Needles & Grooves AoTM /// Vol. 4 - October 2019 /// Camarón de la isla - La leyenda del tiempo

agutierrezb

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Announcing the N&G October ROTM: Camarón de la Isla - La leyenda del tiempo

Listen here / Buy here, and here

I picked this record for a couple of reasons. First of all, it is one of my favorite albums of all time, and a record I would not hesitate to take to a desert island due its sonic and emotional variety. Second, I wanted to seize the opportunity to introduce this community to flamenco in general, and to Camarón specifically: This is the biggest artistic statement by the biggest flamenco artist ever, and yet, both this album and Camarón remain little known to those who aren’t devoted fans of the genre.

Flamenco is a genre almost everyone is somewhat familiar with. It’s sound is so distinctive, and so many artists have borrowed from it that I bet you can all recognize its sound even if you don’t know a single word of Spanish or a single artist in the genre. In spite of the huge number of copies of Sketches of Spain and Olé Coltrane sold across the world, flamenco remains largely an unexplored genre for most people who weren't born into its tradition. Lack of diffusion and curation by trusted media and tastemakers has limited the representation of flamenco among the “World Music” circles, whereas music from Brazil, Nigeria, Japan and Ethiopia, among others, are all subject of international interest and success.

If you’re having a single flamenco record in your collection, this is it. La leyenda del tiempo is not only a landmark in the history of the genre, but also a great representation of everything the genre can be. The fusion of traditional sounds with elements of Western popular music make it easily accessible for those who aren’t accustomed to the purest form of the genre. This, added to the wide spectrum of emotions and palos (traditional styles) displayed throughout the record, make it a great entrypoint for those dipping their toes into flamenco for the first time. Moreover, the lyrics -a good deal of which are adaptations of poems by Federico García Lorca- are filled with beautiful images of the Southern-Spanish culture, immersing the listener in the context where the music was born from.

When first released 40 years ago, La leyenda del tiempo was heavily criticized by the highly conservative flamenco circles, considering its fusion of traditional sounds with contemporary music a total lack of respect to the heritage of the Romani people. By the time of the release of this album, Camarón de la Isla was already the biggest icon of the gitano community, a fact that made the borrowing from other cultures feel like an act of disloyalty to the much segregated Romani people of Southern Spain. Years after its negative reception by critics and fans alike, this album has not only been subject to high praise among flamenco artists, but it is also frequently cited as the most influential record in the history of the genre. La leyenda del tiempo opened the gates for other gitanos to embrace the sounds coming out of other genres and cultures, and signified the dawn of a new era for the genre. Nowadays, flamenco artists are free to fuse their centuries-long tradition with different kinds of contemporary music, a fact that is only possible due to Camarón’s magnus opus, and our October ROTM, La leyenda del tiempo.
 
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First of all, let me tell you I'm terribly sorry for picking a record that is so hard to find. I had been waiting for a quality reissue of this album for years, so when I found out that it was being reissued along with the majority of Camarón’s discography, I didn’t think twice to choose La leyenda del tiempo as the October ROTM. I initially ordered my copy from Amazon a month ago, but it has since sold out on most sites, a fact I didn't expect when I first picked this record. I have contacted Disco 100 to ask if they will be getting more copies, telling them this club would buy 20-30 copies from them if they are able to secure them for us.

If you’re not willing to pay above average price for a record in a genre you’re not familiar with, or if you’re hesitant about going through the hassle of ordering it from another continent, I understand that, but please give this album a listen even if you’re not buying it. This album deserves, if not your money, at least your attention. If you want to buy a record adjacent to this one, just with higher availability, here are a couple of very good albums for further listening:

Camarón de la Isla - Potro de rabia y miel (Amazon US)

Paco de Lucía - Fuente y caudal (Amazon US)

Rosalía - El mal querer

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Additionaly, here are some resources for those who would like to get a deeper understanding of the album, the artist and the genre.

Lyrics translation: Web version / Print version (Quick video tutorial for print version)
The beautiful lyrics on this record are one of its many strong points, so I felt like a translated lyrics sheet would help you all deepen your enjoyment of the album. My girlfriend and I worked on this booklet with illustrations for every song and side to side lyrics in Spanish and English. We are neither illustrators nor translators, but we're both happy with the output, and we hope you will enjoy it.
For the print version: Print the file in letter or A4 size on both sides of the page. The pages on the file are set on a way that they will fall in the correct order once all pages are print and folded by half. See the video above for further instructions.

A flamenco primer
I suggest reading at least the introduction, since it will help you understand the history of the genre and some of its basic elements.

Netflix documentary on Camarón

Camarón obituary
 
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Reserved for hints.


