Fania Records 1964-1980: The Original Sound of Latin New York

It would seem that Strut's summertime Salsa Explosion (reviewed in Songlines #72) was really just a starter for this, more comprehensive, Fania release. It has almost become a cliché to suggest that Fania is the NuYorican equivalent of Motown, but it's a fair comparison, and this double CD is a kind of ‘Best of the Chartbusters’ affair. The nice thing about it is that it presents its period gems in chronological order, so listeners can hear the evolution of what we now know as ‘salsa’.

The focus is on the actual label rather than the Fania umbrella, which explains the surprising absence of both Tito Puente and Eddie Palmieri, both of whom recorded for Fania's sister label, Tico, among others. Starting, appropriately, with the label's co-founder, Johnny Pacheco, we move from the more traditional sound of Jewish salsero Larry Harlow's orchestra through some classics of the boogaloo era and the jazzier ‘AfroCubaRican’ sound of Willie Colón and his fast-living superstar vocalist, Héctor Lavoe, to the trademark sound of blazing horn sections and death-defying percussion associated with the Fania All Stars and other favourites of the 1970s.

Since there are few surprises here, this album might be unnecessary for collectors and completists. It is, however, a compilation that exudes quality and class – from track one to track 29 right through to Dean Rudland's exemplary sleeve notes – which makes it a terrific primer for neophytes, dabblers and explorers.