Spanish Language Music Recommendations

[The_Dude]

I learned a lot of French from listening to French music, notably Jaques Brel, because I loved his words.

Any recommendations on Spanish language music?

I've downloaded a bit of Jorge Negrete, and old Mexican singer...that's not bad, but I only have one song.

I'm in it for the poetry of the words, but also for good music cause I'm not going to listen to the poetry if the music sucks...

Does Los Lobos sing much in Spanish, or Gypsy Kings?....

thanks...

[chapulincolorado]

Does Los Lobos sing much in Spanish

On a few songs

or Gypsy Kings?....


They are Cale (gypsies) from France, IIRC, but I think most of their songs are in their Spanish/Cale language.

Since music in Spanish covers so many genres....why don't you give us one or two genres and we can give you suggestions.

For starters, try music from Juan Gabriel.

[Dr. Know]

What type of music do you like?

For starters I'd say Buena Vista Social Club.

[Auriaprottu]

http://www.cafetacuba.com.mx/images/re.jpg

Not a Spanish speaker, but this album is among my favorite buys of the last five or six years. Four tracks made my MP3 player- La Aparata, La Ingrata, Tropico de Cancer, and Pez.

[Panfilo]

First off spanish language music is incredibly diverse, so I'll try to break it down into different categories.

Ok Jorge Negrete was a famous actor and singer of the Golden Era of Mexican cinema in the 50's. But he wasn't the best ranchera singer of the time. Pedro Infante and Javier Solis were bigger.

Rancheras
Javier Solis- The best voice ever. Ok thats just my opinion. Tragically he died early, but he left us with gems. songs- Perfidia; sombras nada mas; solamente una vez
Pedro Infante- The most legendary entertainer in Mexican history. Mexican elvis. songs- amorcito corazon; cien anos; yo no fui.
Vicente Fernandez- The most famous ranchera singer alive right now. Legend. Charisma of a Frank Sinatra. songs- La Ley Del Monte; no me se rajar; de que manera te olvido
Jose Alfredo Jimenez- Greatest composer in ranchera history. Also sang, but is better known for the songs he wrote. songs- El Rey; camino de guanajuato; ella
Jorge Negrete- covered him already.

You also mentioned Los Lobos. Los Lobos sing in both english and spanish. They are from east La. However, they never really made an impact in the english or spanish music scene. Unfortunate since they are great musicians.

Good music with good lyrics you said. I'll pick some of my favorites

Spanish Rock/Alternative
Soda Stereo- From Argentina they were pioneers for the emergence of the rock movement of the 80s and 90s. Regarded as the best band of the genre. songs- musica ligera; persiana americana; nada personal
Cafe Tacuba- From Mexico these guys are eclectic to say the least. They play anything from traditional Mexican folk music to death metal to pop tunes to boleros. Have experimented tremendously and one day will be regarded as the best band. songs- eres;ixtepec;ingrata
Los Tres- Chilean trio, who were of ahead of their time. Now defunct they had a huge influence on such bands like Cafe Tacuba. song- Amor Violento; dejate caer.
Heroes Del Silencio- From Spain, they had a sort of 80s rock sound. They kind of reminded me of the Cult. songs- Entre Dos Tierras, Iberia Sumergida
Caifanes- Mexican band from 80s and early 90s. Probably the most unique sounding band of Spanish Rock. Influenced by the Cure. songs- viento; afuera; no dejes que.
Fabulosos Cadillacs- Argentine ska band. The best ska band in the world. Songs are catchy as hell, if you don't move to this you've got problems. songs- matador; mal bicho; gitana.

