HALL WAYS REVIEW: For better or for worse, most of the time, what draws me to read a
book is its cover. And Chicano Soul: Recordings
& History of an American Culture absolutely grabbed
me with the bright colors and bold print.
The beauty of the book doesn’t stop with the cover; inside, the lay-out
is engaging even as a digital copy, and I cannot wait to hold it in my hands
and have it gussying-up my bookshelf. Filled
with fascinating facts and images of memorabilia - many from the author's own
collection - it is fun and interesting to flip through the pages just to look
at the photos.
"Within the area of South Texas there exists a
culture caught between Mexico and the rest of America, a buffer zone if you
will, with a culture all its own. The music of this region was a reflection of
this uniqueness and of the inhabitants of the region, gritty, and full of
life."
I am completely ignorant of music
history of any kind - be it Bach or Britney. And in Chicano Soul, there are a gazillion people and band names dropped,
very few recognizable to me. But isn't that, in part, author Ruben Molina's
point? The Mexican-American music evolution is a huge chunk of music history
that most people don't know about. The good news is that even without knowing the names, the weight of the names and implications of their roles in music
history carries readers enough to be able to understand the importance of the
change points in history -- how person X heard band Y and arranged a meeting
with label/DJ/manager Z really mattered.
There is so much in this book, and
it felt overwhelming at times without a strict chronological timeline and
without being able to clearly see the building blocks stacked in order. Structurally,
the Table of Contents helps break out who
is who and shows the division of Chicano Soul into early influences & pioneers, then
focusing on groups regionally -- from San Antonio & around the state of
Texas to California and Phoenix & Albuquerque. At the end
of the book is a substantial discography which lists all the musicians and bands,
their cities of origin, and mentioned releases. A chronological listing or mapping would have
been a fabulous addition to really help readers see the big picture.
The overall theme of the book is to
underscore the rich cultural legacy that paved the way for today's musicians.
A few of my take-aways:
*many of the musicians forming these
bands in the 1950s and 1960s were only twelve to fourteen years old (Freddie/Freddy Chavez [The Majestics, Thee Chekkers] only eleven!);
*the sound of the music was based on
what instruments were readily available -- the newly forming Chicano bands
didn't have much piano, for example, because no one had access to them;
*as victims of discrimination, the black and Mexican communities cooperated and
supported each other in venues, wage payments, and audiences;
*war(s) decimated the black and
Chicano music scenes;
*missing are the expected stories of
wild partying and recklessness but repeatedly, the professionalism
of the bands is emphasized.
Disappointingly, also mostly missing
from the book is the role of women in the formation, participation, and success
of the Chicano bands. Readers will notice a few females in pictures, but there
are only scattered mentions of lead singers like Rosie Hamlin (Rosie and the
Originals), Paula Estrada (The Latinaires), Mary Unzuetta (The Velveteens), and
Ersi Arvisu (El Chicanos). There is an interesting story about Lillian Gonzales
(wife of Pa-Go-Go records label owner Pato Gonzales) being responsible for the
success of “96 Tears" by ? and the Mysterians:
Pato’s wife Lillian went to the
radio stations and told them they were being prejudiced because we’re Chicanos,
well they started playing it and it hit; she’s the one that made it hit.
Lastly -- though it is really of
utmost importance to me – I am extremely disappointed in the lack of copy
editing/proofreading in this otherwise beautiful book. Literally, not a page is
cleanly written, and most pages have multiple typos and errors in spelling,
grammar, and punctuation, which really inhibits my ability to enjoy the
content. Quite honestly, it is not ready for prime time. My review copy is
digital and supposedly final, but I have a print copy coming. If I find that
the print copy shows these problems corrected, I will update my review and
rating. As it stands, Chicano Soul is
a 5-star premise and presentation, with 4-star content, and 2-star delivery.
Thank you to Lone Star Book Blog
Tours and the publisher for providing me a digital copy in exchange for my
honest opinion – the only kind I give.
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