By the Light of the Moon: Amazon.co.uk: Music

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More than three decades have passed since Los Lobos released their debut album, Just Another Band from East L.A. Since then they’ve repeatedly disproven that title—Los Lobos isn’t “just another” anything, but rather a band that has consistently evolved artistically while never losing sight of their humble roots.

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Product details

Audio CD (25 Oct 1990)
Number of Discs: 1
Format: Import
Label: Warner
ASIN: B000002LAT
Other Editions: Audio CD | Audio Cassette | Vinyl

Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 170,023 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
- #50 in Music > Country > Tex Mex

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Track Listings

1. One Time One Night

2. Shakin' Shakin' Shakes

3. Is This All There Is

4. Prenda Del Alma

5. All I Wanted To Do Was Dance

6. Set Me Free (Rosa Lee)

7. Hardest Time

8. My Baby's Gone

9. River Of Fools

10. Mess We're In

11. Tears Of God

Product Description

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Los Lobos's second full-length album was a transitional affair for East L.A.'s favorite musical sons. On their debut EP, ...And a Time to Dance, and especially on How Will the Wolf Survive?, Hidalgo, Rosas, and crew proved themselves to be Mexican American roots rockers nonpareil. While "Don't Worry Baby" demonstrated that Chicanos could play hard R&B as rough and tough as any down-South funk-soul outfit (Willie Dixon would be writing songs with Los Lobos by the time of their next album), By the Light of the Moon is a much mellower, soul-searching affair. The album was released in the era of Bruce Springsteen, the Blasters, the Del Lords, and other politically and socially aware "blue collar" rockers--which resulted in the Lobos dudes exploring similar lyrical themes. "One Time One Night," the opening track, remains one of the band's all-time classics--yet another exploration of the darker side of the American Dream, with some beautiful music (and musicianship) backing it up. And "River of Fools" remains one of the group's most beautiful ballads. Not that it's entirely a "slow dance" affair. Their Motown cover roots shine through on "Rosa Lee," while "All I Wanted to Do Is Dance" spotlights some pseudo-funk, Lobos style. Fans seem to have mixed reactions to this more than any other Lobos album, either considering it their finest or worst. La Bamba would be next, making them stars of a sort, but the lyrical experimentation on this album certainly set the stage for the musical experiments that ultimately resulted in their masterpiece, Kiko. --Bill Holdship

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Tex-Mex Perfex 2 Dec 2003

By B. Philipson

Format:Audio CD

It's a long time since I bought this album, it was on vinyl ! Time has stood it in good stead though. I'm a big punk fan but this is one of those albums that is punk, even though it's not. There's something for everyone on here. Rock'n'roll on "Shakin'shakin'shakes", heartfelt ballads "Tears of God" & some bonkers maharichi stuff. Great for a party involving tequila & beer.

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5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic with legs on. 1 April 2013

By merciful-evans

Format:Audio CD

`By the Light of the Moon' is one of my most played albums. I had it on vinyl originally. This was Los Lobos most eclectic album (before the styles were fully blended). Not only is the music very diverse, but each style is masterfully performed.

One time, One Night: A sparkling country rock song with matchless lead vocal styling from David Hidalgo. The subject is the thin veneer of the American Dream.

Shakin Shakin Shakes: It delivers the shivers. Cesar Rosas rocks out with a fantastic classic style with a great song that has never been dropped from the bands set.

Is that All There is: A minor key rock song sung by David. The sax riff is punchy. The guitar solo is memorable.

Prenda Del Alma: Fast tempo Tex Mex tune sung in Spanish. The band show their versatility by using trad instruments such as the squeezebox here.

All I Wanted to do was Dance: The choppy guitar intro perfectly sets up the rhythmic groove for an early melding of styles (Latin-Rock). It's well named. It makes you want to dance. A tad restrained for full on carnival music, but it has that flavour.

Set Me Free (Rosa Lee) : An original song with Mex (Nortena?) styling, sung in English. Fast & lively. Great sax from Steve Berlin.

The Hardest Time: This is the nearest Lobos ever get to a commercial song; but in a good way. It's very catchy, has a clever tight arrangement, and wonderful vocal delivery by David.

My Baby's Gone: Another rock outing for Cesar. Shouted bluesy vocal. Spirited stuff for a studio track.

River of Fools: A tender balad. This is the most beautiful song on the album. The middle 8 is a musical climax. The album title is taken from a line in the lyric.

The Mess We're In: Fast rock song; this time in a major key. It's electric, melodic rather than aggressive and West Coast in flavour.

The Tears of God: A soul ballad. Sad, moody, delicious. A contender for `River of Fools'.

I have tired of most albums I listen to this much, but not this one. `By the Light of the Moon' is a classic with legs.

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Amazon.com: 5.0 out of 5 stars 13 reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars classic 26 May 1999

By rudizs@hotmail.com - Published on Amazon.com

Format:Audio CD

One of my favourite albums of all time. Each & every track is very different & each one speaks volumes. The diversity is nearly overwhelming, but what is more surprising is how Los Lobos have mastered these musical styles as if they were born playing them. The songs, arrangements, performances & lyrics are all exceptional. Peaks for me are the intro to "All I Wanted To Do Was Dance" and the middle 8 of "River Of Fools".

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Always makes me think of a warm summer night 24 Dec 1998

By rballjones - Published on Amazon.com

Format:Audio CD

I think this is far and away their best. Their songwriting has never been better. In fact, I've been a little disappointed with each subsequent recording because they're never quite as good as "By the Light of the Moon"

Like a previous reviewer, I'm totally knocked out by the intro to "One Time One Night" which opens the CD. It has a great feeling--always makes me want to dance.

One of Los Lobo's strengths is its ability to take a variety of musical styles and influences and turn them into their own unique music. "By the Light of the Moon" exemplifies this strength. Great songs, fine musicians, great music!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Good-time rock & roll. Happy and upbeat. Party! 21 Oct 2004

By Tom B - Published on Amazon.com

Format:Audio CD

Mixing a bit of Tex-Mex with that Old-Time Rock & Roll, Los Lobos keep you tapping your toes, singing along or getting out of your chair to dance. Even the potentially somber "Is This All There Is" is a real sing-along cheerful number. "Shakin' Shakin' Shakes" delivers exactly what the title promises. "All I Wanted to Do Was Dance" moves you to do just that, dance with the guys. "The Hardest Time," nominally a sad ballad, is a tuneful cut that'll get your fingers moving. You'd expect a song called "Tears of God" to be mournful, but you'll find yourself humming harmonies along with its optimistic energy. When they sing "My Baby's Gone," an up-tempo blues, they sound HAPPY about it! In fact, that's the main thing about this whole album: it's got a HAPPY mood. Not a downer on it. There aren't many albums that are just plain good-time music, fun to listen to. This is one of them. These guys are enjoying themselves, and it's infectious. I love it.

By the Light of the Moon [Import]

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