Showing posts with label Gloria Estefan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gloria Estefan. Show all posts

Monday 26 December 2011

Montuno - Gloria Estefan

'Montuno' was the fourth single released by Gloria Estefan on her first Spanish album 'Mi Tierra'. It was released only in the UK, while 'Tradición' was released in the United States and 'Si Señor!...' in selected European countries.

A limited edition 7" single was released, featuring two B-sides: the single remix of 'Go away', taken from her 'Greatest hits' album, and the then-unreleased 'This Christmas', which was a track from her album 'Christmas through your eyes'.

My collection: 7" single no. 5254
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 19, 2011
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Montuno' / 'This Christmas', 'Go away (single remix)'

Sunday 25 December 2011

Christmas through your eyes - Gloria Estefan

Gloria Estefan was very popular in the second half of the Eighties, but it seemed she lost her touch in the Nineties somehow. She remained popular for her solid fanbase, of course, but the rest of the world didn't seem to care as much anymore.

Maybe her music became too predictable. Even 'Christmas through your eyes', released in 1992 in time for the Christmas season, never became a seasonal classic, which for most artists is very easy once they have become a household name. The song is nice enough, but the Megamix on the B-side is a nice treat, too.

My collection: 7" single no. 4996
Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, January 15, 2011
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Christmas through your eyes' / 'Megamix'

Tuesday 22 November 2011

If we were lovers - Gloria Estefan

On the inside of this poster sleeve, Gloria Estefan explains: ''Con los años que me quedan' and 'If we were lovers' share the same melody but were written as two separate songs. They are not meant to be translations of each other, rather songs celebrating two different aspects of love. One being the renewal of vows for "eternal" love and the other being the inevitable sensual and passionate love affair.'

The single peaked at no. 40 in the UK singles chart, but failed to reach the chart in other territories.

My collection: 7" single no. 5238
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 19, 2011
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'If we were lovers' / 'Con los años que me quedan'

Wednesday 20 April 2011

Always tomorrow - Gloria Estefan

In 1992, Gloria Estefan released the album 'Greatest hits' to try and make some money with her past successes. Her enormous popularity of the late Eighties was fading a bit, and although her fans were still very much in awe of her, the rest of the world seemed to lose interest. 'Always tomorrow' was a new track included on the album and released as its first single. The song was about starting over in the wake of tragedy or disaster.

The royalties of the single were donated by Estefan to victims of Hurricane Andrew, which ruined much of Miami, Florida in August 1992.

My collection: 7" single no. 5093
Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, April 19, 2011
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Always tomorrow' / 'Words get in the way (live)'

Friday 9 April 2010

Get on your feet - Gloria Estefan

'Get on your feet' was one of the singles released by Gloria Estefan while she was recovering from a fractured spine, as a result of a car crash with her tour bus in March 1990. Recovery took ten months, but singles were still released. This limited edition of the single features a posterbag.

The single reached number 12 in the Dutch Top 40 and number 23 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 1240
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1990
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Get on your feet' / 'Don't let the sun go down on me'

Sunday 4 April 2010

Here we are - Gloria Estefan

'Here we are' was the third single from the album 'Cuts both ways' by Gloria Estefan. It was one of her successful ballads that followed the fomula of previous ballads and was rewarded with the same amount of commercial success.

The single reached number 6 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, number 23 in the UK singles chart and number 14 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 1128
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, December 8, 1989
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Here we are' / '1, 2, 3 (live)'

Saturday 3 April 2010

Don't wanna lose you - Gloria Estefan

'Don't wanna lose you' was written and recorded by Gloria Estefan. It was released in 1989 as the first single from the album 'Cuts both ways'. The single reached number 1 in the USA, where it became her second number-one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also reached number 3 in the Dutch Top 40 and number 6 in the UK singles chart.

Estefan also recorded 'Si voy a perderte', which is the Spanish version of this song. It is included on the B-side of this single. A Portuguese version, 'Se tenho que perder' was released as a single in Brazil.

My collection: 7" single no. 927
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, July 1, 1989
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Don't wanna lose you' / 'Si voy a perderte'

Wednesday 31 March 2010

Words get in the way - Miami Sound Machine

'Words get in the way' was the third single by Miami Sound Machine, taken from their second English language album, and ninth overall, 'Primitive love'. As a ballad, the song marked a change in sound from the band's earlier singles and was the first sign that Gloria Estefan, who wrote the song, would be successful as an artist in her own right.

