There's Gonna Be A Ball: Rock 'n' Roll Espanol (Various Artists)

• Track Listing

Atomicat coordinator Mark Armstrong has compiled a 3 CD series with 84 recordings housed in a mini-box, the set has a 8 page annotated booklet, lavishly designed by Johnny Montezuma. The series is another of our popular Bred projects during which we look at the background of musicians and their roots. The set has a focus on Mexican and Spanish Rock 'n' Roll, and the songs be it original or cover versions are singing in both Spanish and the English language, with often untamed backing from the bands! Many artists hid their birth heritage with an anglicisation of their name, in order to gain airplay and wider distribution of their music, and this identity change did not harm the short career of Ritchie Valens, or his chauffeur and friend Jutilio Perez who drove Valens to his audition at De-Fi Records. Perez was Puerto Rico born and performed as Tony Casanova and Tony Ray. The swapping of identities also occurred, one performer took on an identity of a Mexican when a Mexican-American family took him into their home and two Dutchmen moved to Spain and lived as Spaniards. The artists featured over the three CD series are from various cultural identities; Tejano, Mexican, Chicano, Mexican-American, Spanish, Hispano and the series is spiced with some Puerto Rican performers, and the final album in the set includes some titles with Mexican flavour. Our albums have; stunning design, sleeve notes, 28 songs on each CD, mastered for the best possible sound. The disc is housed in an attractively designed cardboard sleeve, specially designed to avoid the use of plastic and be environmentally friendly. You are listening to music from the past and preserving the future!