Once I purchased my copy of this wonderful CD, I was really hooked. The more I listen to it, the more I love it. The love and emotion for the artists' craft comes through and leaves an indelible mark on each listener's heart.

These once forgotten musicians through the help of Ry Cooder have been able to share their traditional melodies with the western world.

I was amazed to see how successful this album's sale have been for a world music title. But a few listens later, it didn't surprise me at all. I guess people just know great music when they hear it even when it crosses ethnic and language boundaries.

By the way, I'm an audiophile and the sound quality on this album is exceptional. The sound has a lot of depth and ambiance. Try this CD in a high end audio system and you'll experience a certain intimacy you don't find in most traditional studio albums.


Full Of Life And Energy.   June 4, 2000
 72 out of 76 found this review helpful

"Buena Vista Social Club" is a collection of music done with true feeling, talent and spirit. Great music never gets too old and here is evidence the great music from Cuba is still vibrant today as it was 40 years ago. The film based on the group had a special message about how age doesn't matter in the area of the great artists. One of the musicians here is in his 90s and look at how alive and energetic and moving this music is! The vocals, the music, the lyrics are all rich and full of style. These are real musicians playing real music. Like Santana's "Supernatural," "Buena Vista Social Club" is more of an experience than just good music. Songs like "Chan Chan" are really deep and move you in a nice way, others like "Candela" just excite you with the energy and fun feeling of it all. I'm grateful to Ry Cooder for bringing back these incredible musicians who play some of the best Cuban music ever. The only reason other arists like Celia Cruz don't mention them that often is because they still live in their homeland, Cuba. But they deserve praise and more. Recently we remembered Tito Puente who was a great musician and recently passed away, but we should also appreciate those who really brought Latin music to life, the ones who really play it with spirit and feeling. "Buena Vista Social Club" is no less than a masterpiece.


A magical gathering   December 20, 1999
 62 out of 63 found this review helpful

This is an album of great delicacy and power, recorded with a reverence for the music and the musicians, in which every musician's humor and grace is allowed to shine through. For those who claim there are better records of son music out there--maybe. But how many have done as much for this kind of music? None. Especially magical is the fact that this group could easily never have happened were it not for a few people with the dedication to see that it did. The story behind this album is as inspiring as the music. These tracks have a little something for everyone: melancholy, laughter, power and grandeur. Shame on those reviewers slamming Ry Cooder, as if he were just another "musical imperialist," a slick showbiz creep exploiting these musicians, as if he weren't one of the most tasteful and versatile players in the world today. Let's make one thing perfectly clear: it took many wonderful people to make this record, but without Ry Cooder, it would never have had this kind of success. And shame on the goofus who breaks down the profit distribution for the record--as if he knows!(sad little person). If you see the inspiring film made about this group, you'll see the look on their faces as they play Carnegie Hall--80 year old men whose dreams are coming true! Not to mention most of these musicians are now touring elsewhere and enjoying music careers for the first time in 30 years. They haven't gone back to poverty and obscurity--and they are more than happy to hear Cooder's slide guitar!


An antidote for the blues   January 23, 2000
 42 out of 45 found this review helpful

On a cold, blustery day driving through the small country town where I live in Pennsylvania, I couldn't care less about the -10 below zero weather, because I'm listening to Buena Vista Social Club.

The music is so romantic, yet so subtle and so vibrant all at the same time. When Ibrahim Ferrer sings "Dos Gardenias," you just yearn to be the recipient of those two gardenias, to be the one told by him, as in the song, that he loves and adores you. I felt so swayed by the mellowness of the sound and the elegance of how he sings it.

I was swept up by one one song after another in this highly artisitic CD, in which each of the artists adds something to the total rendition, and, at the same time, takes energy and inspiration from all the other artists. It's really amazing how the music all comes together in song after song.

I remember growing up in NYC in the 1950's how we were all caught up in Latin rhythms, especially from Cuba. Then Came Castro and the subsequent blackout from there.

How wonderful to welcome these great artists and their marvelous music back in this wonderful CD after such a long time away.


Not the Outstanding Performance I Expected   November 22, 1999
 38 out of 41 found this review helpful

As an avid Cuban music collector I was excited by the reviews, but disapointed after listening to the recording. The sound is fair, but lacks the "son" of past great Cuban perfomers such as Blanca Rosa Gil, Benny More, Celeste Mendoza, Nico Mambiela, Trio La Rosa, and the great Trio Matamoros. The Buena Vista "boys" grew up hearing these great Cuban musicians of the '40 and '50s, which strongly influenced their own music. Overall, the recording is fine. I suggest listening to "Esto Era Cuba Chaguito", "Guajira y Son", "Cubanisimas Vol.1", "Cuba L.A.", "Son de Cuba", "Matancera Romantica", and "Guajiras - Los Violines de Prego".