Produced by T-Bone Burnett, the major breakthrough of Los Lobos' How Will The Wolf Survive? was a launching pad for the tried & true sound of these Latin American musical heroes.
Honing their craft in '70s L.A. by doing loads of weddings and dance gigs, they incorporated Rock into their Mexican sound which resulted in a Pop staple of legendary proportions. The band switch easily between rockers like “Don't Worry Baby” and “A Matter Of Time” and modern Mexican evergreens “Corrida #1” and “Serenata Norteña”.
- 180 gram audiophile vinyl
- Available on vinyl for the first time since its original release
Review:
Los Lobos spent years playing parties, wedding receptions, restaurants,
bars, and anyplace else where someone might pay them for a gig before landing a
deal with Slash Records, and their first full-length album for the label, How
Will the Wolf Survive?, is the work of a band that had learned how to play
something for everyone while still maintaining their own musical personality in
the process. How Will the Wolf Survive? swings back and forth from
straight-ahead rock (“Don't Worry Baby”) and potent R&B grooves
(“I Got Loaded”) to country-accented blues ballads (“A Matter of
Time”) and Mexican traditional numbers (“Serenata Nortena”), with the
band's exemplary taste, musical smarts, and road-tested maturity in evidence on
every cut. While rarely flashy, even a casual listen offers all the proof you
might need that Los Lobos were a band of world-class musicians, with David
Hidalgo's guitar work especially impressive throughout. Just as importantly,
How Will the Wolf Survive? was the first album where Los Lobos showed how much
they had to say as songwriters, especially on “A Matter of Time” and the
title cut, two songs that offered a moving and compassionate look at the lives
of illegal aliens in America. On …And a Time to Dance, Los Lobos showed the
world that they were a great dance band, but How Will the Wolf Survive? showed
they were a great dance band, and a lot more besides.
All Music Guide – Mark Deming