"Brown Eyed Soul" The Sound Of East L.A., Vol. 1, 2, 3

Not so much Latin music, so much as soul that played big on the Latino scene in East LA – but a great batch of tracks that spans three decades, but is all united by a very strong sound. (Dusty Groove)Much like Britain's northern soul community, the Latino population of Southern California fell for soul music and initially imported many of its favorite songs, but the community also fostered a fertile base of artists by the mid-'60s. Unlike the sound of boogaloo/Latin soul (based in New York City), early brown-eyed soul owed little to traditional Latin music and was rarely performed in Spanish. Instead, rock bands like Cannibal & the Headhunters ("Land of 1000 Dances") and Thee Midniters -- inspired by '50s Latino rocker Ritchie Valens -- earned national recognition playing anthemic rock & roll with an R&B edge. Smooth Chicago soul and Motown hits were big crowd favorites at dances during the early '60s (alongside a rare local sensation like Brenton Wood). When the East L.A. community began gradually moving from energetic R&B to romantic soul, the results were some of the sweetest soul music heard during the late '60s and '70s......Another wing of the brown-eyed soul crowd was influenced by Chicano, the Latino civil-rights movement emphasizing heritage and cultural pride. As a result, bands like War, Malo, El Chicano, and Tierra followed Latin-rock breakout Santana into the nation's cultural consciousness. Brown-eyed soul anthems kept edging the charts during the mid-'70s (a good example being Bloodstone's "Natural High"), but rarely breached the national radar after 1980. Rhino Records' three-volume series Brown Eyed Soul: The Sound of East L.A. remains the definitive document of all the imported hits and homegrown talent associated with the style. (All Music Guide)trax Vol 1:
1. I'm A Fool - The Turks 2. Together - Tierra 3. All Day Music - War 4. Hey Senorita - The Penguins 5. Heaven & Paradise - Don Julian & The Meadowlarks 6. The Entertainer - Tony Clarke 7. Mr. D.J. - Van McCoy 8. I Found My Love - The M-M & The Peanuts 9. The Town I Live In - Thee Midniters 10. Me And You - Brenton Wood 11. Brown Eyed Girl - El Chicano 12. Tonight - The Carlos Brothers 13. Pachuko Hop - Chuck Higgins 14. Our Anniversary - The Five Satins 15. I Guess That Don't Make Me A Loser - The Brothers Of Soul 16. Symbol Of Heaven - Little Julian Herrera
trax Vol 2:
1. La La La La La - The Blendells 2. Queen Of My Heart - Rene & Ray 3. We Belong Together - Ritchie Valens 4. Those Lonely Lonely Nights - Johnny "Guitar" Watson 5. Why Can't We Be Friends? - War 6. Baby, Is There Something On Your Mind - McKinley Travis 7. Sitting In The Park - Billy Stewart 8. Diamonds And Pearls - The Paradons 9. I'm Without A Girl Friend - The Gallahads 10. My Heart Cries - The Romancers 11. Dreaming Casually - Thee Midniters 12. Please Baby Please - Cannibal & The Headhunters 13. Beware - Jesse Belvin 14. Farmer John - The Premiers 15. Baby You Got It - Brenton Wood 16. East Side - Hank Jacobs
trax Vol 3:
1. Mine Exclusively - The Olympics 2. Tell Her She's Lovely - El Chicano 3. Let's Get Together Again - Carol Hughes 4. I Fooled You This Time - Gene Chandler 5. Natural High - Bloodstone 6. Don't Let No One Get You Down - War 7. Land Of 1000 Dances - Cannibal & The Headhunters 8. Tell Him - Patti Drew 9. I'm Sorry - Bo Diddley 10. Making Ends Meet - Thee Midniters 11. Forever - The Marvelettes 12. Bring Me Happiness - Rosie & Ron 13. Close Your Eyes - Peaches & Herb 14. Image Of A Girl - The Safaris 15. Catch You On The Rebound - Brenton Wood 16. It's Got To Be Mellow - Leon Haywood
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