My favorite albums part one: Selena’s live albums

Selena won her Grammy in 1994 for this wonderful live album that she and her band released and recorded in 1993 appropriately titled “Live”. It’s an album that is chocked full of Selena’s hit at the time that have become classics with time. The album takes the best from every album that the band had recorded from when they signed with EMI Latin at the time to 1993 when the album was recorded. Recording the album where they recorded it was a homecoming because it was Selena y Los Dinos hometown heroes in Corpus Christi Texas at the famous collesium of the city.

The album is fresh, timeless, and holds up. It has really stood the test of time. The group makes it fun they didn’t just go through all the best from each album, no, they jumped around from song to song and album to album. Selena albums recorded was from the 1988 debut with songs on “Live”: “Besitos”, “Ámame,Quiéreme” a duet with Pete Austudillo- who sang back up in the band , was Selena’s dance partner for certain dance routines, also going on to be a star in his own right.

There are also 3 studio tracks recorded for the album 2 are awesome cumbia songs “La Llamada” and “No debes Jugar” as well as a duo ballet “tu robaste mi corazón”. From Selena’s 1991 album “Ven Conmigo” the group did the title track, “Baila esta cumbia”. The concert opened with Selena’s signature song “como la flor” from the album released in 1992 “entre a mi mundo” and another song from the 1992 release “la carcacha”.

We are also treated to the solo musical stylings of Pete Austudillo with efforts of his own done live and also made it on the Live album. His offerings on the album are a cumbia called “por que le gusta bailar cumbia” and “perdóname”.

The line up on the Live album : Selena on vocals, Chris Perez on guitar, AB Quintanilla on bas and other instruments, Suzette Quintanilla on percussion and on drums, Ricky Vela on keyboards, and Joe Ojeda on Keyboards. This album is a treasure to own , to listen to as well.

Unfortunately, this is Selena’s last concert before her tragic and untimely passing. The concert took place at the then Houston Astrodome. She wore her now iconic and immortalized Purple jumpsuit. Her sister Suzette was not on drums that night. Selena treated us all to a funky disco medley and she with her backup singers did the hustle for us. It is common knowledge that Selena was a big fan of Donna Summer and so in the Disco medley a couple of Donna Summer songs are included in the medley.

Just like Selena y Los Dinos did on “Live” doing songs released on albums before they did the same here. There was no plan to release a live album from this concert I don’t think. Recorded at this concert were songs from the 1994 album released the year before entitled “Amor Prohibido”.

From that album came Bidi Bidi Bom Bom, No me queda más, cobarde, techno cumbia, el chico del apartamento 512. When you listen to “Como La flor” the closing song, it is sad and bitter sweet knowing that what would happen in the days following. Another song from the 1992 album done that night was “La carcacha”, Selena and Chris did a nasty metal break with Chris kicking ass on guitar as the guitar god he is and Selena doing vocal skat and a sexy strut to the beat as Chris played on. Thanks so much for reading