Frank Valdor's "Fantastic Golden Hits" (QuadroSurround DVD-A)

[The Quadfather]

I just got my copy of Frank Valdor's "Fantastic Golden Hits" last week. I listen twice to give me a chance to warm up to new music. It wasn't necessary. The first song , "Siboney" had me tapping my toes immediately. Up tempo, it is a lively cut. I expected an over bearance of trumpet and other brass instruments like what you would hear at a Mexican restaurant, but happily that wasn't the case. Oh, those instruments are present throughout this recording, they're just not overbearing. A sign of a good mix. The second song "Amour" slows the tempo, and you can feel the love! A nice mellow sound. "La Golondrina" carries on the slower tempo and is mostly instrumental. Most of these songs have no lead singers, just a choir. And that works well for me, since I don't speak Spanish and wouldn't understand the words anyway. What words there are are all in Spanish. "Patricia" has a stronger beat, is a bit more brassy. "La Bamba" is well known in the U.S. we all have heard the words. This one is mostly chorus, with the lead vocals present, but they are buried in the music. This is one piece that would have benefitted from stronger lead vocals. "Orfeo Negro" is an easy listening piece with smooth saxophone play. As I recall, the sax appears right rear. It's a nice tune. "Brazil" steps up the pace a bit, and "Vaya Con Dios" is a slow mellow piece. And then there's Latin America's ode to the cockroach. "La Cucaracha"! It has a short drum solo in the middle of it, what sounds like bongos. We all know this one. In "El Cumbanchero" Valdor unleashes the brass instruments a little bit. "Cielito Lindo" is known to me only as the Frito Bandito song. However, there's a lot more to it than the corn chip commercial of years gone by would suggest. "Viva La Feria" Is a sweet tune, it does have lead vocals present for those who understand them. "Besame Mucho" doesn't that mean "Kiss me a lot?" Not sure. "Canjaceiro" I made no notes on this one. It was avrerage for this album. "Mambo Jambo" Is a snappy with lots of brass and sax. The last cut "Ay Cosita Chica Choo" Is that a train song? Probably not. It features two saxophones in the rear speakers.

You don't have to be a fan of latin music to enjoy this. It is lively and exciting. The musicianship is superb as is the quad mix. There are no swirling instruments or ping pong vocals, it doesn't need them. The quality of the recording is excellent with the cymbals crisp and clean. The only complaint is that my Pioneer player balks at playing it, but after two or three tries, it goes ahead and plays it, with no further trouble. Maybe it's time for a software upgrade on the old Pioneer, or I need to get the laser fixed on my newer Oppo. Now to Babelfish the titles and see what I find out!

The Quadfather

 

[The Quadfather]

I babelfished these titles:
La Golondrina---The Swallow
Orfeo Negro --- Orpheus Black
Viva La Feria --- Long Live the Fair
Ay Cosita Chica Choo --- A Little Girl Thing Choo

some of the others didn't translate.

 

[JonUrban]

The QuadFather beat me to this, but that's OK! :music

I received my evaluation copy from Dietrich last week, but am only now getting around to posting about it.

As with just about every QuadroSurround release, the surround and audio quality are top notch. QuadroSurround keeps their releases in the 4.0 realm and that's just fine with me. They sound great.

As for the content, well, it's not really my cup of tea, but I can appreciate it and enjoy it when I listen to it. These musicians know their stuff and you can feel in the music that they love to play and what they're playing. I can't really give you a track by track review, but I will say that the QuadFather's review above is spot on. Some of these tunes do make you smile.

I listened to it both ways on my commute last week and really enjoyed the "discreteness". If you liked the first Frank Valdor release on QuadroSurround ("Hot Nights in Rio"), then this is a perfect Volume 2. If you love Latin music and surround, then you should get in touch with Dietrich and check this one out. It's a high rez Latin spectacular!!!

You can get it here: http://www.quadro-surround.de/english/avaiable_productions.html

Here's a look at the disc case front/back.

 

[Simon A]

Tell me Lads, is this an old school Quad mix from the 70's that's just been released or a modern mix made a few months ago? Thanks!

 

[JonUrban]

Tell me Lads, is this an old school Quad mix from the 70's that's just been released or a modern mix made a few months ago? Thanks!

This, like most of the QuadroSurround DVD-A's, is newly recorded material.

 

[The Quadfather]

I have little doubt that this material is newly recorded. I hear no tape hiss or other artifacts of an aged recording. It is also my understanding that it is new material.
The Quadfather