For many years now, I’ve been a growing fan of legendary New York percussionist, composer, and bandleader Ray Barretto, one of the arguable architects of modern Latin-infused music. After Barretto scored his first big hit with the pachanga-styled “El Watusi” in 1962, he found his next groove in the emerging boogaloo movement. His first album for Fania Records, 1968’s Acid, is widely considered a classic of the form.
Finding early editions of Barretto albums on vinyl can be a challenge, as original pressings are scarce. Like vintage soul and jazz records, these dance records were often played hard back in the day, frequently and on low quality stacking automatic record players. Surviving “OG” copies are therefore usually pretty well trashed when you do find them, while clean examples typically command hefty collector prices. At the time of this writing, Discogs had just two 1968 editions of Acid listed at $300 in only VG/VG+ condition, while a poor copy on eBay was asking $150.
In that light, obtaining a lovingly produced, all analog AAA 180-gram vinyl reissue cut from the original master tapes for about $30 is super appealing. This new edition comes from Craft Recordings, the respected boutique arm of Concord Music, which owns the Fania catalog.
I am especially pleased that Craft uses the original mono mix, which is likely what most people were hearing back in the day, replete with all of its effectively indie produced imperfections. The quiet, well-centered vinyl was manufactured at Well Made Music in Virginia, and Craft has even recreated the highly sought after first Fania Records gold label design. The high quality tip on style cover features the trippy original art.
Playing Acid, I did not even look at the song titles initially, but immediately recognized the boogaloo sound in full flower. This album rocks from start to finish, and along the way you will hear influences both past and future. The title track boasts a super slinky groove, while the funky, improvisational “Espiritu Libre” feels as though Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis were sitting in.
But it was the end of side one that made my head spin, when I realized that 1990 rock-rap one hit wonders Urban Dance Squad had lifted its title and sampled the hook directly from Barretto’s “A Deeper Shade of Soul.” Fortunately, they gave him writer credit, which was something of a miracle in those early sampling days.
While I do not own one of the rare original pressings, this new edition of Acid sounds wonderful in all of its groovy monophonic glory. I recommend it without reservation. You can get it at Amazon for just $31 which is a steal when you consider what rare originals cost.
Our Ratings
★★★★★★★★★★ Album
★★★★★★★★★★ Sound Quality
★★★★★★★★★★ Press Quality
Where to buy
Mark Smotroff is a deep music enthusiast / collector who has also worked in entertainment oriented marketing communications for decades supporting the likes of DTS, Sega and many others. He reviews vinyl for Analog Planet and has written for Audiophile Review, Sound+Vision, Mix, EQ, etc. You can learn more about him at LinkedIn.
Related Reading:
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