was missing! Here’s one of the songs.
Amparo Ochoa was a Mexican singer who was known as one of the leading proponents of “la nueva cancion” in Mexico and throughout Latin America. Her song “La Maldicion de Malinche,” written by Gabino Palomares was well known and loved by many. She recorded many traditional Mexican folk songs as well as many political tunes. I love this album. I found a cassette copy of it at a very small and cramped music shop that used to be a drive thru camera store in St. Mary’s Plaza one day. I wore it out, and was glad when I was able to find a cd version. Other songs of hers include La Muerte Viene Echando Rasero and La Calaca, both of which I would play on my radio show every year around El Dia De Los Muertos. Here’s a live version of my favorite song on the album. It’s called La Caritina.
I was eleven years old in 1970, and the breakup of the Beatles was a real shock for everyone, particularly those of us who loved their music. Everyone hated Yoko Ono at the time. It was all her fault, of course. Or so we thought. As soon as the break up occurred, each of the guys in the group went off and recorded their own albums. John Lennon released this one, and it was amazing. Songs like “Mother” and “God” were quite shocking. I remember hearing the song God at home, and the words, “God is a concept, by which we measure our pain” hit hard. What? He didn’t believe in God? Wow! And then the song, Mother….”Mother you had me, but I never had you. I needed you, but you didn’t need me…” Dang, this dude was saying some heavy stuff. I’ve loved this album for a long time. It took me a while to “get it”, but I did eventually. Here’s the song Mother.
My friend Richard was a big Neil Young fan. He started listening to him in high school. Tonight’s the Night and Zuma were his favorite albums. I liked Neil too, but wasn’t crazy about him at that point like Richard was. Then, as luck would have it, I was walking down 22nd street one day when I found this album on the ground, beaten up and tattered. There was no record inside. I was intrigued by the cover, so I kept it and brought it home. It took me a while before I was able to find my own copy. There’s something so melancholy about it. It’s haunting. It convinced me that Neil Young was a genius. Richard was right. Here’s a cut from the album. It’s called Ambulance Blues.
My mother drank. She and dad had a volatile relationship. He liked to gamble and he loved women, and he betrayed my mother more than once. For many years, they argued every single day, and there were moments of violence and abuse. Sometimes she would stay up late at night and clean the house, drinking wine all the while and she’d play all these really sad Mexican songs about love and betrayal. Her heart was heavy, and she felt like she had no way out. I witnessed it all, and being a little boy, always felt to blame for her sadness, as she’d tell my brother Fred and me, “if it weren’t for you kids, I’d have left your father long ago”. She didn’t mean any harm, but it made us feel quite guilty. We were children and didn’t realize how much she suffered nor did we realize we had nothing to do with how our parents relationship unfolded. Over time, they found love again, but it took many years. They were together for 45 years, until the day she died. I’ve long since forgiven them, and would give anything to hear their voices, and feel their warmth again. My mom loved this singer, and while she didn’t own this particular album, she did have a 45 e.p. that included a couple songs from it. When I was in my late teens, I bought this in Nogales, Sonora at a record store, just a block or two from the border. I’ll always treasure it, even though I usually cry when I hear it. Here’s my mom’s favorite song.
