Buena Vista Social Club by Buena Vista Social Club

Buena Vista Social Club

Buena Vista Social Club

3.66
Rating
22294
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Album Summary

Buena Vista Social Club is the debut album by the Buena Vista Social Club, an ensemble of Cuban musicians directed by Juan de Marcos González and American guitarist Ry Cooder. It was recorded at Havana's EGREM studios in March 1996 and released on September 16, 1997, on World Circuit. It is the only standard studio album exclusively credited to the Buena Vista Social Club. Buena Vista Social Club was recorded in parallel with A toda Cuba le gusta by the Afro-Cuban All Stars, a similar project also promoted by World Circuit executive Nick Gold and featuring largely the same lineup. In contrast to A toda Cuba le gusta, which was conceived as a revival of the son conjunto, Buena Vista Social Club was meant to bring back the traditional trova and filin, a mellower take on the Cuban son and bolero, as well as the danzón. A critical and commercial success, the album's release was followed by a short concert tour in Amsterdam and New York's Carnegie Hall in 1998. Footage from these dates, together with the recording sessions in Havana, were shown on the Buena Vista Social Club documentary by Wim Wenders, released in 1999. In 2022, The album was selected for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally historically or aesthetically significant".

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Reviews

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Feb 23 2023 Author
5
Score: 70 If you left a 1 star review with the reason stating why being it's not in English, get the fuck off this website. That isn't constructive, it's not a review, and it certainly isn't a review of the album. It's nothing and you're either a dumbass bigot or you don't know the right time and place for jokes. This album starts off incredibly strong and slowly throughout its runtime becomes a little more average and tame. All the while the production and instrumentation are great, but the tracks become slower and a bit less exciting. Very chill and enjoyable. This album also made me very hungry. I'm giving it a 5 to counteract some of the dumbfuck reviews
Jan 26 2021 Author
3
I felt like a sexy latino on a sun drenched beach in a quiet fishing town in Cuba sipping pina coladas and smiling at the world. Then I got angry that I wasn't on a beach in the sun, drinking and punched a wall.
Feb 17 2021 Author
4
Well, that was an unexpected joy to listen to. I don't understand a word they're saying but dang if I don't wish I did. They seem to be having so much fun. In some ways, I'm glad I couldn't understand what was being said. It made the whole album into a killer soundtrack for work that enhanced the experience but didn't distract me from the words I was writing. Musicality is so on point it should be bleeding. Just really great.
Oct 15 2020 Author
5
Perfect jazz album. Really took me to an happier place
Jan 15 2021 Author
5
I love this album. Haven’t listened to it in a long time. It’s the spirit of Cuba - and by extension - the Caribbean. The songs have a folk-tune, comforting quality to them that transfers to the listener, even if you can’t understand all the lyrics.
Nov 17 2023 Author
5
So yesterday, I got the Pogues, an Irish band..my heritage on my mother’s side. Today, Buena Vista Social Club, a Cuban group…my heritage on my father’s side. I’m not saying the generator is sentient (I am), but there sure have been a lot “coincidences” as I’ve embarked on this journey. Because of my aforementioned heritage, this record hits right for me. I’ve heard it many times before and enjoy it thoroughly. It’s great. It’s a glimpse into a culture that, for some reason, the government of the country I call home has made as difficult as possible to experience in person. They do business with countries that behead journalists and countries that practice the same type of government as Cuba’s, but that little island 90 miles from Florida, they’re the ones we really need to put in an economic chokehold. It’s not because they’re inherently bad, it’s because *we can*. I’m ranting, but it’s fucked up how America treats Cuba, so it’s nice to have a slice of that part of my genetic make up (in the form of this record) that I can visit without having to bend over backwards to experience - All I’m saying is that it would be infinitely easier for me to hop on plane and visit Ireland than it it would for me to even think about getting to Cuba. Well, this review turned out to be depressing.
Aug 25 2021 Author
1
Not in English.
