Can't Beat The Price!

Being a long-time fan of boleros, I couldn't pass this up when I was perusing box sets of Latin music on this site. I was already familiar with many of the songs, though not being from Mexico and only 45, was not familiar with many of the artists, not even the token gringo. Los Panchos have been a favorite since I could walk, and there are some Panchos hits in the box, but here was a great opportunity to hear some of the same songs I know and love performed by various artists. Don't take the three stars to mean I don't like the set, I do. It just means there is nothing here in the realm of musical greatness. There are a several artists presented besides Los Panchos I like very much, such as Los Tres Reyes and Daniel Santos. But some of the recordings are so cheesy that I was amused in addition to being entertained. I like the format of the set where the better-known or more prolific artists are allotted one song on each CD, while those lesser-known or who were one-hit-wonders are given a slot toward the end of one of the CDs. If you are a real bolero fan, you will find much to like here. So what if a few songs don't measure up? With 100 songs presented, you can't go wrong and you sure can't beat the price.

Can't Beat The Price, Pt. 2

I saw this box set advertised here at the same time I bought Vol. 1, so decided to jump in and get the whole set at once. Like its sister, 100 Boleros De Amor Vol. 2 is filled with lots of wonderful songs, some familiar and some not, which are performed by a huge variety of artists, some familiar and some not. Some of the artists whose recordings are featured here are also to be found on Vol 1, however Vol 2 features several who were not on the first, most notably Agustin Lara. Some Lara compositions performed by others are also presented here. Three stars does not mean the set is not good, it means there is nothing outstanding on it. Some of the recordings are so cheesy I laughed out loud when I heard them, but even so, they should be listened to in the spirit of the times in which they were originally recorded. This is old stuff and the instruments and recording techniques are just not what they are today. Despite my moments of mirth, if you enjoy bolero as much as I, then you should own this as there are 100 songs to choose from and once again, you can't beat the price.

Excelent example of Latin Music in the 60's.

If you want to get a CD with the best Latin American music from the 1960's, this is the one.