Latin

Leon Gieco: “The Argentine Bob Dylan”

Raúl Alberto Antonio (Leon) Gieco, who was born in 1951, is known as the “Argentine Bob Dylan.” His first hit was “En el Pais de la Libertad (“In the Country of Freedom”). The profiles describe a successful artist who was dedicated to social justice during a tumultuous and violent period in Latin America in general and Argentina in particular. His work was heavily censored.

One of his most famous compositions is “Sólo le Pido a Dios,” which means “I Only Ask of God.” The story of the song, which has been covered by scores of performers — including Pete Seeger, U2 and Bruce Springsteen —  is told at Wikipedia.

Gieco sings it above with Mercedes Sosa. Sosa also was a star and dedicated to social justice. According to AllMusic, Sosa was nicknamed “the voice of the silent majority” and was one of the co-founders of the “nueva canción.”

Gieco’s lyrics, translated at a site called Redbubble, are moving:

I only ask of God
He won’t let me be indifferent to the suffering
That the very dried up death doesn’t find me
Empty and without having given my everything

I only ask of God
He won’t let me be indifferent to the wars
It is a big monster which treads hard
On the poor innocence of people
It is a big monster which treads hard
On the poor innocence of people People…people, people

I only ask of God
He won’t let me be indifferent to the injustice
That they do not slap my other cheek
After a claw has scratched my whole body

I only ask of God
He won’t let me be indifferent to the wars
It is a big monster which treads hard
On the poor innocence of people
It is a big monster which treads hard
On the poor innocence of people People…people…people

Redbubble also offers background on the song, which became a hit in Argentina and Spain.

“Los Salieris de Charly” is below. I have no idea what any of it means, but it is essentially impossible to stop listening to.

Wikipedia’s and AllMusic’s profiles of Leon Gieco and Mercedes SosaSmithsonian Folkways and Redbubble’s translation of “Sólo le pido a Dios were used to write this post. Homepage photo of Gieco and Sosa: Sergio252

Our New Things: Links to Music Sites and Info on Analog Tech and Vinyl

TDMB has focused on music and musicians. We will continue to do that, of course. We're also expanding our coverage to include vinyl and analog equipment.

More specifically, we'll look at this huge and interesting world from the perspective of music lovers who want a better experience, not committed non-audiophiles.

Check out is some of what we've written so far:

-- Assessing the Value of Vinyl Records: An Overview

-- 7 Quick Tips on Optimizing Your Turntable Cartridge

-- Why Vinyl Records Continue to Thrive

-- Finding the Best Amplifier

-- Finding the Best Phono Preamp

-- What Speakers Do I Need for My Turntable?

Check out more articles on analog equipment and vinyl.

The site also is home to The Internet Music Mapping Project, an effort to list and describe as many music-related sites as possible.

Our Music

--A Tribe Called Quest to The Dick Hyman Trio (In other words, A to H)

--Indigo Girls to Queen Ida (I to Q)

--Radiohead to ZZ Top (R to Z)

Reading Music

The stories of the great bands and musicians are fascinating. Musicians as a group are brilliant, but often troubled. The combination of creativity and drama makes for great reading.

Here are some books to check out.

Duke Ellington brought class, sophistication and style to jazz which, until that point, was proudly unpolished and raucous. His story is profound. The author, Terry Teachout, also wrote "Pops," the acclaimed bio of Louis Armstrong. Click here or on the image.

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What else is there to say? Here is the story behind every song written by The Beatles. Click here or on the image.

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The Grateful Dead don't get enough credit for the profound nature of its lyrics. Many of the band's songs are driven by a deep and literate Americana ("I'm Uncle Sam/That's who I am/Been hidin' out/In a rock and roll band" and "Majordomo Billy Bojangles/Sit down and have a drink with me/What's this about Alabama/Keeps comin' back to me?").

David Dodd's exhaustive study tells the story, song by song. Click here or on the image.

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