Apr 14 2021 Author
2
Blended harmonies, sugary melodies, complementary percussion, buttery voices. A pleasing medley it'd be churlish to pretend isn't, well, pleasing. So I happily tolerated it and would be unlikely to object if I ever heard it again even though ultimately polite musicianship doesn't lift, cleanse or scratch my soul and music that tends too agreeable makes me a tad dis. If that sounds contrarian I guess that's because, to an extent, that's how I like my music - with contradictions and contradistinctions. To put it in a less assholish way: I tuned out a lot That seems to be part of the design here, which I don't get. That's like opting to get your hair stroked when you could get your butthole eaten ;) Okay, now I am being churlish. It was very pleasant.
Nov 14 2021 Author
5
What a way to while away a dark Monday morning. Instantly transported to a cool Cuban bar, with swaying rhythms and cocktails to hand. Perfect.
Nov 20 2020 Author
5
Even though it compiles lots of different musicians, there is a great flow to this album. I particularly enjoyed the piano tracks. Highly recommended!
Feb 08 2021 Author
4
Whoa, nice! So soon we're back in Havana! I recognized this name immediately, and I realized that's because there's a documentary by Wim Wenders about this project that's in the Criterion Collection. I'm not sure what I expected, but it wasn't this. This is some great Cuban music--less jazzy, and more organic than what we heard on Machito. At points I think it could use more energy, particularly in the vocal performances, but it's still a trip worth taking. I could never dislike an album like this. Inevitably though, when it comes to Latin-American music, I can't help but compare what I hear to Totó La Momposina's "Pacantó," which is one of my all-time favorite albums. This doesn't reach the same high-water mark for me, but it's still great. Lots on here to love. Favorite tracks: El Carretero, Chan Chan, El Cuarto de Tula. Album cover: Pretty simple photograph, but I think it's mostly effective. I really like the BVSC stamp, that's a really cool design. But I also think they could've gone with a more exciting, more culturally indicative picture. Actually, this reminds me of that Oasis album cover, What's the Story, Morning Glory. That was two years before this, so maybe these Cubans were huge fans paying homage to their love of Wonderwall. 4/5
Jun 13 2022 Author
3
The concept behind "Buena Vista Social Club" (the album and especially the band) is fascinating. Today I learned the original Buena Vista Social Club was based in Havana and had its heyday in the 1940s. Fifty years later, this band was formed from an ensemble of Cuban musicians (some young, many retired after having been active in the 1940s). We shouldn't ignore the fact the project was masterminded and produced by white American Ry Cooder, which raises an interesting debate around the merit of Western-branded "world music": why must lists like these prioritise Latin-American/Caribbean, African or Asian pop tailored towards Western audiences? Putting that aside for a moment though, at its most basic reading "Buena Vista Social Club" sees an ensemble of retired Latin-American people celebrating the music bringing them all together, reaching back into a shared history of a pre-revolution Cuba. It's basically the Avengers of Latin-American popular music, which is super-cool. It really made me feel invested in the album and root for the people involved: here we have a group of dozens of musicians audibly having the time of their lives and getting lost in their work. It's a great set-up, although much of it ended up a bit lost on me. I'm a total novice in Cuban or Latin American music: I'd never heard of the trova or filin so can't appreciate the intricacies of those forms of music and how they're celebrated here. It was inevitable that after a few tracks, the similarities to my ears began to blend together and the album was best enjoyed as a background accompaniment to a sunny day. Highlights? The laid back piano running through "Pueblo Nuevo"- and the ecstatic release when the trumpet bursts in. The danceable high-energy of "El Cuarto de Tula" and "Candela". The call-and-response of "De Camino a La Vereda". I could, of course, still appreciate the emotions and vibes coming across: "Buena Vista Social Club" is carefree, relaxed, breezy. It's a lovely way to spend an hour and made me want to learn more about the styles/lyrical themes so that I could come back to this in future and enjoy it more.
