William's Song a Day Blog - est. September 2007

From: Santana IV ; Year: 2016; Genre: Chicano Rock/Latin Rock Discovered this one-off record that featured almost all of the surviving members from the early period of Santana: Santana III and prior. This includes Carlos Santana (of course), Neal Schon, Gregg Rolie, Michael Shrieve, and Mike Carabello; the rest of the lineup was completed by current members of the band. I really like this classic sound all around, it really takes you back to those revered songs we all love from the band. The only niggling criticism that I personally have is that the sound is overproduced and too clean; it would've been better to reuse older studio equipment and recording techniques in my personal opinion.    Hear Leave Me Alone on YouTube.         My song pick 1 year ago today: Jethro Tull - Back to the Family     My song pick 2 years ago today: Klaatu - Hope   My song pick 3 years ago today: Midnight Oil - We Resist   My song pick 4 years ago today: T...

From: Ritchie Valens ; Year: 1959; Genre: Rock 'n Roll/Chicano Rock I had some other songs in mind for today, but thought I should pick something apropos for Cinco de Mayo . Although, I am feeling more than a bit sheepish with this obvious pick. Don't get me wrong, I love Ritchie Valens and his music a lot, just wish I could think of something deeper so to speak; oh well. Anyway, this is one of the most famous non-English songs to grace the U.S. charts and is still played and sung around the world since. Originally it was a traditional Mexican folk tune with many 1000s of verses written and ad-libed over the centuries since its conception, which makes it an amazing party tune. And since Ritchie Valens made it so popular, no matter wot language you speak it is fun for all.   Hear La Bamba on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: The Coasters - The Deodorant Song   My song pick 2 years ago today: Barrabás - Wild Safari   My song pick 3 years ago t...