Pop
Mana- Some people regard them as rock. But who are we kidding, they are pop. Not my cup of tea, but they have millions of fans. songs- dejame entrar; rayando el sol; vivir sin aire.
Shakira- Ya everyone knows who she is. But she had some good songs on her first albums. songs- estoy aqui; ojos asi
Alejandro Saenz- Spanish singer songwriter. Very good lyrics in his songs. I think Gringotex is infatuated with him. songs- corazon partido; solo se me ocurre amarte
Julieta Venegas- Piano player, guitarist and she can play a mean accordion. First was alternative now more poppy. Just writes great tunes and her voice is angelical. And I have a school boy crush on her. songs-la jaula de oro; algo esta cambiando; de mis pasos.

Tropical/Caribe
Celia Cruz- The queen, you should have already have heard of her by now. Legend. Comparable to Aretha Franklin. songs- la vida es un carnival; rie y llora.
Juan Luis Guerra- Lyrics are the key. One of the best songwriters of any genre. Another legend. songs- ojala que llueva cafe; la bilirrubina; quisiera ser un pez.
Buena Vista Social Club- All star cuban musicians. All legends. What more can you say. songs- cuarto de tula; candela; ran kan kan.
Perez Prado- I trust you have heard of him, if not where have you been living all this time. songs- mambo pachuco; que rico el mambo; mambo #8.
Gloria Estefan- I included her, because I loved her album "Mi Tierra" songs- mi tierra; con los anos que me quedan
Hector Lavoe- Most famous salsa singer probably. Died young. Also left us with gems- el cantante; periodico de ayer.

Vallenato/Cumbia
Carlos Vives- Famous for bringing back vallenato to the masses of latin america. covered famous songs from vallenato legends also has his own songs that he made popular. songs- la gota fria; fruta fresca;
Alejo Duran- The most famous of all vallenato singers/composers. Legend songs- pedazo de acordeon; la cacucha bacana
La Sonora Dinamita- The most famous cumbia band. No one holds a candle to them. songs- capullo y sorullo; la colegiala; mete y saca.

Singers
Silvio Rodriguez- Cuban singer and composer. Has leftist points of views but his sings are just brilliant. Poetry. songs- ojala; la maza.
Franco de Vita- Venezuelan composer and singer. Has made some of the most memorable songs of the last 25 years. songs- te amo; un buen perdedor; solo importas tu.
Juan Gabriel- Mexican singer and composer. I liken him to Elton John, not because of his style but because they are gay legends. :p Has sold over 50 million records composed over 500 songs. Genious. songs- amor eterno; no tengo dinero; yo no naci para amar.
Carlos Gardel- After Maradona I don't know of any other person more beloved in Argentina. Basically created the tango. What more can I say. songs- mi noche triste; mi buenos aires querido; viejo smoking



I should write a second part. But that will do for now.

[Rima067]

Buena Vista Social Club and gipsy Kings seconded.

I very much like Mala Rodriguez, she's a rapper from Spain.

[chapulincolorado]

Buena Vista Social Club and gipsy Kings seconded.


Gipsy Kings are good....However, I don't remember them singing in Spanish. They speak Romani or Calo, which is the gipsy language of their region. O no? :confused:

[chapulincolorado]

Spanish Rock/Alternative


I should write a second part. But that will do for now.

Dude! You forgot El Tri! :eek:

http://www.tejanoclassics.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/el%20tri%20los%20numero%20uno2.jpg

[GringoTex]

Alejandro Saenz- Spanish singer songwriter. Very good lyrics in his songs. I think Gringotex is infatuated with him. songs- corazon partido; solo se me ocurre amarte


This is true. It's still a great mystery to me why I think this man is music god.

And I third the Cafe Tacuba recommendation. ********ing geniuses. Get Re and Cuatro Caminos.

[Dr. Know]

And I third the Cafe Tacuba recommendation. ********ing geniuses. Get Re and Cuatro Caminos.

Awesome live show as well. They never got tired of playing. Seemed to enjoy the whole things and they actually took requests from the audience.

Silvio Rodriguez is amazing.

And also Fabulosos aren't just a ska band. That might give people a bad idea of them. They actually mix up a shit load of genres.

