BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB:
25TH “As both a music and commercial phenomenon, Buena Vista Social Club has turned out to be a complexly layered symbol and expression of rediscovery, vindication, historical memory, translation, nostalgia and Cold War politics. Now, 25 years later, we can add more layers: nostalgia for the moment of Buena Vista Social Club itself. This is an album that’s far more than its voices and instruments.”—The New York Times Formats:
ANNIVERSARY EDITION OUT NOW VIA
WORLD CIRCUIT RECORDS/BMG
“A game-changing album…very few recordings have had such a fundamental impact on a genre as this album did for Cuban music.”—NPR Music
The Buena Vista Social Club 25th Anniversary Editions are out now on World Circuit Records. Comprised of a 2LP + 2CD Deluxe Book Pack, 2CD Casebook, 2LP Gatefold Vinyl and Digital Formats, the 25th Anniversary Editions are available here.
These definitive editions are timed to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the album’s recording and contain the original album as remastered by GRAMMY-winning engineer Bernie Grundman, as well as previously unheard tracks from the original 1996 session tapes, including “Vicenta” and “La Pluma.” Other features across the formats include new liner notes, previously unseen photography and lyrics, further biographies, art prints and a written history of the legendary original Havana club available exclusively within the Deluxe Book Pack format.
The history, authenticity and mystique of Buena Vista Social Club burns as brightly today as ever for fans both new and old. On March 26, 1996, the trio of Cuban bandleader Juan de Marcos González, American producer and guitarist Ry Cooder and British producer and label owner Nick Gold assembled an impromptu group of Cuban musicians at Centro Havana’s historic 1950s EGREM/Areito studios. The majority of those gathered were celebrated veterans of the golden age of the Cuban music scene of the 1940s and ’50s. None of them had any idea that the recordings they were about to produce would change the lives of many people, themselves included, and would forever change the standing of Cuban music in the world. Buena Vista Social Club was the name given to both this extraordinary group of musicians and the album, recorded in just seven days. The studio, owned by Cuba’s national label EGREM, was originally installed in the 1940s and is celebrated as a great jewel in recording history. The large single wood-paneled room enabled recording to take place with the full ensemble recorded playing live, which puts the listener right in the room amongst the musicians. There is no doubt that this played a major part in the magical sound of the final recordings.
It was clear from the atmosphere of the recording sessions that something very special was taking place, but no one could have predicted that Buena Vista Social Club would become a worldwide phenomenon, awarded a Grammy in 1997 and, at 8 million copies, outselling any other record in the same genre. The impact of those sessions is still felt 25 years later, and the vibrance and seductive allure of Cuba’s rich history and culture shines as brightly as ever in these definitive recordings. The acclaim of the original album has elevated the artists (including Ibrahim Ferrer, Eliades Ochoa, Compay Segundo, Rubén González & Omara Portuondo) to superstar status, inspired an award-winning film by Wim Wenders, and has contributed to popularizing Cuba’s rich musical heritage. Produced by Ry Cooder for World Circuit, the timeless quality of the music and the sheer verve of the veteran performers have ensured that this will go down as one of the landmark recordings of the 20th century.
This new edition includes tracks that were recorded during that famous week in 1996 but never released; some intended as repertoire suggestions, some off-the-cuff improvisations and some fully formed gems that are the equal of anything on the original album.
Producer and guitarist Ry Cooder says, “The Buena Vista boys fly high and never lose a feather. If you miss the boat this time, you’ll have the blues forever.”
Juan de Marcos González says, “Buena Vista Social Club has probably been the most important album of Cuban music in the late 20th century, and definitely the one that reopened the doors of international recognition for ‘Son Cubano.’ Twenty-five years later I can still feel the positive vibes of the studio and, of course, the pleasure of having contributed to some extent to the album that rescued the music of my country and many of its great interpreters from the shadows.”
Nick Gold says, “Buena Vista Social Club is a once in a lifetime recording of Cuban music at its transcendental best. The magic created in that Havana studio sounds as vital and beautiful today as it did 25 years ago.”
Eliades Ochoa says, “Buena Vista Social Club brought together great musicians from the golden age of Cuban music and successfully took our traditional music to the rest of the world. It allowed me to be recognized internationally by the sones, guarachas, and boleros I had been doing since I was young. It also made me reconnect with musicians with great experiences whom I admired. Buena Vista brought us together through music, and we were a well-run family. On this 25th anniversary, we will remember with deserved pride those great legends who will always be present among us. We will celebrate with joy the legacy of the Buena Vista Social Club and the traditional Cuban music.”
25 years after the serendipitous days of recordings, and as legions of new fans continue to discover the album’s enduring and seductive appeal, these 25th Anniversary Editions give fans the chance to get closer to the mystique and to relive the sessions from which a global phenomenon was born.
For more information, please contact
Joe Cohen, Krista Williams or Carla Sacks at Sacks & Co., 212.741.1000.