My exposure to country music as a kid was minimal. I had heard of Hank Williams, and knew that my mom said that he had been to Tucson in concert once in the early 50s. She loved all kinds of music, and him especially. Ray Charles too. Songs like “Cryin’ Time” and “I Can’t Stop Loving You” were her absolute favorites. I myself wasn’t crazy about this music at the time, but every now and then, I’d turn the radio on and listen to KCUB late at night before going to bed. Nobody in the family knew. The stuff wasn’t taboo necessarily, but it wasn’t cool either, especially among my friends and siblings. It was considered “hick” music that gringos and kids who went to Amphi and Flowing Wells listened to mostly. Shit kicker, cowboy music was another way it was often described. Then, in 1971, Hee Haw began to air on TV, and when I was bored I would sometimes watch Buck Owens, Roy Clark, Grandpa Jones and Lulu Bell do their thing. It was a silly show, and corny as hell. I still didn’t care for the music all that much, but then, a couple of years later, as if by magic, all of a sudden there was this pudgy dark-skinned guy with kinky hair from Texas who appeared on the scene, almost out of nowhere, and he single-handedly changed a lot of people’s opinions in my neck of the woods about country music. His name was Baldemar Huerta, but the world knew him as Freddy Fender. This album, released in 1974, was quite popular, and his songs, “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” and “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights”, were all the rage. Suddenly, country music wasn’t all that bad after all. Artists like Linda Ronstadt showcased songs like “I Can’t Help It If I’m Still in Love With You” on their recordings and new artists like Emmylou Harris came onto the scene. Willie Nelson became popular too, although he’d been around a long time. Since then, I’ve been a big fan, and over time fell in love with all of these musicians. Dolly Parton, especially, will always have a special place in my heart. When I was with KXCI, I always made a point to add country music to my shows, and while it turned a few grumpy, die hard p.c. Latinxers off, it was for many listeners, a welcome addition to the mix I played. It was part of my adolescent youth, after all, even though it wasn’t as significant as other types of music were early on. Anyway, to make a long story short, here’s to Freddy Fender and the album of the day!
Happy Birthday, Bob Dylan. My album of the day is Blonde on Blonde, which along with Highway 61 Revisited are in my opinion, two of Dylan’s best works.There are so many great songs on this album. Again, I have to credit my brother Rudy for turning me on to another great one. I remember him listening to Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands in his bedroom at home in 1966, when the album was released. The song took up a whole side of the album, something which was unheard for a pop album up to that point. It’s hard to say which song is my favorite. I love every one of them, but Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again brings back memories of hanging out with my friends Richard and Albert Elias at a pizza joint near Park and Speedway sometime in the early 80s, munching out and playing pool while listening to this song. The beer was flowing and the pizza was delicious, and of course, the music was the absolute best. Dylan played on a jukebox. There was nothing like it! I remember it like it was yesterday. Here’s the song.
One of the lines in one of the songs is, “if you can’t find me at the back of the bus, you can’t find me nowhere, come on over to the courthouse, I’ll be voting over there”. A musical masterpiece.Here’s Pete singing the title song.
I’ve been debating over which Judy Collins album to post first. I just looked at the song list on this one, and decided this was the one. It was issued back in 1964. Judy Collins’ voice was huskier when she was younger, and I just fell in love with it. Her choice of songs on this album is the best. It includes works by Tom Paxton, Billy Ed Wheeler, and Bob Dylan. She also includes some songs pertaining to the civil rights struggle. It’s a wonderful album, one of many great ones she’s done over the years. And she still doing it into her 80s…
Linda Ronstadt had been recording for several years by the time this gem came out in 1974. It includes her big hit, “You’re No Good” and it introduces the world to Emmylou Harris, who sings harmony on the song, “I Can’t Help It If I’m Still in Love With You”. The album was produced by Peter Asher, who had previously worked with the Beatles. I think it’s Linda’s best work of all. Here’s a live version of the song, “I Can’t Help It If I’m Still In Love with You” featuring Emmylou Harris on harmony vocals.
My album of the day. Judy Collins first recorded Leonard Cohen’s songs in 1966 on her album, In My Life. This was the first album of his that I ever owned. Take a moment and listen to this song. It’s one of my favorites.
My album of the day…Lila Downs is amazing. I especially love this album because she sings a lot of Jose Alfredo Jimenez songs on it and other rancheras, but arranges them with modern accompaniment. What an amazing voice!
My album of the day is one by Buffy Sainte Marie. “Little Wheel Spin and Spin” was released in 1966, when I was 7 years old. It took another decade or more before I found it. It has some lovely folk songs and some original compositions, including one of the most scathing indictments of this country I’ve ever heard on record called “My Country ‘Tis of Thy People You’re Dying”. I can’t think of anything more appropriate to post on a day like today. The genocide continues, my friends, one body at a time. It’s as American as apple pie.
