Siembra [LP] - Willie Colon & Ruben Blades

When Siembra released in 1978, it was the second of four collaborations on Fania Records between salsa giants Willie Colón and Rubén Blades. The influential release set the salsa world on fire! It was one of few albums where almost every song became a hit at one time or another throughout the U.S. and Latin America. The unconventional set delivered mostly songs with strong social messages and storytelling, while not common themes for salsa music, the messages resonated with Latinos around the world, making it a landmark release known as one of the most popular salsa albums in the history of Latin music. Siembra includes the Blades masterpiece “Pedro Navaja,” inspired by Bertolt Brecht’s Threepenny Opera, about a gangster shot to death in the barrio. The smash hit includes dramatic sounds of street noise, sirens and even a part of the chorus lyrics for the song “America” from the West Side Story film, where the background “coro” singers belt out “I like to live in America.” Other hits include “Buscando Guayaba” and “Plástico.” In 2007, Siembra was inducted into the Latin GRAMMY® Hall of Fame, further establishing the title’s historical significance. Siembra has been remastered from the original analog master tapes for the first time and pressed on 180-gram vinyl for this latest Craft Recordings reissue.