2LP & 2CD Deluxe Book Pack
• The original album, Remastered
by Bernie Grundman, on CD & 180g 2LP
• CD of previously unheard bonus tracks taken from
the original 1996 session tapes
• 40 page book featuring new liner notes, photos, song notes,
lyrics, biographies and a history of the original club
• 2 x 12x12” Art Prints
2LP
A-1 Chan Chan (2021 Remaster)
A-2 De Camino a La Vereda (2021 Remaster)
A-3 El Cuarto de Tula (2021 Remaster)
A-4 Pueblo Nuevo (2021 Remaster)
B-1 Dos Gardenias (2021 Remaster)
B-2 ¿Y Tú Qué Has Hecho? (2021 Remaster)
B-3 Veinte Años (2021 Remaster)
B-4 El Carretero (2021 Remaster)
B-5 Candela (2021 Remaster)
C-1 Amor de Loca Juventud (2021 Remaster)
C-2 Orgullecida (2021 Remaster)
C-3 Murmullo (2021 Remaster)
C-4 Buena Vista Social Club (2021 Remaster)
C-5 La Bayamesa (2021 Remaster)
D-1 Vicenta *
D-2 La Pluma *
D-3 A Tus Pies *
D-4 La Cleptómana *
D-5 Orgullecida (Alternate Trio Take) *
CD1
1 Chan Chan (2021 Remaster)
2 De Camino a La Vereda (2021 Remaster)
3 El Cuarto de Tula (2021 Remaster)
4 Pueblo Nuevo (2021 Remaster)
5 Dos Gardenias (2021 Remaster)
6 ¿Y Tú Qué Has Hecho? (2021 Remaster)
7 Veinte Años (2021 Remaster)
8 El Carretero (2021 Remaster)
9 Candela (2021 Remaster)
10 Amor de Loca Juventud (2021 Remaster)
11 Orgullecida (2021 Remaster)
12 Murmullo (2021 Remaster)
13 Buena Vista Social Club (2021 Remaster)
14 La Bayamesa (2021 Remaster)
CD2
1 Chan Chan (Monitor Mix) *
2 Vicenta *
3 La Pluma *
4 Dos Gardenias (Alternate Take) *
5 Mandinga *
6 Siboney *
7 A Tus Pies *
8 El Carretero (Alternate Take) *
9 Ensayo *
10 El Diablo Suelto *
11 Saludo Compay *
12 Descripción De Un Sueño *
13 Pueblo Nuevo (Alternate Take) *
14 La Cleptómana *
15 ¿ Y Tú Qué Has Hecho? (Alternate Take)
16 Orgullecida (Alternate Take) *
17 Descarga Rubén *
18 Candela (Alternate Take) *
19 Orgullecida (Alternate Trio Take) *
*Previously unreleased tracks and alternate takes
from the original 1996 studio session tapes
2CD CASEBOOK
• The original album, Remastered by Bernie Grundman
• 12 bonus tracks taken from the original 1996 session tapes
• 64 page booklet including new liner notes photos, song notes & lyrics
CD1
1 Chan Chan (2021 Remaster)
2 De Camino a La Vereda (2021 Remaster)
3 El Cuarto de Tula (2021 Remaster)
4 Pueblo Nuevo (2021 Remaster)
5 Dos Gardenias (2021 Remaster)
6 ¿Y Tú Qué Has Hecho? (2021 Remaster)
7 Veinte Años (2021 Remaster)
8 El Carretero (2021 Remaster)
9 Candela (2021 Remaster)
10 Amor de Loca Juventud (2021 Remaster)
11 Orgullecida (2021 Remaster)
12 Murmullo (2021 Remaster)
13 Buena Vista Social Club (2021 Remaster)
14 La Bayamesa (2021 Remaster)
CD2
1 Chan Chan (Monitor Mix) *
2 Vicenta *
3 La Pluma *
4 Dos Gardenias (Alternate Take) *
5 Mandinga *
6 Siboney *
7 A Tus Pies *
8 El Carretero (Alternate Take) *
9 Ensayo *
10 La Cleptómana *
11 Descarga Rubén *
12 Orgullecida (Alternate Trio Take) *
*Previously unreleased tracks and alternate takes
from the original
1996 studio session tapes
180G 2LP (GATEFOLD)
• The original album, Remastered by Bernie Grundman
• 5 bonus tracks taken from the original studio session tapes
• 20 page booklet including new liner notes, photos, song notes & lyrics
A-1 Chan Chan (2021 Remaster)
A-2 De Camino a La Vereda (2021 Remaster)
A-3 El Cuarto de Tula (2021 Remaster)
A-4 Pueblo Nuevo (2021 Remaster)
B-1 Dos Gardenias (2021 Remaster)
B-2 ¿Y Tú Qué Has Hecho? (2021 Remaster)
B-3 Veinte Años (2021 Remaster)
B-4 El Carretero (2021 Remaster)
B-5 Candela (2021 Remaster)
C-1 Amor de Loca Juventud (2021 Remaster)
C-2 Orgullecida (2021 Remaster)
C-3 Murmullo (2021 Remaster)
C-4 Buena Vista Social Club (2021 Remaster)
C-5 La Bayamesa (2021 Remaster)
D-1 Vicenta *
D-2 La Pluma*
D-3 A Tus Pies *
D-4 La Cleptómana *
D-5 Orgullecida (Alternate Trio Take) *
*Previously unreleased tracks and alternate takes
from the original 1996 studio session tapes