May 12 2021 Author
2
This is not music I would normally listen to, but I can appreciate its quality nonetheless. The record starts of well with the energy and swing of Chan Chan and El Cuarto, but Pueblo Nuevo's, or danzon in general, is not something I would find time in my day to listen to. The slower Dos Gardeniaas and Veinte Anos bored me quite a bit. This is a well executed and original album, but it does not fit my music taste very well. Overall score is a 4/10.
Aug 17 2022 Author
5
Like a refreshing sip of iced cool water, an immense breath of fresh air, a much needed sigh after undergoing a repetitious round of heavy lifting. No amount of language barriers can contain the musical synchronicity present in this album, a complete blessing from a country that was once forbidden and sequestered. No club is cooler than the Buena Vista Social Club.
Aug 16 2022 Author
5
Came across this before on another chart. It's pretty highly regarded and plays well- soothing and transporting so it's mood music. You don't need to know what they're singing about. In fact that helps to concentrate on the music. Highly accomplished ensemble - smooth and co-ordinated and although this grates on some people it really hits the spot with me. Superb.
Dec 21 2021 Author
5
Cuba's best musicians gathered together in 1997 to recreate the island sound of the 40's and 50's. This is what resulted and its fucking magical. Authentic and timeless. 5/5
Mar 04 2021 Author
4
Good fun, I’m trying to decided whether this would be better if I could understand Spanish or maybe because i don’t understand the lyrics it makes seem more profound. They are probably just singing about really mundane shit just like Taylor swift does.
May 22 2023 Author
5
Each song conveys and incredible warmth and depth. Infectious beats, sweet melodies. Absolutely fantastic.
Mar 14 2021 Author
4
What a refreshing album from a talented group of Cubanos. I can definitely see myself spinning this again in the future in order to set a mood, transport myself to another place, dance, or meditate on our brothers and sisters in this intriguing country. I can hear joy and pain in each song, much like Jamaican reggae or Latin/Mexican mariachi music. I am ready to get out of this country and hide in someone else's culture for a while....
Oct 17 2022 Author
2
File this away with Manu Chao in the 'things that I only ever listened to to impress girls' cabinet. Not memorable in any way, can appreciate that there's a range of styles there, but don't particularly enjoy any of them. Not unpleasant background music, so it can sneak a 2.
Feb 28 2022 Author
2
Fuck no! First world, early new century granola eaters going to have their latte to the fair and inclusive café right in their basement, and feeling great about themselves for oh such an open view on the world around them. Bleurgh!
Oct 28 2025 Author
5
Incredible! This music brings me so much joy. Perfect for listening, reading, cooking. This is a classic album that will stay in my rotation forever. Wonderful!
Oct 27 2025 Author
5
This album is awesome and all the musicians are killers. I like the old school style recording. The one mic in a room style sound took me back to when my dad would direct a symphonic band during rehearsals and one of the songs played was by Perez Prado. Ibrahim Ferrer is like a Cuban Nat King Cole. So many of the other musicians on this album went on to have solo albums and I'm glad. The documentary is great also.
Jul 21 2025 Author
5
Todo simplamente perfecto
Apr 01 2025 Author
5
Chan Chan is easily top 100 song. And the rest of the album brings me back to the trip Liz and I took to Cuba in 2017 in that brief window when it was legal.
Jun 06 2024 Author
5
Back when it came out, this was everywhere but in my ears somehow, and it’s lovely. The instruments sound like they’re within hand’s reach, set into intricate patterns - there’s a formality to this that enthrals. Everything has its turn and place, and you don’t need to understand the order to admire it. Sounds like these dudes played together for decades, which they probably did.
Oct 28 2022 Author
5
One of my all time favourites.
Jul 31 2022 Author
5
Great vibe throughout. Musicianship and cultural importance meets on this album. Sometimes the impact outstrips the actual music and this is one such case. Deservedly considered a classic.
Apr 12 2022 Author
5
have already listened to this a billion times
Sep 22 2021 Author
5
i am shocked 81920480218409281094/10
Mar 28 2021 Author
5
❤️
Feb 09 2021 Author
5
Buena vista!!!!
