Funny Side of Lalo Guerrero
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CD Details
Performer: Lalo GuerreroEdition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2005-05-03
Music reviews of Funny Side of Lalo Guerrero
Music Review: PLEASE HEAR THIS GREAT AMERICAN COMPOSER'S PARODIES AND HUMOUR: YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT FOR A MINUTE
Rating: 5 Stars
Thanks to Emily Guerra of Las Cruces's NPR for presenting regularly the great Lalo Guerrero, a composer for many years of ballads often performed by others but also of these untiring humorous takes of several songs, gathered by his family from several decades of cross-cultural composing.
The one which stands out most is of course There's no Tortilla, sung to the nostaligic strains of O Solo Mio. "I really dread, when there's only bread; believe me!" A man of Mexican ascent stuck eating his refrieds with nothing but white bread, how sad; a man created by Mayan gods from corn stuck eating "refined" wheat by-product, remembering how much he loves to roll up a tortilla and to hold it gently in his hand. Play it again!
Then there is the parody entitled: "Mexican Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be busboys!" very well written and sung to the famous Waylon Jennings's tune. This completely summarizes the terrible situation of professional people desperately seeking a paying wage by taking any job. This theme is further developed in his original tune No Way Jose, which laments how illegals must accept any penny wage with no recourse to an actual living wage under our present system of slavery.
Earlier compositions include Mr. Jackson, sung to the old tune Mr. Sandman, and identifying a Jesse Jackson White House with several popular, diverse and Rainbow names, a theme which may seem odd as well as ironic in this present era of Al Gonzo as AG and Miss Rice as bag boy for the GOP. Another earlier tune is No Chicanos on TV, which mentions Different Strokes and Webster but cannot find Chicanos, and therefore in the spirit of Cesar Chavez urges a boycott of commercial sponsors.
Another interesting but perhaps in this post-Brokeback era a politically incorrect humorous song is the Gay Ranchero. Also represented is Pancho Claus adapted from 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.
"I Left my Car In San Francisco" relates the tale of a traveller who's car slipped downhill into the bay, sung to a famous tune ("Eat your heart out, Tony Bennet!"). You're Impossible turns the tables on It's Impossible; Lucila informs a long time wife that it's a fine time to leave him, Lucille, and why. To all the girls I've loved before remembers all the guys who've shared his wife, etc. Other tunes fill out this generous disk of fine musicality and great humour, but I return to the cross-cultural angst in an alien land of "There's no Tortilla!" and you will too; as it alone more than fulfills the prioce of this disk.
The insert simply shows the composer receiving a National Medal of Arts award in the last Clinton White House, without a lyric sheet, but none is needed as Lalo sings very clearly and wonderfully. A discography would be nice and an historical commentary for each tune, especially as his family presents this disk through Brown Bag Records, but anyone who has been alive the past half century ought to have a clue about the context of these songs. Everyone else, just enjoy, and learn and dig deeper.
Highly recommended. Very noble, with no foul language (all such words are dodged) which is unusual in what passes for humour nowadays. The politics are very instructive in this xenophobic and anti-"alien" era.
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