Great post!! I love this version of this song. It is so raw and organic. I actually downloaded this video a few weeks ago so I could view it from time to time.

I have to confess that I love the way Johnny Pacheco looks in here, too. I actually had a crush on the Johnny Pacheco of this era. I love watching him in the Fania All Stars video where they perform before the Rumble in the Jungle.

bellanoche said:

I love watching him in the Fania All Stars video where they perform before the Rumble in the Jungle.

The Africa concert footage generally doesn't remain on Youtube long. I think there is an official upload of some of B.B. King's performance though.

MickyDolenz said:

bellanoche said:

I love watching him in the Fania All Stars video where they perform before the Rumble in the Jungle.

The Africa concert footage generally doesn't remain on Youtube long. I think there is an official upload of some of B.B. King's performance though.

Oh, I bought the DVD Celia Cruz Live DVD years ago that is actually footage from the Zaire concert. It has complete performances from Celia, Hector, Ray Barretto and the Fania All Stars all together. I love the El Raton performance by Cheo Feliciano with Jorge Santana on guitar. I also love seeing Santos Colon sing on Guantanamera.

There is also a concert DVD of the fight that focuses on all the acts and includes some Fania All Stars footage. I have that, too. I just cannot think of the name of it. James Brown is the focus of it, though.

I just LOVE this era of Salsa/Latin music.

bellanoche said:

I just LOVE this era of Salsa/Latin music.

Yeah, I don't like Reggaeton.

MickyDolenz said:

bellanoche said:

I just LOVE this era of Salsa/Latin music.

Yeah, I don't like Reggaeton.

I just can't get with most of the "contemporary" Latin music. It lacks soul, passion, emotion. The singers aren't anywhere near as gifted as the singers of the day. They are so manufactured now, unfortunately Latin music today is not unlike most others genres of music. Give me my Salsa de la Buena para siempre!

bellanoche said:

MickyDolenz said:

Yeah, I don't like Reggaeton.

I just can't get with most of the "contemporary" Latin music. It lacks soul, passion, emotion. The singers aren't anywhere near as gifted as the singers of the day. They are so manufactured now, unfortunately Latin music today is not unlike most others genres of music. Give me my Salsa de la Buena para siempre!

I remember people making a big fuss over Daddy Yankee, especially Gasolina or whatever it was called. It all sounds alike to me, like someone took the exact same music and put some different singers or rappers over it. I'm not really fond of balladeer pop like Luis Miguel either. It's just Michael Bolton in Spanish.

MickyDolenz said:

bellanoche said:

I just can't get with most of the "contemporary" Latin music. It lacks soul, passion, emotion. The singers aren't anywhere near as gifted as the singers of the day. They are so manufactured now, unfortunately Latin music today is not unlike most others genres of music. Give me my Salsa de la Buena para siempre!

I remember people making a big fuss over Daddy Yankee, especially Gasolina or whatever it was called. It all sounds alike to me, like someone took the exact same music and put some different singers or rappers over it. I'm not really fond of balladeer pop like Luis Miguel either. It's just Michael Bolton in Spanish.

I feel the same way!!! It is just bland pop in Spanish. So much of the "contemporary Latin" music sounds that way to me. I mean, it is sad when I think about it. I cannot stand reggaeton. It seems like it killed Merengue, too. I was never crazy about Merengue, but I could work up a sweat to it. But, wow where is it now? I mean what is Elvis Crespo doing? And where is Daddy Yankee now? Even reggaeton has faded.

I just ordered the 40th Anniversary DVD for Our Latin Thing. It is so hard to believe that it is 40 years old. I wasn't even born then. I was born five years later, but my dad raised us listening to the good stuff, so I have no connection to a lot of what they are passing off as "Latin" music today. Just because it is in Spanish or someone Latino "sings" it doesn't mean that it embodies the elements that make true Latin music so great.

It really saddens me when I think of what is left now that great artists like Hector Lavoe, Johnny Pacheco, Celia Cruz, Chivirico Davila, Ismael Miranda, Ismael Rivera, Ray Barreto, Cheo Feliciano, Santos Colon, Larry Harlow, Eddie Palmieri and others are no longer putting it down. There were so many truly great artists back in the day that I am still finding wonderful songs from that era.

MickyDolenz said:

I'm not really fond of balladeer pop like Luis Miguel either. It's just Michael Bolton in Spanish.

Great Old school stuff. Wow I'm surprised he's got some chops. Do you like Marc Anthony? I have Johnny Pacheco Fania Greatest Hits. I always thought he was from PR, but he's Dominican. I think my all time favorite Dominican singer is Fernandito Villanova. Dude has an excellent Tenor!

[Edited 9/7/11 8:28am]

JoeBala said:

Wow I'm surprised he's got some chops.

So does Michael Bolton I guess, but I still don't want to hear his music. I can listen to Vicente Fernandez rancheras if I'm in a certain mood, but Luis Miguel, no. I remember a guy named Emmanuel from the 1980s, he was alright, and so was Jon Secada. They were pop. Julio Iglesias is cool too, but Enrique is not.

Yeah I like Vicente(have 2 CD set) and his son too, but only the Rancheras stuff. You should check out Fernandito stuff. I like Luis Miguels Romances albums they are great.

JoeBala said:

Yeah I like Vicente(have 2 CD set) and his son too, but only the Rancheras stuff. You should check out Fernandito stuff. I like Luis Miguels Romances albums they are great.

How about Iris Chacon?