Jan 19 2021 Author
5
Lovely album. Really enjoyed the Cuban vibes and African overtones. Dad enjoyed it too. I made him listen in the car. I would most certainly listen to this again
Jun 14 2021 Author
5
I heard “Chan Chan” in college in…music theory, I think? Anyway, I really liked that song, so I anticipate liking the rest of the album. Yes, I absolutely loved this album. It was so relaxing and beautiful and just good. I should download it.
Jan 17 2023 Author
3
I don't recall how or when, but I have heard of this band before. Regardless, I really enjoyed listening to this album. I love the rhythms and percussion, and all the layers of music on top of that great foundation. Such rich textures.
Oct 03 2022 Author
2
It's a nice easy listen, but I'm not really invested in it. I found it a bit much after about 6-7 songs. If I were watching them play in a Havana club while sipping a rum cocktail then this would be 5/5.
Nov 24 2021 Author
5
I love this album! So good, and Ry Cooder's musical contributions don't stick out.
Jul 14 2021 Author
5
Excellent album that brings together a who's who of Cuban musicians to create something truly wonderful. This album is at once listenable, danceable, and features some amazing musicianship and arrangement. This will going into my rotation.
Apr 14 2021 Author
5
I mean, its an all time classic of all time! The idea behind Buena Vista Social Club was to revive pre-revolutionary music of Cuba, listening to this record definitely paints that landscape.
Apr 14 2021 Author
5
It's the cheesy backpacker hostel mainstay, but still warms my cold heart
Mar 19 2021 Author
5
Heard this when it was released. Ridiculously enjoyable and authentic. One of my go to albums when I'm looking for something different.
Apr 12 2021 Author
5
Love this album, always feels like a tropical escape. Great songs, wonderful feeling I get from it. All in all fantastic for an album where I don’t understand a single word.
Mar 25 2021 Author
5
Memories 😊
Apr 21 2021 Author
5
Classic, no surprises
Jan 23 2021 Author
5
Muy bueno y sabroso
Jan 14 2021 Author
5
maravillosa musica cubana
Mar 24 2021 Author
5
Cannot beat this classic! Truly beautiful music from la isla. I played this for my abuelo and he wept.
Mar 24 2021 Author
5
All-time classic. Always enjoy listening to this, front to back.
Mar 04 2021 Author
5
This was so uplifting, relaxing and coooool. I really enjoyed it
Jan 25 2021 Author
5
Perfect
May 23 2021 Author
5
I need to listen to more latin jazz.
Jul 07 2021 Author
5
Sin lugar a dudas. Solo es cinco porque no hay seis.
Jan 18 2021 Author
5
Fantastic album, well worth a listen.
Jun 10 2021 Author
5
Some fantastic stuff on here bringing that kind of Latin jazz back to the forefront
Feb 12 2021 Author
5
Absolutely joyous.
Jan 14 2021 Author
5
This was a wonderful album to have on in the background while I worked today. Loving the latin sounds.
Dec 11 2020 Author
5
What a beautiful album.
Nov 03 2020 Author
5
Buena vista social club - cuban like!!!
Jan 07 2021 Author
5
Cool!
