The Complete 78s, Vol. 2

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Manufacturer: Fania / Umgd

Average Customer Rating:

Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 8773130041688
Label: Fania / Umgd
Manufacturer: Fania / Umgd
Number Of Discs: 2
Publisher: Fania / Umgd
Release Date: 2008-09-23
Studio: Fania / Umgd

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Editorial Reviews:

This is the second volume of one of the most important musical projects undertaken by the Fania label. The classic Tico 78 RPM recordings of Tito Puente are made available in digital quality and with the informative liner notes of Joe Conzo (a confidant and historian' of the late "King of Latin Music" Tito Puente.)

The 40 tracks are from the early period of Puente's musical career, when he wrote and performed some of his best material. This release makes a good argument for the history of Afro-Cuban based dance music being separated into two periods, before Puente and after Puente. The King's arranging skills are remarkable for its time. Only Puente can find so many different and interesting ways to play the mambo, as in "Calypso Mambo," "Mambo En Blues," "El Mambo Diablo," "Mambo Night," "Mambo Birdland" and "Mambo Mist." Listen to Puente's Latin transformation of jazz standards, such as "Autumn Leaves," "I Get A Kick Out Of You," "What Is This Thing Called Love."

One of the greatest ever documentaries of maestro Puente.

Spotlight customer reviews:

Customer Rating:

Summary: Not the best, but I'm thankful for it
Comment: Some of the audio is really bad, but I suspect this is because of lost or damaged masters, not remastering. And compared to the first volume, the material is less consistent, starting off with some really dire tracks with the really dire DeCastro Sisters. Things don't really get back on track until Disc 2 of this set, which is far superior.
I wouldn't be without these discs but they are really for fans, not casual listeners.

Customer Rating:

Summary: This is CD is taken directly from the original 78's
Comment: The previous reviewers obviously didn't tap into the fact that these recordings are taken directly from the original 78's (hence the title). The master tapes of these recordings are long gone so this is the only way you are going to hear these historic/classic songs. People from the "digital age" need to stop being so picky and appreciate the fact that someone was generous enough to lend the original 78's to make this CD. The only other way to hear this music is to buy original copies of the records which are extremely rare and go for hundreds of dollar each. I'm happy with this CD and highly recommend it to hard core fans who care more about content than fidelity.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Really poor transfers destroy the listening experience
Comment: I've been searching for years for the sides that the wonderful DeCastro Sisters cut with Tito Puente and was thrilled to see them reissued on CD. How unfortunate that the transfers are so poor. The pitch is too high, meaning the discs were transferred at the wrong speed (or taken from old tape transfers where the pitch was wrong and was not corrected here, who knows?). At any rate, the DeCastros sound like Cuban chipmunks, and the sound of the band is sharp and tinny throughout. Clearly, these were taken from used commercial 78s and not master acetates or tapes. There have been many advances in 78-to-digital technology just in the last few years, and the engineers at Miami Tape (the only credit given for the digital transfers) apparently are not aware of them. What a shame that such a worthy project has been executed so poorly. The better your listening ear, the more annoying you will find the sound quality here.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Historical value
Comment: This recording sounds like it was transfered from actual 78 records
instead of master discs.It is a really poor recording with one of the tunes recorded twice. Mambo en Blue is actually Mambo Birdland, which repeats later.Didn't anyone proof this before it was released ?

I've been following Tito for some 50 odd years,so these recordings have
historical significance for me. Some of the track are fair fidelity wise
and there are some tracks that are new to me.

If you're a first time buyer ,skip this and purchase Dance Mania,
Cuban Fantasy or one of his later albums like Mambo Birdland

Customer Rating:

Summary: Warped tone 78's
Comment: I am a big fan of Tito Puente and was hoping to hear something beautiful from "The Complete 78's, Vol. 2" but was highly disappointed. I'm sure each of the 78's sounded wonderful when played years ago when fresh from the store, but on this CD they now sound as if they are warped. Very little scratches are heard, but continual playing in and out of speed and key. The songs are super; Puente and his band were obviously the masters of Afro-Cuban Jazz. So if you are purchasing this CD to get an understanding of his complete repertoire this might be an album for you, but for the sound, you must be willing to survive this dramatic change of tone. Maybe my one star was one to many for in some songs the tone almost makes me cringe.

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