Buena Vista Social Club

Classic. It's been a good week for me on this list. Led Zeppelin II, Thriller, Miseducation of Lauren Hill and now this.

Regime bootlickers

Great music even if I cannot understand a like of Spanish - however, that is what good music does - it brings all people together! 999

Absolute classic. An album I discovered in my late teen years that had a massive impact on the development on my taste. Hadn't listened to it in a few years and I'm glad to find out that it still holds up amazingly well from start to finish. Definitely an all-timer for me.

Some good things there, mostly the most well known track but overall I'm lacking emotion to really connect with it. It is also lacking in fluidity and cohessiveness to me.

Wow, this was a really fun listen! The musicianship here is superb -- the vocal harmonies are so tight, the guitar and percussion are on point, and the piano is absolutely outstanding, especially in the last two songs... wow! If this is representative of Cuban music, this definitely makes me want to dig deeper.

Not typically my jam but I see why this is beloved.

A cool jazz album that was good background music and not much more today. I expected more out of it based on other ratings, but it was just ok. The last couple of songs reminded me of SpongeBob... 6/10 Top song... Buena Vista Social Club

Ehhhhhhh I don't like this one. Just sort of generic sounding. Like, is this breaking new ground for the genre or something? It's entirely possible. If so, not knowing about it is on me, but also that's sort of the name of the game here.

Even though this wasn't my style at all, I was still glad to check this out.

Such a great vibe from these guys

This was a really cool surprise, dig it.

Very nice album, I really like that kinda nostalgic, jazzy sound. Gonna be listening to this one a lot! Hard to pick a favorite song.

2.44/5

Soooo good. I love it

very pleasant to listen to but didn't make a big impression, respectful 3.5

Well that was lovely.

Yeah this is great. I still don’t understand the criteria for making this list. But this is obviously excellent.

The rhythm section redefines time and has deeply entrenched grooves

Que?

Fun and easy listening music.

Really nice and pleasant record. I believe I've heard of this group before, but never properly listened to an album. It has some gentle melodies and instrumentation throughout, complemented with vocals of similar ilk. This is a nice one.

All I know about this band is that I have heard the name in passing. Never heard a single song so this is a true blind listening to this album and band. After reading the track listing I see it is all in Spanish, lets see... "Chan Chan": Couldn't get into this one. Great vocal harmony though "De Camino a La Vereda": This one had a brighter feel. Great vocals but not generating any feelings from me "El Cuarto De Tula": The percussion is really fun but I am not enjoying this so far "Pueblo Nuevo": Some nice piano playing at the start. Oh, the whole song is a instrumental. Still feel nothing "Dos Gardenias": Sounds like a great song for a slow dance or movie credits. Not moving me "¿Y Tu Que Has Hecho?": Nice horn playing and guitar but boring "Veinte Anos": I liked the duet but still can't connect "El Carretero": I'm really struggling here "Candela": I grooved to this for a bit, then I was waiting for it to end "Amor De Loca Juventud": I want to skip but I'm in it for the long haul "Orgullecida": I think I've zoned out. "Murmullo": I'm sorry everybody. "Buena Vista Social Club": Another instrumental with solid piano, but again "La Bayamesa": Sounds like a sweet send-off but I am grateful the album is done. I didn't enjoy this one at all. The genre of the music never spoke to me and the language-barrier kept me from connecting to the meaning of the lyrics. These musicians definitely put heart into these songs but since I am rating this on my personal enjoyment of the albums I have to give this 1 star.

Unexpected! Pleasant and innovative Cuban-style arrangements.

Long listen

Live a bit of Chan Chan

De Camino a la vareda is making me want a nandos. Extremely monotonous and repetitive. Nice steel drums though, and trumpet. El cuarto de Tula has dirty trumpet Sure it's good music, but stylistically it's very repetitive and quite boring to listen to

It felt like instrumental music in Nando’s for a lot of it. I can acknowledge it’s musically very good but it was rather repetitive and very much background music that I wouldn't listen to again. I liked the trumpet - there could have been more trumpet imo, that would bring it up a notch

I thought it was a hard listen, at points it felt like a backing track for a restaurant. I just feel like i was listening to the same song again and again.

I like it

Hohe 4/5

Completely unique album. Brought a whole genre of music to audiences, like Paul Simon’s Graceland.