1. - that pic up there 👆
1. a. @duke86fan being dukey and sleuthing hints: pre-2010 and non-instrumental
1. b. @supahypeag sleuthing hints: not on this list: 15 Musicians You Need to Know From Mexico’s 15 Biggest States
2. - a genre we have not yet had. Needles & Grooves AoTM /// Vol. 4 - October 2019 /// TBA
3. - Needles & Grooves AoTM /// Vol. 4 - October 2019 /// TBA
2015-2016 UEFA Champions League: Round of 16
2016-2017 UEFA Champions League: Groups Stage
2017-2018 UEFA Champions League: Out
2018-2019 UEFA Champions League: Groups Stage
2019-2020 UEFA Champions League: 2nd Qualifying Round
4. - Older than anything released by this guy: Needles & Grooves AoTM /// Vol. 4 - October 2019 /// TBA. Older than all previous N&G AOTMs: Needles & Grooves AoTM /// Vol. 4 - October 2019 /// TBA (so pre July1982)
5. - World Music confirmed. The album hasn't been mentioned on the World Music Thread Needles & Grooves AoTM /// Vol. 4 - October 2019 /// TBA Needles & Grooves AoTM /// Vol. 4 - October 2019 /// TBA
6. - 40°42'57.9"N 74°00'59.2"W Needles & Grooves AoTM /// Vol. 4 - October 2019 /// TBA
7. - Artist is not alive. Needles & Grooves AoTM /// Vol. 4 - October 2019 /// TBA
8. The person the location clue refers to has very few performance credits on Discogs, but more than 500 writing credits, some of them being on our ROTM. Needles & Grooves AoTM /// Vol. 4 - October 2019 /// TBA
9. The artist was born very close to the ocean, a fact that is reflected on this person's music. Needles & Grooves AoTM /// Vol. 4 - October 2019 /// TBA
10. An Outkast video and a jumbled up pic of a white car. I'm not lying, see for yourself: Needles & Grooves AoTM /// Vol. 4 - October 2019 /// TBA
11. A Keanu Reeves gif: Needles & Grooves AoTM /// Vol. 4 - October 2019 /// TBA

Not really a hint but maybe a hint but also just some info:
"I'm not telling you the exact amount, because I know y'all, and know you'll use it to guess the record lol.
But I'll tell you I purchased it for $17 a couple of weeks ago and has since rised to the $27-$30 ballbark" Also, @agutierrezb would love an OG pressing but does not have one.

More info: Needles & Grooves AoTM /// Vol. 4 - October 2019 /// TBA
1. Don't take the 20 albums thing too literally. I didn't really count, but what I meant is that there aren't many releases pre-1982 that match both the UEFA and the Puzzle clues, which takes me to my second point.
2. Some of you (I'm not saying who) are in the right direction in regards to cracking the clues. The shortlist of albums I mentioned in point #1 can be if you dive into discogs/wiki with both clues in hand.
 
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Guesses:

Front runner - Camaron de la Isla - Le Leyenda Del Tiempo - @D Jilla

Raul Seixas - Gita - @supahypeag
Elis Regina - Poema de Amor - @Turbo
Elis Regina ~ Elis & Tom - @supahypeag
Joao Donato - Lugar Comum - @dhodo
Elis Regina in London - @supahypeag
Mercedes Sosa ‎– Gracias A La Vida - @Skalap
El Camaron De La Isla con la colaboración especial de Paco De Lucia ‎– Castillo De Arena - @Skalap



Not it:
Bill Evans' Live @ Montreux - @Colonel_Angus - not world music
Machine Head by Deep Purple - @Murfocakes - not world music
Marvin Gaye - Let's Get It On - @Jonathan Y- not world music
Led Zeppelin - Coda - @Poly-Rythmo- not world music
Leonard Cohen - Songs of Love and Hate - @ranbalam- not world music
Tori Amos - Live In Montreaux @Waitressboy - not world music
Funkadelic - Maggot brain - @duke86fan- not world music
Muddy Waters - Hard Again @Goatfish - not world music
Nina Simone - Pastel Blues @Joe Mac - not world music
Santana - Santana - @Turbo - not world music
Carlos Santana Illuminations - @supahypeag - not world music
Wamdue Projet - King of my Castle/Program Toursell @Skalap - not world music
Love - De Capo @Gavaxeman - not world music
Rosalia El Mal Querer - @Dtknuckles - too new
The following were axed because of this hint: Needles & Grooves AoTM /// Vol. 4 - October 2019 /// TBA
Gilberto Gil - Tropicalia: ou Paris et Circensis @supahypeag
Caetano Veloso's Transa @D Jilla
Jorge Ben Jor - Tropical @Jonathan Y
Raul Seixas ‎– Krig-Ha, Bandolo! @ChristoBee
Gal Costa - India @wmeugene
Jorge Ben - Negro e Lindo @Poly-Rythmo
Elis Regina - Elis - @gafacaode
Gal Costa - Legal - @D Jilla
Caetano Veloso - S/T - @Turbo
João Do Vale ‎– O Poeta Do Povo - @Skalap
Chico Buarque - Construcção - @Skalap
 
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Oh thank you for clearing that up. That definitely went right over my head. Because I'm really bad at guessing games too.
People keep saying they are bad at guessing games, yet this community keeps guessing it every single time.
I worked my a** off to come up with clues that wouldn't give the answer right away, because I know there are some FBI agents among us who are able to trace any clue to the correct pick.
 
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