[Panfilo]

Dude! You forgot El Tri! :eek:

http://www.tejanoclassics.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/el%20tri%20los%20numero%20uno2.jpg

I forgot a shytload.

But then again I think I wrote like a thousand words on that post. So I'm thinking of starting kind of like the spanish version of Alex's brazilian music thread.

[The_Dude]

Thanks for the answers....

I like words and then music. Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, Radiohead, Bruce, Lyle Lovett, David Allen Coe, The Sisters of Mercy, The Smiths, BB King, Buddy Guy. I really like the Ranchero Music I´ve heard.

But above all, it is to learn the language. Were it French music, French people would probably say George Brassens is the best wordsmith and that Jaques Brel wasn't even French. And that Jaques Dutronc and Serge Gainsbourg were better anyway.

For me, Brel was great to learn from because of the way he sang, the simplicity of his words as well as the depth of them....

So, which of those guys have nice words, but might not be too complicated for a guy living in Spain, learning quickly and already is fluent in French.

thanks...

[The Double]

Spanish Rock/Alternative
Soda Stereo- From Argentina they were pioneers for the emergence of the rock movement of the 80s and 90s. Regarded as the best band of the genre. songs- musica ligera; persiana americana; nada personal


Along with Los Prisioneros and Los Enanitos Verdes, they're my favorite spanish language band. If I didn't live in Peru, I'd completely miss out on all 3 of those bands.

[Rafael Hernandez]

http://www.cafetacuba.com.mx/images/re.jpg

Not a Spanish speaker, but this album is among my favorite buys of the last five or six years. Four tracks made my MP3 player- La Aparata, La Ingrata, Tropico de Cancer, and Pez.

Maybe I'm biased because Cafe Tacuba is my favorite band of all time (along with REM) but that to me is the greatest latin rock album of all time.

[Dr. Know]

Maybe I'm biased because Cafe Tacuba is my favorite band of all time (along with REM) but that to me is the greatest latin rock album of all time.

It's certainly up there.

I remember when Cuarto Caminos came out some clueless American music "journalists" where comparing it to Kid A (the Radiohead album). That has to be one of the most idiotic music remarks in recent history.

[Panfilo]

Maybe I'm biased because Cafe Tacuba is my favorite band of all time (along with REM) but that to me is the greatest latin rock album of all time.

Its more than latin rock though.

I dare say that no one in latin america has created an album as diverse as this one.

I know I know, pretty big statement. But everyone plays it safe, they rarely change styles.

Cafe Tacuba are the Beatles of latin music. Always changing there styles.



I remember when Cuarto Caminos came out some clueless American music "journalists" where comparing it to Kid A (the Radiohead album). That has to be one of the most idiotic music remarks in recent history.

I prefered Cuatro Caminos. How the hell did they compare those two albums though. Vastly different styles. Tacubos were more melancholy and more rock oriented in this album. Radiohead has been in experimental mode for a while.

[Panfilo]

Here are videos of the aforementioned artists.

Javier Solis
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Pedro Infante vs Jorge Negrete
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Vicente Fernandez
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Jose Alfredo Jimenez
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[Panfilo]

Soda Stereo
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Cafe Tacuba
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Los Tres
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Heroes Del Silencio
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Caifanes
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Los Fabulosos Cadillacs
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[Panfilo]

Mana
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Shakira
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Alejandro Sanz
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Julieta Venegas
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[Dr. Know]

Might as well add Gustavo Cerati to the list. Former member of Soda Stereo. His solo stuff is quite good.

My turn now to add some good punk/rock bands from Spain:

Eskorbuto:

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La Polla Records:

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Reincidentes:

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Marea:

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El Ultimo Ke Zierre:

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Paralisis Permanente (post-punk type band very influenced by Bowie, Cure, Joy Division):

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There some other ones missing like: Kortatu, Extremoduro, and Siniestro Total.

I'll also add Hombres G a great pop-rock band from Spain:

Hombres G:

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