Azteca
Studio album by
Azteca
ReleasedDecember 1972
RecordedSeptember 1972
GenreLatin, Funk
Length46:51
LabelColumbia Records
ProducerCoke Escovedo
Azteca
Azteca chronology
Azteca
(1972)		 Pyramid of the Moon
(1973)

Azteca is the debut album by former Santana band members Coke Escovedo and his brother Pete Escovedo with their new band, Azteca.

The album was released by Columbia Records in December 1972 and debuted at No.178 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart on January 13, 1973,[1] peaking at No.151 on February 17, 1973,[2] and spending nine weeks in the charts.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[3]

On the website Allmusic, music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote:

"In all likelihood, Azteca never would've had a major-label contract if it weren't for Santana, the trailblazing San Franciscan group that made Latin rhythms acceptable. Azteca had a stronger Latin bent than Santana, particularly on this eponymous 1972 debut that is dense with polyrhythms and horns, dipping occasionally into a Cinemascope presentation of saccharine emotions. That sentimentality and on-the-nose celebrations ('You Can't Take the Funk Out of Me'), along with a general hippie-dippy vibe, give the album a period-piece flavor but there is much to savor here, especially in how all involved enjoy playing with the groove, letting it breathe and expand, sometimes happy to let it ride upwards of seven minutes."[4]

In December 1972 Billboard in its review of the album stated "the seventeen man conglomerate boasts, among other assets four fiery vocalists and a four man horn section that cooks to the boiling point. Especially powerful are 'Mamita Linda', 'You Can't Take the Funk Out of Me' and 'Love Not Then'".[5]

Saturday Review of the Arts described it as an "impressive debut album", "featuring a bold, funky sound supported by an accordingly large batch of esteemed players, including graduates of Santana".[6]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."La Piedra del Sol"Lenny White III, Tom Harrell1:13
2."Mamita Linda"James Vincent (Dondelinger),[7] Tom Dondelinger3:40
3."Ain't Got No Special Woman"Mark Pearson, Rico Reyes, Tom Harrell3:28
4."Empty Prophet"James Vincent (Dondelinger), Rick Canoff5:27
5."Can't Take the Funk Out of Me"Paul Jackson4:22
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Peace Everybody"George DiQuattro, Pete Escovedo4:30
7."Non Pacem"Flip Núnez[8]6:39
8."Ah! Ah!"Pete Escovedo, Tito Puente3:24
9."Love Not Then"Flip Núnez5:00
10."Azteca"Al Bent4:45
11."Theme: La Piedra del Sol"Lenny White III, Tom Harrell1:52

Personnel

Azteca

Production

References

  1. ↑ "Billboard". Billboard Top LPs & Tape. January 13, 1973. p. 52.
  2. ↑ "Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard.
  3. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen. "Azteca > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Azteca – Azteca (1972, Vinyl)" – via www.allmusic.com.
  5. ↑ "Billboard". Billboard Album Reviews. December 23, 1972. p. 47.
  6. ↑ "Saturday Review of the Arts". Vol. 1, no. 1–4. Saturday Review Company. 1973. p. 50. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  7. ↑ "James Vincent (Dondelinger)". AllMusic.
  8. ↑ "Flip Núnez". AllMusic.
  9. ↑ "Errol Knowles". AllMusic.
  10. ↑ "George Engfer". AllMusic.
  11. ↑ "Bruce Steinberg". AllMusic.
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