Aug 21 2025 Author
4
My parents love Buena Vista Social Club, I grew up listening to this throughout my childhood. I don't think it's a perfect album but the vibe is immaculate, and frankly I cannot give any kind of objective review. Cuba has one of the highest doctor-to-patient ratios in the world, providing universal healthcare that is the envy of many developed nations, all completely free at the point of service. Following its revolution, Cuba eradicated illiteracy in a single year. Its literacy rate of over 99% is on par with global superpowers, achieved despite a crippling embargo. While powerful nations drop bombs, Cuba sends doctors. Its "army of white coats" has provided disaster relief and medical aid to victims around the world, from Pakistan to Haiti to Italy during COVID-19. This small island, under a relentless economic war, has developed its own world-class biotechnology industry and produced five COVID-19 vaccines, sharing them globally. Despite decades of pressure, Cuba's vibrant and unique culture—from music to art to dance—has not only survived but thrived, influencing the entire world. The U.S. blockade of Cuba is the longest sanctions regime in modern history, deliberately designed to cause hunger and despair to force political change. It's a blatant act of economic terrorism against a sovereign nation. The U.S. has attempted to assassinate Fidel Castro over 600 times using farcical methods like exploding cigars and poisoned wetsuits, showcasing a blatant disregard for international law and other nations' sovereignty. The U.S. military prison at Guantánamo Bay is a global symbol of torture, indefinite detention without trial, and human rights abuses, operating for over two decades in defiance of international condemnation. The U.S. record in Latin America is a blood-soaked history of orchestrating coups, propping up murderous dictatorships, and crushing democratic movements (Guatemala, Chile, Nicaragua, Brazil) to protect its corporate and political interests. The U.S. military-industrial complex fuels perpetual warfare, dropping over 300,000 bombs on other countries since 2001 and creating millions of refugees, all while its own citizens lack basic rights like healthcare and housing. In short: Cuba, a small island, prioritizes its people and global solidarity. The U.S. empire prioritizes power, control, and profit, enforcing its will through economic starvation, covert violence, and open warfare. Hasta la victoria siempre!
Jul 23 2025 Author
4
It’s hard to imagine a label making the money available for a project like this today. Sending someone around the world to find talent for an international audience. The idea for this recording came about by chance when Ry Cooder’s planned Mali-Cuban collaboration LP fell through due to visa issues on the Mali end. It’s a story that you could base a movie on (in fact Wim Wenders did!) A large group of Cuban musicians, some celebrated locally in their time, shot into international stardom thanks to this unexpected mainstream success. You can split the album into two halves, both of which rely on the incredible musicianship which provides the record’s beating heart. The first half of the record is lively music to be listened to with large groups - there is a jubilant, celebratory vibe. The second half is a more intimate, romantic experience which you could get lost in, forgetting the rest of the world exists.
May 21 2025 Author
4
Back when this was new, I heard it and decided that I would be Cuban by the year 2000. It didn't work out, sadly.
Sep 17 2024 Author
4
I want to buy foodtruck now and sell some sandwiches
Aug 31 2024 Author
4
Ry Cooder was the one who founded the band to preserve the traditional Cuban music known as Son cubano and Bolero. He took several of the best musicians one could find in Cuba and recorded with them an album that made cultural borders dissapear as pretty much everyone felt and still feels the groove, the energy and the warmth these recordings give out. It is a magical album that no one will be able to replicate. The hour of playtime this album offers is filled to the brim with these special and one of a kind songs that transport you into the tropical streets and beaches of Cuba. The first track 'Chan Chan' already offers one of the albums most iconic moments. I don't know if it's just me but I feel like I always remember this song the most when I think about the album. The repeating lyrics that make up the hook and most of the song are just so easy on the ears while sticking in your mind for eternity. It is a beautiful song to begin the album with as it perfectly introduces a lot of the sounds and instrumental themes the album expands further on. It's genuinely one of the greatest non-english songs that I know of. Especially the trumpet bridge makes this such a mesmerizing experience. The next song 'De camino a la vereda' expands on the lush sound that the opener started. It is as memorable but with more happening throughout with more dynamic and melodic changes. the chorus is really great and the vocals are often as beautiful as you could imagine them. It is just such a lovely song to listen to with so many great and wonderful moments in it. I absolutely love it. 