Search - Louie & The Lovers :: Complete Recordings (Dig)

THIS BAND DESERVED BETTER

Stuart Jefferson | San Diego,Ca | 12/08/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Finally! This disc is CRAMMED (80 + minutes) with garage-roots-Tex-Mex-guitar-chiming pop-rock,that I remember reading about almost 40 years ago in Rolling Stone (back when that magazine was important),in a review by Ed Ward (which is alluded to in the booklet notes). But don't let the pop-rock portion of the description throw you. If you like CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL,this is for you. The arrangements (the first album,produced by Doug Sahm, was recorded in one 18 hour session),no matter if its a slower number or something uptempo are from the same page as CCR. The original group consisted of: Louie Ortega-guitar and vocal,Frank Paredes-vocal and guitar,Steve Vargas-bass and keyboards,and Albert Parra-drums.



Once again,Bear Family Records have done a superb job in collecting these tracks by LOUIE AND THE LOVERS. The sound is probably as good as it will ever be (which is very good) from recordings done in 1969-70. The accompanying booklet does a great job in telling the story of both "Louie" and the band,and how they were championed by Doug Sahm (who literally thought up their band name while in a meeting with record company executives),who alerted Epic Records about the band. With many quotes from Ortega himself,you get a real inside look into the times and how record companies operated (the band was dropped)when no "hits" were forthcoming from their album,"Rise". There are a number of photographs of the band which help set the scene for this band that very few people ever heard.



All the tracks,with the exception of "Rock Me Baby",and "If The Night" (originally recorded by another great group few have heard KALEIDOSCOPE),and a few others,are penned by Ortega. He was a fine songwriter,much in the vein of (surprise) John Fogerty,without being an imitator. The band (after it's first album,"Rise") also benefits greatly with the involvement of Doug Sahm,who not only continued to champion the band,but went into the studio with them. This is where the Tex-Mex sound comes into play. Sahm's "If You Ever Say You Love Me" is sung partially in English and Spanish. Sahm also contributes some guitar,and the great Flaco Jimenez plays the accordion as only he can,with that good-time "border" sound. The first 15 tracks are probably better,more focused overall than the remaining (16-27) tracks. The guitars,the vocals-by both Ortega and/or guitarist Frank Paredes,have room to breathe. But that doesn't mean that the subsequent tracks are throw-aways-far from it. The band seems to sound better when they were a quartet,rather than with the addition of more (besides Sahm and Jimenez,there is also organ,sax by David "Fathead" Newman,steel guitar,timbales,and an extra guitarist/percussionist) people,which sometimes clutters up the their sound. But its hard to go wrong with musicians like Sahm and Jimenez,who add their individual sounds onto some fairly strong songs.



It's a true crime that this band's original album,"Rise" went unheard by most people. Chalk it up to so much good music coming out of this period,or just plain bad luck. But no matter. That has been remedied by the folks at Bear Family Records,who continue to re-release great music from the past. Hopefully,this time,more people will hear this music from a great band that deserved better. Do yourself a favor and listen to some great lost music that vanished without a trace,but has been given a new chance.



"