El Chicano - In The Eye Of The Storm (2009)

Juxtaposing ’60s and ’70s news snippets, band interviews, and concert footage, director Daniel E. Meza brilliantly relates how racism and the La Raza movement forged Latin rock. In the case of El Chicano, the cultural strife inspired music of great joy. “We were in the thick of it,” says bassist Fred Sanchez, “because [Chicano-power organizers] were the people who hired El Chicano. But we contributed by putting positive stuff out there music and happiness.”This is a bold story beautifully and sometimes painfully". ~ Inakustik

Originally deemed The VIPs, El Chicano's rise to success inadvertently made them part of the Mexican-American movement in the United States, most notably southern California and southern Texas. Historically, the term "el Chicano" was a derogatory word derived from the Spanish word "Mejicano," or Mexican. After several years of struggle, it was later adopted by Mexican-Americans as a sort of badge of honor regarding their fight for equality in white America. As unique as it was at the time, the band's producer secretly released their first song, "Viva Tirado," under the name El Chicano instead of The VIPs, the latter name lacking the type of political significance of El Chicano. After the song became an overnight hit, the name stuck and El Chicano was born.

It goes without saying that, if you're an El Chicano follower, you cannot pass up this two-DVD set. The documentary includes historical footage of social issues at the time, intertwined with the history of El Chicano. Between interviews with the band members and historical footage are intermission-like clips from the Avalon concert, giving the audience a balance of visual and audio pleasure. The great thing about this is that it keeps the documentary from becoming too focused on the seriousness of the time, much like one would imagine their music did for many Mexican-Americans fighting for equality. While the band was never as famous nationally as other bands of the time, their hits were equally as popular in Mexican-American areas of the United States. In these parts of the country, "Tell Her She's Lovely" was equally as popular as Santana's "Oye Como Va." With the band performing with such groups as Marvin Gay and The Jackson 5, the documentary touches on the high points of their career, as well as what thy
believe to be some of their bigger, and career-altering mistakes.

The great thing about the documentary is that the mix of social history, band history and concert footage keeps the audience moving and interested. The footage gives the audience a point of reference as to the importance of the band during this time, and a panoramic view of what was going on. The initial DVD also consists of almost an hour of bonus material, including interviews, performances and rehearsals from the band's 2008 reunion concert. The second DVD includes the entire reunion concert entitled Live at the Avalon – The Concert Santa Clara, California May 2008 including a faster, more subdued version of The Beatles' hit "Eleanor Rigby," what you might actually call a sexier and loose, Latin jazz version. ~ Jennifer Manjarez





DVD 1
In The Eye Of The Storm - Movie

01. El Grito
02. Opening Credits
03. The VIP’s (before The Srtorm)
04. Cubano Chant
05. The Break Tune
06. Viva Tirado
07. VIP’s To El Chicano
08. Coming Home Baby
09. Los Angeles To New York
10. Chicago Chant
11. Revolution
12. Spanish Grease
13. Celebration Through Misunderstanding
14. Eleanor Rigby
15. Viva Tirado Otra Vez
16. Mas Zacate
17. Tell Her She's Lovely
18. Crossroads
19. Juntos
20. End Credits

Bonus Features:
Interviews
Performances
Rehearlas




DVD 2
Live At The Avalon - The Concert

01. Viva Tirado Otra Vez
02. Mas Zacate
03. El Grito
04. Eleanor Rigby
05. Spanish Grease
06. Coming Home Baby
07. Tell Her She'S Lovely
08. Coming Home Baby
09. El Cayuco
10. Junitos
11. Viva Tirado
12. Chicano Chant

Taped Live at The Avalon, Santa Clara, May 2008




El Chicano Musicians

• Mickey Lespron: Guitar, Vocals
• Bobby Espinosa: Organ, Keyboards, Piano, Vocals
• Fred Sanchez; Bass, Vocals
• John E. DeLuna: Drums
• Rudy Regalado: Guitar
• Jerry Salas: Vocals, Guitar
• Marcos Reyes: Congas




Many thanks to the original uploader: YWM1957

SEE also:
El Chicano 2004 20th Century M...ection: The Best Of El Chicano