8 - GOOD

yeah good, fun time. no thoughts really

Groundbreaking

Excellent musicians. I prefer to listen to this music in the background, and not to have it be my focus. 3/5

Nice album.

This was okay to listen to in the car. It is not my type of music at all but I certainly didn’t dislike it and can see why it would be popular.

omg i loved this, felt like i was on holiday and in love, and it made me want to dance

Why does this remind me of Pixar? Not sure, probably something for a therapist to unpack there. Loved Orgullecida

Orgullecida had some fun instrumental moments and Pueblo Nuevo had some really nice jazz elements, but I as soon as the vocals come in I just can’t listen anymore. There’s something about the vocal tone that a lot of Spanish-speaking male singers use that I really don’t enjoy.

me encantó ctm.

Loved it, felt like the best soundtrack to a fancy dinner party. 5/5

Excellent musicians but didn't excite me.

It's starts good and I enjoyed the most of the tracks. But after a while I lost interest in this album. I'm not going to say it's a bad album. Just average for me. So: 3/5

Ihan mahtava! Tosi hyvä fiilis! Kuunnellut paljon, etenkin aamusin!

Very pleasing sound. Maybe held back by not understanding the words, maybe propelled who knows.

Spanish Latin jazz, was interesting

Rate: 100/10. Sazón pura.

Just a masterclass. Thoroughly enjoyable and relaxing from start to finish, not a bad track in the whole bunch.

Até Cubanos

I don’t usually go over 3 stars with these albums from other cultures, but this one was so much fun. I imagined myself sipping a cocktail in a Cuban club somewhere. It transported me for sure.

(4/7) sounds like jazz

I really like it even though it’s not my genre

Enjoyable good background music good coffee sunny day tunes

This is in Spanish, but immediately I like the vibes. Got halfway through before I stopped, but I still think this is a decent album. Recordings were good quality and I liked the music overall, it's just hard for me to listen to a language I don't know for an entire album straight.

Not really my style but pleasant music to drive to and listen to casually nonetheless. Cuban music is uniquely identifiable.

What an incredible glimpse into cuban jazz. Casually throw together a bunch of legends, unknown to most of the world. Such fun, such beauty.

Гранде мучачос

If this doesn’t make you feel relaxed there’s something wrong with you. Wish I had listened in summer, though. Just pretty.

Fine, but a bit samey. 2.5

oh man this is one of my all-time favorites 10 out of 5 right away

Exotico, tenia voces, cantos, coros muy buenos, me gusto lo que escuche pero no terminé.

Buenisiimo. Música que contagia, te lleva. Son excelentes. Y corta un poco tanto género tan habitual que tiene esto. 8/10

4. Easy rating. Chan Chan is what put them on the map, but the whole album is enjoyable and soothing.

music is love

So boring and long. 1.5 stars.

Nice change of pace from all these rock albums, and it’s one of my favorite albums ever.

Pleasant listening.

this has to be the most important Cuban album in the west. it blends together a ton of styles without feeling overcommercialized like a lot of the other Ry Cooder projects under the "world music" (hate that term) umbrella. i even own it on cd! always fun to play an album from this list physically. deserves to be one of the 1001? sure, but i wouldn't mind if it were swapped for a Silvio Rodríguez album

Today's album is Metallica and that's just not gonna fly with my sleepy brain right now haha. So Cubano dance music? Heck yeah. I don't know enough about this genre to review on a quality level, but it's delightful. And then I read up on it and realized oh, this sounds sort of comforting/familiar because I was obsessed with I Love Lucy as a kid.

Belas canções. Me lembra um pouco a música raiz brasileira. Vozes bonitas, harmonia, violãozinho tranquilo. Te transporta pra outro mundo. Deu vontade de conhecer mais a cultura de Cuba.

Always a great spin

Enjoyed this one …not something I normally listen to but I liked it and will see future spins

Really strong start, the perfect vibes to imagine been on a Caribbean island, the sun beating down, the sand on my feet, the steel drums, the saxophone, the acoustic guitars. So dreamy and perfect for an hours sunbathing. The album did slow down and I found myself happy for it to end by the time it did. But just like sunbathing on holiday I can only do so much before it feels boring. This album is exactly like that! Favourite track- ‘de Camino à la vareda’ Worst track- ‘orgullecida’ 9/10 dropping to a 6/10 as the album progressed and I’d had enough sunbathing! For that a 7.5/10 score.