'El cuarto de Tula' goes a much jazzier way by not only having a sort of Jam sound to it but also by being pretty long with 7 minutes. But don't be turned away from that as it is another incredible song. It uses the trumpet in a very "Spanish" way, if you know what I mean. It really flows the whole way it plays without once feeling like it gets boring or unfocused. The different vocals that sometimes raise from the repeating chorus. A truely incredible song with many moments that add tons to the album. The instrumental 'Pueblo nuevo' seems to add a lot from early 20th century Jazz with the piano driven melody and the bass. It does feel a little out of place with the overall dense and lush sounds that the album featured so far but the song isn't bad because of that. It's a pretty good song with some nice moments and a great flow and some of the details are actually done really well, it just didn't NEED to be here. There is a lot of Bolero on 'Dos gardenias' which is actually a pretty short song when compared to some of the songs here with just a little over 3 minutes but it does get amazing pretty quickly. The vocals and their delivery are on point and the bass is really interesting here, I'm not even sure if it is an actual double bass. The song is really good but it doesn't achieve the catchiness that some of the first had. '¿Y tú qué has hecho?' keeps the Bolero ballad form while having some pretty decent vocals but the main attraction of this song is the guitar which flows so well throughout the song and when the time arrives to take the main presence, it does it perfectly. It's a great song but it does feel a little rough around the edges and like they could've pulled more out of it than they ended up doing. A female vocalist joins the established male cast of singers on 'Veinte años'. This song is what the last two did good but makes it better. The two vocal styles work together so perfectly that it keeps enough interesting moments for the song to feel much denser and fuller. It's slightly weird after the bridge but in the best way possible. A great song through and through. The albums second half starts 'El carretero' which is sonically also pretty different. It's hard to pin down what it is exactly but the drums are much different, the details aren't as all around but they still work and the structure and how the vocals are worked into that is just different. Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful song and a lot of the "bird sounds" add much to the overall feeling the song gives off but it's just different. It feels a little like a sitar might pop up out of nowhere even if that doesn't really make sense. Great song... Great song... 'Candela' goes back to the sound that the album right when it started. It's a lush and energetic song with a great performance and incredible moments. This is how the album and the musicians work the best. These types of songs feel the most honest and warm and are simply the best way that Cuban music can sound: lush, dense, warm and full of great energy. It's a perfect song, no discussion. There is some interesting Blues incorporated in 'Amor de loca juventud' and it works really well. It's a lovely song with some nice performances and guitar work but I overall don't care for the song as much as I do with most of the other songs. But as I said, the guitar is the true highlight here. It's got the playful sound of a warm late night that you enjoy with loved ones on the beach. It's a great song, still. Similar to before, 'Orgullecida' adds some American touches, this time with Ragtime and some Bluesy nearly "Country"-like guitar. It's a cute song but it doesn't scratch the itch that most songs do here. I still like it especially because the vocals are really lovely but mostly the song moves past me without sticking certainly strong. 'Murmullo' goes back to the Jazz some very Jazz Pop sounding rhytmn sections and piano while still keeping the Afro-Cuban influences and vocal styles. It's a lovely song the feels like a great mix between these two genres but again, I prefer this album with the dense arrangements and less with the laid-back Jazz parts even if they are still great. The instrumental title track 'Buena Vista Social Club' follows with the same old Jazz sounding boundaries. Even if it lacks the vocals, it is presented in a very well working way by going much more into the Jazz than previous songs did which removes the expectations for the dense Cubano even if that means that it feels a little out of place in the album which does make me a little conflicted. It's a really good song but they could've pulled much more out if it than they did in the end. The albums closing track 'La Bayamesa' feels even more out of place. It's got neither the Jazz nor the dense Cubano. It feels more like a vocal centred Folk song of Cuba. It isn't a bad song, it's pretty good but it feels aged and like an extra that wasn't really needed. It's good that it's quite short because if it was longer it'd be pretty annoying. favourites: Chan Chan, De camino a la vereda, Candela, El cuarto de Tula, Veinte años least favourites: La Bayamesa, Orgullecida, Buena Vista Social Club, Pueblo nuevo Rating: strong 8 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes
Jun 06 2024 Author
4
really good, a breath of fresh air when it came out in the heyday of Britpop. seemed to be played everywhere at the time, listening to it now brings back good memories of London bars and restaurants in the late '90s. thoroughly enjoyable [EDIT - 5 in a row that I own, how long will this pleasant but unenlightening streak continue?]
