Fania Label Czech
kidinquisitive
1,627 Posts
I just got a copy of Cosa Nuestra by Willie Colon and the label is the palm tree design. Does that mean it's a second pressing or had the label already switched to this design from the clouds design? Either way I'm glad to have this record in my possession now! 
Comments
Its a hot record, great cover. Have you checked out the cover of "Che Che Cole" by Anitbalas on daptone!!
You're not gonna like the answer...
Although it doesn't say so on the cover, I'm assuming CRIME PAYS is a compilation. I'm not home to check, but I think one of the songs from EL MALO reappears on CRIME PAYS. Not a remake or a remix, but the original master, verbatim.
Fania. Now THAT'S a label discography I'd like to see on the Both Sides Now website.
Yeah, that would be great... the best you're going to do for now, though, is the paper innersleeves that have images of about a third of the classic catalog. The problem is that generally only albums by the big name arists--Barretto, Colon, Pacheco, etc.--are depicted there; you'd never know the Latinaires or George Guzman LPs existed.
Here's a Fania question I have:
I've seen several references to Monguito Santamaria's "four" LPs on Fania, but I only know of three: On Top, Hey Soul Sister and Blackout. What's the fourth? Are they referring to En Una Nota, which was on Inca but distributed by Fania and featured Fania personnel? Or to a release by Santamaria's confusingly-named labelmate Monguito "El Unico"?
Crime Pays is a compilation of Willie and Hector's first four releases on Fania, El Malo, The Hustler, Cosa Nuestra, and, Guisando. As towards the label with the palm trees, the only Fania records I've seen them with are the Venezuelan pressings.
Faux-- as far as I know those are the only four Monguito albums he put out, there is no fourth Fania release. Blackout was the last one recorded and released in 1970. He then cut En Una Nota with Inca in 1974.
Do you, or does anyone, know who else, besides Ronnie Marks, did vocals for Monguito's On Top LP?
there are US palm tree labels - my copy of Siembra from 1978 is palm tree and it's a US press. I also have a later press of FAS @ the Red Garter that's US and palm tree.
for what it's worth.
Note: Venezuelan pressings suck NASCAR Driver Chimpanzee Testicles.
Good question, and I don't know the answer to it.
By the way, welcome to the board--I appreciate the Latin knowledge you've been dropping lately.
"Pacheco presents Monguito" might be considered the 4th LP. Depends how you see it.
Yeah, those innersleeves stop somewhere around 1971 (by which time they were STILL putting out separate mono and stereo records, after the other labels switched to stereo entirely - what's up with that?). Not only are those sleeves great for discographical reasons, but they'll also do until somebody compiles a Fania album cover art book (ala Blue Note). Their art department had some SICK covers...
That's Monguito "El Uniquo"--a different Monguito, who recorded about half a dozen LPs on Fania as a vocalist.
why's he gotta have the same name. Idiots!
That record is also kind of not what's up, by the way.
Faux beat me to it, here's a jpg though,
It is... what's kind of bugged is that Monguito "El Uniquo" actually bears a greater physical resemblance to Mongo Santamaria than his actual son, the other Monguito, does.
That's why I never bought it, by the way.
Definitely.
By the way, you can order vintage Izzy Sanabria-designed prints advertising concerts off his website. I've got one promoting an "African Twist Marathon" featuring Eddie Palmieri, Ray Barretto, Joe Bataan and the Lebron Brothers framed in my record room.
Don't lie now....
It was too scratched to lie
Maybe because of the age difference, El Unico being closer to Santamaria Sr. and Jr such a baby, he recorded On Top when he was 21.
I gotta say I don't really like El Unico's voice or his records too much, Santamaria Jr is where its at though!
I also find it funny that Mongo is a word for lame (no amputee), so Monguito is kind of like "little lameo."
El link-o por favor...
http://www.salsamagazine.com/generic18.html
Be aware that the print quality really isn't what it should be for what he charges (they're vintage designs, but new posters)... but I couldn't be too mad at putting a little extra money in that dude's pocket.
Very cool. Thanks.
That's hilarious. Reminds me of a friend who taught in Ecuador for a while. She said that the little village she lived in loved the cruel nicknames. She had a student with cerebral palsy who "walked funny," so everyone called her patecumbia 'cause it looked like she was dancing the cumbia.
And there was a little boy in her class who had one ear. His nickname? Taza.
Translation?
Ouch.
And didn't Jerry Masucci die just as people were starting to become interested in the bugalu Fania sound again?
I believe they existed in some form through the earlier eighties. I tend to place the end of thr classic Fania era around the release of Hommy, although some good stuff was released well after that point, especially by Hector Lavoe.
It had me until someone told me... also, file this under "Sealed Fania". Not a warp in it but bottom half of sleeve falls apart when you sneeze.
1975, was it? Yeah, looks like salsa, like its brothers and sisters in soul, took a little dive around '76, huh?
Just before this stuff started getting reissued again, for years the Fania albums I saw the most were the really late ones from the Reagan era...especially that Ruben Blades elpee where he's dressed like a boxer and Willie Colon (or somebody) is dressed like his trainer, and they're holding their arms up as if to declare Ruben the champeen or something. I think this was from '83, right around the time Blades was the big salsa crossover hero for a MINUTE.