Burma Vista Social Club Enjoyed very much. Reminded me that music is universal, despite language differences. The emotions, and celebratory nature of the songs came through. And the playing was undoubtedly skillful, vibrant and just so good to listen to. Highlights for me were the piano driven Pueblo Nuevo, the lovely two-way De Camino a La Vereda, and the oh-so-danceable Candela and El Cuarto de Tula. The latter being my favourite track Least favourite - I liked them all but some did pass me by a bit such As Y Tu Qu Has Hecho 7.5/10

3.4

Not for me, but I struggle with things when I can't understand the words.

I remember when this came out and was the thing everyone who loves public radio was listening to. I likely bought the CD, but have no recollection of listening to it at the time. I was looking forward to jumping into it today. And for the most part I was not disappointed. It was interesting throughout, but only a few songs truly grabbed me and made me really pay attention. I think I was hoping for something a bit more upbeat, and there were moments, but it was also slower much of the time. It might've helped if I knew Spanish with those songs, but I do not. Standouts were Chan Chan, Pueblo Neuvo, and Candela. This is a solid 3.5 for me, so I'll decide in the morning which way I go.

I really thought this was going to be an EMO band. Initially disappointed but then I kept listening. Excellent. Take me to Mexico or Cuba, wherever they are from!

Very, very good The rating would be off the charts if I was listening in the garden with a rum and a cigar

I gave this a 4 the first time. I think it’s still there. But too much does become too much. 4 Boolean: True

This is my cooking music.

That was lovely ☺️

A good album. It gets really a little samey after a bit but to showcase these great singers was a pleasure for me.

Obviously this had a cultural impact when it was released. The music is definitely not what I expected though. The style is quite a hodgepodge of styles. More eclectic than I thought. It's good but I can't imagine when I would listen to it.

World wide classic

A fun Spanish album

Jamais écouté avant. Conçu comme une introduction au paysage musical d'une des nations les plus viscéralement musicales du monde (de ce point de vue, Cuba tutoie tranquillement des titans comme le Royaume-Uni ou le Brésil), présentée par quelques uns de ses plus illustres ambassadeurs, déjà plus tout jeunes à l'époque de l'album, Buena Vista Social Club est une totale et emballante réussite. On ne s'ennuie pas une seule seconde en découvrant tous les rythmes et les genres de l'île caribéenne, toujours empreints d'une douce mélancolie, et on en ressort avec une seule envie : creuser plus loin, que ce soit dans la carrière de ses interprètes, bien sûr, mais plus généralement dans ce paysage musical d'une diversité étonnante. Top : Candela Flop : Pueblo Nuevo

Vrolijk wakker worden

435/1001 Buena Vista Social Club - s/t Heard before? ✅ Revisit? ✅ I absolutely love this album. The way the harmonies intertwine so well abd what is a fairly simple in terms of arrangements make for some complicated and intricate playing and sound.

Safe to put on at your parents'.

I had no idea this absolute GEM would be in here, what a treat to start my Friday! I discovered this earlier this year funnily enough, what a record. I’ve such a longstanding affinity for Cuba, any nation that has the balls to tell the USA where to stick it is a friend of mine. I’ve yearned for so many years to visit Cuba, as a country its people, history, culture, music have such a draw on me. Given the country’s current plight at the hands of the US I don’t see myself having a chance to visit anytime soon (although that pales insignificant to the suffering of Cuban nationals on a day to day basis.) Listening to Buena Vista Social Club goes some way to transporting me to smoky Havana clubs in the meantime. It’s a perfect blend of all the different sounds that reverberated through the island in its hey day. Brilliant, brilliant record.

Good times! 3.5

5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background

Preeeedobra lagana pricica uz vodu, gasic, more, srce kuca ispod ocekivanog broja udaraca.

im feeling latino

Partially known. Good times.

Really fun album, super pleasant listening experience. I unfortunately don't get to know if its a lyrical masterpiece since it's in Spanish, but I most definitely enjoyed what I heard.

This was fun. Didn’t understand a word, but dug the vibes.