The single reached number 5 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart - their biggest hit so far in the USA - and number 17 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 1784
Found: Record fair, Almere, November 7, 1992
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Words get in the way' / 'Movies'

Thursday 25 February 2010

Oye mi canto - Gloria Estefan

'Oye mi canto' showed off some of Gloria Estefan's musical roots, much like in the style of her earlier music with Miami Sound Machine, and is in the style of the earlier hit 'Conga', which is included on this single as the B-side track.

Released as the fourth single from her album 'Cuts both ways', it reached number 48 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, number 16 in the UK singles chart and number 8 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 1058
Found: London, October 17, 1989
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Oye mi canto' / 'Conga'

Saturday 13 February 2010

Anything for you - Gloria Estefan

'Anything for you' was recorded by Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine. Such was the success of this single, that the album 'Let it loose' whence it came from was repackaged and renamed 'Anything for you' at the time of its release.

The single reached number 1 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 2 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 744
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, February 11, 1989
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Anything for you' / 'Anything for you (English/Spanish version)'

Monday 25 January 2010

Can't stay away from you - Gloria Estefan

When 'Can't stay away from you' was released in the autumn of 1988, it was credited to Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine, effectively phasing out the band name. The album 'Let it loose', from which the single was taken, was re-released as 'Anything for you', also reflecting this change of name.

Meanwhile, the ballad 'Can't stay away from you' became a big hit for Estefan, reaching number 6 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, number 7 in the UK singles chart and number 1 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 743
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, February 11, 1989
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Can't stay away from you' / 'Let it loose'

Tuesday 12 January 2010

Cuts both ways - Gloria Estefan

I've always had mixed feelings about Gloria Estefan and her music. It was always bloody commercial, but then, what does 'commercial' mean? In the end, every artist wants to sell records but no-one really knows why a record sells. So the only reason why Estefan sounds 'commercial' is because her music was so very popular in the late Eighties and early Nineties.

'Cuts both ways' was the fifth and final single from the 1989 album of the same name. The ballad scored reasonably well in the UK and USA, reaching number 15 and 44 respectively. In the UK, the single was released in a limited edition poster bag, which is always a good reason for me to buy a single.

My collection: 7" single no. 1323
Found: HMV, London, October 16, 1990
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Cuts both ways' / 'You made a fool of me'

Sunday 2 August 2009

Get on your feet - Gloria Estefan

Such is the nature of my record collection, that I sometimes buy a single I moderately like when the limited edition version is attractive enough. This single came in a foldout box set with four postcards. The price was right, so I bought it.

'Get on your feet' is taken from Gloria Estefan's album 'Cuts both ways'. The single peaked at number 23 in the UK singles chart and number 12 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 2909
Found: Record Exchange, London, October 31, 1997
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'Get on your feet' / '1, 2, 3 (live)'

Sunday 12 July 2009

Live for loving you - Gloria Estefan

'Live for loving you' was the final single from Gloria Estefan's 1991 album 'Into the light'. Written as a collaboration with Diane Warren, Gloria expressed her love for her husband Emilio Estefan Jr. with this song.

The single was not a big success in Europe, but did peak at number 33 in the UK singles chart and number 22 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Personally I preferred the album version to the single remix, but since both were found on this single, I bought it anyway.

My collection: 7" single no. 1557
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, December 14, 1991
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Live for loving you (single remix)' / 'Live for loving you'

Sunday 3 May 2009

Falling in love (uh-oh) - Miami Sound Machine

It's easy to discard the entire output of Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine as typical Eighties drivel, but you would overlook some genuinely good pop in the process. This single, for instance, is an unknown but very radiofriendly classic.

'Falling in love (uh-oh)' was taken from Miami Sound Machine's second English language album 'Primitive love' and released after their international breakthrough with 'Dr. Beat' and 'Conga'. Still, the single only managed a number 25 placing in America and number 27 in the Netherlands. It's always the less commercial singles that get to me...

My collection: 7" single no. 450
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, September 4, 1986
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Falling in love (uh-oh)' / 'Surrender paradise'

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Advertising