Sep 17 2024 Author
3
I want to play Tropico
Apr 28 2021 Author
1
“Buena Vista Social Club” by Buena Vista Social Club (1997) Music by artists in their 70s looking back 50 years. Painful. An interesting project, but not the kind of soulful musical experience it could have been. Recording technique is (deliberately?) retrograde, apparently having all musicians performing together in one take, with all the attendant flaws of the method (fret buzzing, unplanned distortion, uncontrolled mixing, shallow texture, little to no separation, etc.). Songs lack variety, and individual performances are only fair. This album is mostly of interest to those who are nostalgic for pre-Castro Cuba. I’d prefer to throw out the communists and let young Cuban musicians develop a natural creativity. But I’m not in charge. 1/5
Nov 29 2025 Author
5
Great album!
Nov 29 2025 Author
5
So good, some songs on here I’m not going to stop thinking about for a while.
Nov 29 2025 Author
5
Enjoyed having something different from the usual 80s synt pop/90s Brit pop. This list needs more like this.
Nov 26 2025 Author
5
Hispanic Grammy music, very calm, very light, would listen again.
Nov 26 2025 Author
5
Fantastico tico-tico! 5/5
Nov 25 2025 Author
5
Classic must listen
Nov 25 2025 Author
5
Hell yeah
Nov 24 2025 Author
5
I’ve listened to this album probably a million times!
Nov 22 2025 Author
5
My favorite music genre, hard not to like this one
Nov 22 2025 Author
5
Fabulous
Nov 21 2025 Author
5
What a vibe
Nov 20 2025 Author
5
Moving music that reaches each limb through the heart
Nov 19 2025 Author
5
This album did exactly what it intended: it introduced Cuban music to a world that had forgotten, or never heard, it. And the world is better for it. Also, to the person who gave this 1-star because it's "not in English", I hope you lose your ability to speak and hear. You've been wasting those gifts.
Nov 18 2025 Author
5
This album summoned idyllic images of sitting at a shaded table in a charming town square sipping a refreshing alcoholic beverage as I listened to this band while watching couples dance. Great stuff and a lovely, enjoyable listen.
Nov 17 2025 Author
5
Classic. Favorite.
Nov 14 2025 Author
5
"Not in English." Y'know, I was always gonna hate that review — and I mean truly despise it. Even before I knew it was real! I honestly thought it was something the top-rated review had made up, but nope! There it is! And highly rated itself! And if I can be perfectly blunt, a "review" like that honestly sort of disgusts me. If you're gonna give an album 1 (any album, not just this one) solely for the fact that it's in a different language with yours ... well, look in the mirror: you've found someone with an opinion not worth listening to. And that dislike of my review only deepened the further I got into the album. I mean, I'll admit that at the top I was expecting to tire of this thing rather quickly. It's 60 minutes of Cuban music, and I'd decided to take it all in one shot. No matter how good the music would be, I figured I'd tire myself out on it before too long, and I'd have to write a review admitting as such. I tell you: I put this on when I started doing dishes, and it surprised me to sit down after I was done and discover that I was only three songs in. And I had 11 left to go! Goodness. That's likely how it would have gone — if, on a lark, I hadn't looked up the album on Discogs. I guess I was curious to see what all of the art surrounding the album looked like ... and that's when I discovered that the liner notes were scanned in full. This is where things really started to get interesting for me, because the liner notes contained write-ups for each and every song, briefly going over their histories **and** providing a little background on the various artists that perform on this thing. That's pretty! But only that, it also has the lyrics for each song — with an accompanying English translation right next to them! And footnotes to explain some of the cultural references that a dumb Canadian like me wouldn't get! Hey, "not in English" guy, maybe if you'd known about this...! 'Coz I gotta tell you, while I think I always would've liked this album, reading the write-ups and translations alongside each song **heavily** elevated the experience. Before, I would've just been a tourist, admiring on a surface level how pretty Cuba looks. But with these liner notes ... I'm still a tourist, sure, but dang it, I get to **appreciate** a bit better what's going on here! It helped the time fly by as I got to take in each and every song on a level I would not have been able to otherwise, and I never **once** got tired of it. I suppose it shouldn't be too surprising to learn that actually knowing a bit or two of the cultural context would help, and even if I could never probably understand it the way Cubans do ... dang it, I understand it enough to love it. It's just a fun as hell album, with great performances all around. Great singers, great guitars, great pianos, great horns ... great everything, honestly. When it ended, I was honestly a little sad. Like, what do you **mean** the party's over? I could keep going! And I maybe just might will. I just can't recall the last time I loved a piece of world music as much as this, but goodness, I do. And I could go on, but I think it's an experience you just need to have for yourself. Go find the liner notes, put this thing on, and just have a good ol' time. As a crash course in Cuban music, I don't think you could find anything better. And to the people of the world who would throw this stuff in the trash because it's not in English — I don't exactly feel sorry that we who **can** appreciate it don't have to share it with you losers. Sucks to be y'all!
