Ritchie Valens was only 17 when he died in 1959 in the same plane crash that claimed the lives of Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper, and he had only been working in a recording studio for about seven months when the tragedy occurred; thus, his musical legacy rests on about an album and a half of completed studio material, a poorly recorded high-school concert, and a handful of demos and rehearsal tapes. This set is a straight reissue of Valens' first album for Bob Keane's Del-Fi label, and i...   [ read more ]

CD $15.18

With only two brief albums, a poorly recorded live high school show, and some demos and rehearsal tapes to draw from, the legacy of the late Ritchie Valens rests on an extremely small canon. Most collections of his work, like this one, are mix and match affairs from these few sources, and while Valens' charismatic talent is everywhere evident, he simply didn't live long enough to refine and develop it. His huge hit "La Bamba" is here, of course, and his halting, touching version of {&"Bluebirds Ov...   [ read more ]

CD $17.08

Ritchie Valens was only 17 when he died in 1959. His musical legacy rests on about an album and a half of completed studio material, a poorly recorded high-school concert, and a handful of demos and rehearsal tapes, all of which actually makes this extremely brief ten-song set a decent purchase, since the longer compilations are forced to include a lot of filler. In the case of Valens, who had no real time to refine or develop his obvious talents, less is quite likely best. Valens' big hit, {&"La ...   [ read more ]

CD $7.58