Los Super Seven
LOS SUPER SEVEN
RCA - 67689
available on amazon
There is a statement on the opening pages of the booklet accompanying this disc that speaks volumes as to the music that is on this disc; "Before the advent of radio, MTV and automotive CD players, music traveled on the fingers and lips of the musicians themselves." I think this is a fact that has been laying just under the surface of a number of recent discs that have surfaced, the new Dave Alvin disc and look at the turns of direction that the music of Joe Ely has been taking. These and other artists are getting back to a simplicity of song that is appealing to a wider and wider audience, and for reasons the marketing people are not sure of yet, nor do they know what to make of this "unplugged" boom, where the song gets stripped down and has to stand on its own merits. This disc with its array of superstars, all of whom were greatly influenced by the music we think of as coming from 'south of the border', shows that this music which rides the winds of the darkness of a border night, yet itself knows no borders. It speaks of the hopes and dreams of the people that lived (live) and loved (love) on that border and the feeling that is in the music comes across whether you understand this language or not. It is a music that has grown with this country, and always been there to fall back on as a rock solid foundation. It is composed of the tunes that are played when the musicians sit down, pull out their instruments, put egos aside, and just play for the shear joy of playing with each other. It is as old as the land and yet these are songs that are contemporary with all of us. They evoke the roots and first music we heard as to their feelings and intensity (whether we are familiar with the tunes, the language, or the culture makes no difference). It is this calling forth of a primitive/formative signal that is so important. The fact that this group, Los Super Seven, is made up of superstars of Hispanic heritage, of various genre of music, made it easier to market, but is incidental to the music contained on this disc. I grew up 2000 miles from the border, of northern European heritage and still the music strikes that primal spot in me. Who can not hear the anguish of the love lost in MI RANCHITO, as sung by Rick Trevino. Or listen to the love celebrated by Cesar Rosas in UN BESO AL VIENTO; cry and rage with the pain of loss and frustration at injustice that Joe Ely feels in the Martin Hoffman/Woody Guthrie classic, PLANE WRECK AT LOS GATOS (DEPORTEE). This is a disc that should not be missed as it is our heritage.
Songs, times, writers, and lead singer -
EL CANOERO - 3:19 - Trad. arr. Valerio Logoria - Cesar Rosas and Ruben Ramos
PIENSA EN MI - 3:53 - Trad. arr. Lydia Mendoza - Freddy Fender
MI RANCHITO - 3:51 - Felipe Valdez Leal - Rick Trevino
UN BESO AL VIENTO - 2:31 - Cesar Rosas - Cesar Rosas
LA SIRENA - 2:53 - Trad. arr. David Hidalgo - David Hidalgo
UN LUNES POR LA MAN(~)ANA - 3:18 - Trad. arr. B. Huerta - Freddy Fender
PLANE WRECK AT LOS GATOS (DEPORTEE) - 3:38 - Martin Hoffman/ Woody Guthrie - Joe Ely
LA MORENA - 2:55 - Trad. arr Isidoro Gutierrez Ramos - Ruben Ramos
MARGARITA - 3:25 - Santiago Jimenez - Flaco Jimenez and Cesar Rosas
LA MADRUGADA - 2:40 - Silvestre Vargas/Ruben Fuentes - Ruben Ramos
EL AUSENTE - 3:39 - Felipe Valdez Leal/Ramon Ortega Contreras - Rick Trevino with Campanas De America
RIO DE TENAMPA - 4:23 - David Hidalgo/Louis Perez - David Hidalgo with Rick Trevino &Doug Sahm
Musicians
LOS SUPER SEVEN is
David Hidalgo - lead vocals, guitar, drums, bass, percussion, requinto, hidalguera
Cesar Rosas - lead vocals, Bajo sexto, guitar, guitarron, jarana
Flaco Jimenez - lead vocals, accordion
Freddy Fender - lead vocals, guitar, background vocals
Joe Ely - guitar, lead vocals
Ruben Ramos - lead vocals, background vocals
supporting artists
Joel Guzman - vocals, percussion, accordion, piano, background vocals (1-12)
Max Baca - Bajo sexto, bass, drums, background vocals (1-13)
Gilbert Isais - Fender electric bass (tracks 4, 9)
Ricardo Ramirez - upright bass (tracks 2, 3, 6, 7, 10)
Doug Sahm - vocals (track 12)
Sarah Fox - background vocals (tracks 1, 7, 10)
Megan Levin - harp (tracks 2, 3, 6)
Campanas De America - violins trumpets, jarana, guitarron, background vocals (tracks 3, 11)
Steve Berlin - recording supervisor