Nov 14 2025 Author
5
Very Cuban. Very Good. 4.5 bumped up to 5.
Nov 14 2025 Author
5
I’m at a 5. I don’t have that much to say, thankfully. I’d heard of “Buena Vista Social Club” as a title before listening to this, but I’d never heard the album or really knew what it was all about. It’s just a revival of the Cuban music of the 1940s, done with modern instrumentation & made by Cuban locals with a passion for the craft. Their love for this, and their genuine desire to share it with the world, clearly comes through on this album, and their energy is infectious. There’s a quote from a Guardian article, cited for an essay noting this album’s inclusion into the Library of Congress, calling this “the album that collapsed the cold war wall between Cuba and the west”. That feels like a pretty apt description. There is one minor critique I have, but it’s probably related to how Cuban songs / “classical standards” were just composed back then – I just think there’s a bit of repetition on a number of tracks. It didn’t bite me too badly, but “El carretero” was the one that got me the most, given that it’s just a slower track in general. Given that the soundscapes & the vocal harmonies (as well as the lyrical storytelling, to a degree) are the focal points of the album, it’s a very minor critique, but one that doesn’t matter that much in the long run. I do wish there were a few more fast-tempo tracks, but that’s just my own tastes speaking. Overall, it’s just a delightful album, and worthy of all the name-brand praise it gets. It’s maybe a little long at an hour, but given that I was up and moving when the time called for it, as well as sitting & vibing when the mood called for it, I’d say they did a great job of keeping me along for the ride, and capturing the emotions they wanted to on each track. I really enjoyed it, and I think it’s an easy 5. Thank goodness it’s on the list.
Nov 10 2025 Author
5
Outstanding! How have I not been exposed to this music? Love it.
Nov 09 2025 Author
5
The guy who gave this a 1 for not being in English and everyone that upvoted it should be sentenced to listening to this for the rest of their lives.
Nov 09 2025 Author
5
Weltklasse.
Nov 07 2025 Author
5
Un 4.5 redondeado
Nov 07 2025 Author
5
The old timers showing how it's done. A mix of love and pain that only can be played with love.
Nov 05 2025 Author
5
What an amazing album. It's many years since I listened to it start to finish. I was waiting for the tracks I didn't like - but I didn't hear them! My tastes must have changed over the intervening years. An easy five here.
Nov 05 2025 Author
5
10/10
Nov 04 2025 Author
5
yes, Cuba!
Nov 04 2025 Author
5
Amazing
Nov 04 2025 Author
5
Lovely
Nov 01 2025 Author
5
just makes me so happy
Oct 30 2025 Author
5
Faszinierende Platte, die mich schon sehr lange begleitet. Auch krass, dass die damals einfach Platz 1 der deutschen Album-Charts war. Also definitiv kein Geheimtipp mehr. Ändert aber nix an der unglaublichen Qualität dieses Albums. Kann auch sehr die gleichnamige Doku von Wim Wenders zur Entstehung dieser Platte empfehlen.
Oct 30 2025 Author
5
Richtiger Banger
Oct 30 2025 Author
5
Love this.
Oct 29 2025 Author
5
Ach wie schön