Today’s album of the day.
My album of the day…This is one of my favorite James Taylor albums. I really love Mud Slide Slim, Gorilla and Sweet Baby James too, but this one for some reason stands out. The song, “Another Grey Morning” just breaks me up. He got the gist of depression down pat.
I am posting this as my album of the day. I had a hard time picking one of Emmylou’s albums. The first four are some of my favorites, but this one stands out because I remember who I bought it from. It was a guy I worked with at Fry’s named Claude. He didn’t like the album and it was brand new. I thought he was crazy. I love every song.
My album of the day. I love this album. The Persuasions came to Tucson in the mid-80s and I got to see them. I think KXCI brought them.
My partner Ruben is moving to a new hair salon, as the owner is closing the shop where he works. He decided to buy the chair he’s been using there from her, as the hydraulics are good and the chair can be easily adjusted for Ruben’s height. Yesterday, he reminded me that it was the same chair in which my buddy Richard and I always got our haircuts. For several years running, once a month, like clockwork, we’d all show up at 9am on Sunday morning at the salon and Ruben would cut our hair, first Richard’s and then mine. We had a great time, clowning around and shooting the breeze. Once we were done and we had cleaned everything up, we’d all then drive across town to Laverna’s for breakfast. We enjoyed each other’s company so much, we would hang out together until noon at times. The place was always busy, but we usually found a spot quickly and were treated quite well. Richard knew everyone, it seems, and enjoyed talking to people. Ruben and I would just watch in amazement at how well he could b.s. his way through any conversation and in the end leave people laughing and happy. He sure had a gift for gab. I still can’t believe my friend’s gone. He was my brother, and I miss him. Today’s album and book are ones that were some of Richard’s favorites. Here’s a live version of the song “Albuquerque”, which appears on Tonight’s the Night.
Here’s my album of the day. Janis Ian was only 14 when she wrote the song, “Society’s Child”. Written in the mid-60s, the song was very controversial in that it dealt with inter-racial romance. It took several more albums and almost another decade before she had another hit with the song, “At Seventeen”, which appears on the album “Between the Lines”. This album, “Stars,” came out just before that one, and it has one of my very favorite songs on it, which is the title cut. I got to see Janis perform at Centennial Hall in 1977, my freshman year in college. She has since “come out” and is a proud member of the LGBT family. She also has an autobiography out that’s very good. Here’s the song, “Stars”.
My album of the day….Our family bought a new t.v. console set back in the late 60s at Flash TV on S. 6th Ave. It was one of those big, long ones with a record player and radio on either side. Included in the deal were 50 brand new record albums. Most of the records were by artists who I had never heard of, but there were some real gems included. This is one of them. I love this album. It’s one of Nina Simone’s earlier ones, from the late 50s/early60s when she recorded for the Colpix label. She was a volatile artist, and had lots of issues, but she was a genius too. My favorite song of hers is on it. It’s called Wild Is The Wind.
My album of the day. I bought this in the mid-70s at JC Penney when it was downtown right next to Jacome’s. I love this album. It came out around the time that Pinochet took power in Chile in a bloody, US-backed coup that left thousands dead, including the great singer-songwriter Victor Jara, whose song “Te Recuerdo Amanda” Joan covers on this album. Joan later toured South America, helping to bring to light the plight of the mother’s of “los desaparecidos” in Argentina. She was closely followed by the secret service there, and not allowed to sing, but had a huge following. This song also has a number of other great songs like De Colores, La Llorona and Cucurrucucu Paloma. It would be another dozen years before a popular singer in the US released a Latin album. That album was Linda Ronstadt’s Canciones de mi Padre. Here’s No Nos Moveran.
My last album of the day. My friend Bubba Fass gave this to me for my birthday when I was seven years old. It’s a great party album. It has the Hokey Pokey and Las Chiapanecas, plus many other fun kiddie songs.
