Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Guaguanco - Orlando Contreras, Patato, Cortijo - 1970

Above is the original 1970 LP cover of
"Guaguanco, Patato, Cortijo, canta Orlando Contreras"
on the Tecca label.


This is the reissue on CD with several "added" songs not on the original LP.
What is really odd (and ridiculous) is they used a photo of "Los Papines" who do not play at all on this... and they "superimposed" a photo of Patatos face onto *Ricardo Abrue's body!! (*Papine)
How silly is that!!??
They also "superimposed" Orlando's face on that body. The photo does show a beautiful classic tumbadora made in Cuba by the master 'Gonzalo Vergara'.

In the mid 1970's when I lived in New Orleans, I was part of a back up band for 'Orlando Contreras' that toured with him from New Orleans to Houston and Dallas Texas.
I once brought the original LP cover in to a rehearsal.... and Orlando told me: "hide that!!!... don't show it to anybody!!!" He didn't want anyone to know he recorded an LP with
"that kind of music".

3 comments:

Isaac said...

Hi MArk...That cover was odd
from the first second I saw it.
The drums I recognized from Los Papines. I got to see them every day
for one week back in the mid 80s
when they toured Canada. The drum
Orlando is holding is also "photoshopped" in. Its a Junior or
Jay with the hardware artificially tinted gold. It apparently has the ability to float, as there is no shoulder strap and Orlando is not using the handle. Very bad
yet amusing graphics. I used to be
a full time digital retoucher- for
Calvin Klein, Hilfiger...L'Oreal etc,

ISAAC

They say it's a cold world said...

That is deep. The Contreras Guaguanco LP is one of my favorites of all time. Do you have any more information about how it actually came to be made? I love the detail that he wanted to deny its existence later, when you were working with him. I found the original LP from a street vendor in Mexico city and also have a CD reissue from a few years ago, but mine doesn't have this photoshopped cover, nor does it have any extra tracks. If you have any more personal details from talking about this record with Contreras, I would love to know them!

Fidels Eyeglasses said...

LoL .... yea, the whole cover is hilarious!
Even Orlandos head... I don't think it belongs on that body, LoL!
And.. I may be wrong.... but I know Orlandos face.... I'd bet that's a "look alike" and not Orlando, though perhaps it's him.
As to the drum... Vergara used handles like that, that's why Jay used the same kind.
The reason I don't think it's Jays(Skin On Skin) is Jay used thinner bands and Junior Tirado only used four bands.
"Orlando" seems to be holding it by one of the lugs.
It's pretty funny, especially when you enlarge the photo.

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