Roberto Delgado
Saturday, 5 May 2007
Let me say it carefully, because in earlier attempts to describe my feelings about this kind of music I seem to have stepped too hard on too many toes. But in my opinion many of the so called exotica records are highly overrated easy listening. Not every song with an exotic touch and a lot of stereo-effects is exciting. And especially the records produced in the seventies in Europe are nine out of ten times soulless crap.
What amazes me is that artists, who have carefully build a reputation of producing crap, also have recorded some nice or even great music. That is strange: either they just had a few lucky days of genius, or they sold their soul early in their life. For a naïve utopist like me, both possibilities are hard to understand.
Yesterday I sorted out some German easy listening records, of which I had far more than I could remember. James Last and his two brothers, who are exemplary for this genre, will be featured in a future episode of this Soundtrack, but today I want to write a few words about Horst Wende.
Horst Wende was originally an accordion player and he made also records under his own name, but he is most known as Roberto Delgado. Roberto Delgado is responsible for many easy listening LP’s, most with Latin influences. The sound is not very different from that of his German colleges in the field, but he does seem to have a little more soul than most of them. And unlike most of the other German orchestra leaders he did not record any medleys. Medleys are one of my criteria for not buying a record. I cannot stand medleys. Another fact that made me mention Roberto Delgado in this Soundtrack, is the fact that he played ska. On some of his LP’s are covers of Reyurn of Django, Liquidator and Wet dream, with nice organ playing and an up tempo dance beat.
These tracks are spread out over several LP’s, and although I make CDr’s of such tracks, it is not an ideal situation for a person with an autistic inclination. So I was very happy to find an LP yesterday with all these tracks on it: That’s Reggae. (Well, not all: Soul limbo Is not on this LP. It is no reggae too, of course.)
Here is the Roberto Delgado Orchestra with Return of Django. (And don’t tell me it is crap, because I know. But the rest is far worse!)
Comments:
Sylvester
2007-11-20 10:44:58
What of the album “This is reggae” by R. Delgado?
frits
2007-11-20 13:47:05
Is there an LP named “This is reggae” too? “That’s reggae” and “This is reggae”... confusing!
Sylvester
2007-11-21 13:45:21
I had this album, “this is reggae”, back in late 70’s. I am hoping the album would have been made into CD by now.
clasen collection
2007-12-20 14:04:18
I had the album “This is Reggae”, and it contains some very nicely interpreted well known reggae titles. The real confusion is, that the cover of “That’s Reggae” by Roberto Delgado is a part of the picture on a reggae sampler also called “That’s Reggae” featuring Jimmy Cliff, Desmond Dekker and other original jamaican musicians!
clasen collection
2007-12-20 14:05:17
I had the album “This is Reggae”, and it contains some very nicely interpreted well known reggae titles. The real confusion is, that the cover of “That’s Reggae” by Roberto Delgado is a part of the picture on a reggae sampler also called “That’s Reggae” featuring Jimmy Cliff, Desmond Dekker and other original jamaican musicians!
Jay
2007-12-26 02:31:10
Please I have been searching for the Album
“This is Reggae” by Roberto Delgado. Anyone knows where I can get it? My Dad played it often when I was a kid and I wanna hear those tunes again. All of them
Freddy
2008-03-09 00:01:34
hi Jay, i have this is reggae and i bought it from www.gemm.com there are heaps of roberto delgado stuffs!
Jay Omar
2008-03-10 15:15:54
Hey freddy,
Thanks so much. I’m going there right away and will feed you back. Cheers
Roberto Delgado
2008-07-17 13:52:31
Hey people, it’s funny but I’d never heard about Roberto Delgado and it happens that’s my real name and I have a band too!!
www.myspace.com/robertodelgadoyorquesta
Marty
2008-07-22 05:52:58
The original recording is This Is Reggae from Polydor 2371 029. But like more Wende & Delgado albums, many of them got other names to make people confused.
David
2008-09-12 07:12:39
About to post a copy of “this is reggae” by delgado on my blog subway-detour.blogspot.com care of ramanji (india) and pakdhe (indonesia)
Marty
2008-09-23 17:52:28
Complete Horst Wende/Roberto Delgado/Mister Pepper lijst van Marty
Het voordeel van alle elpees is dat het productie jaar in de plaat gedrukt staat.
1955 International Polka Favourites Fiësta HW
1957 Romance Em Veneca Polydor
1957 Oriëntal Caravan Decca HW
1958 Africana Polydor HW
1960 Dance To Delgado Contour
1960 Blaue Nacht Am Hafen Polydor HW
1961 In Strikt Danstempo Karussell HW
1962 Bei Pfeiffers Ist Ball Karussell HW
1962 Portrait Of Horst Wende Polydor
1962 Portrait Of Roberto Delgado Polydor
1962 Along Mexican Highways Vol.1. Polydor
1963 Delgado Hits Pan Americana Polydor
1963 Latin Americana Polydor
1964 Olé Roberto Delgado Polydor
1964 Night Club Dancing Vol.1. Polydor
1965 Letkiss Polydor
1965 Blue Hawaii Vol.1. Polydor
1965 Caramba Vol.1. Polydor
1965 Along Mexican Highways Vol.2. Polydor
1965 South Of The Border Polydor
1965 Camino De Mexico Polydor
1965 Night Club Dancing Vol.2. Polydor
1966 Tanz Durch’s Musical Wunderland Polydor
1966 Show Dancing Polydor
1966 Italia…
Marty
2008-09-23 17:53:24
1966 Italian Romance Polydor
1966 Delgado Dancing Polydor
1966 Accordeon A La Carte Vol.1. Polydor HW
1966 Tanz In Der Taverne Polydor
1967 Holiday In Israël Polydor
1967 Drops Polydor MP
1967 Caramba Vol.2. Polydor
1967 Happy Harmonica Polydor HW
1968 Holiday In Scandinavia Polydor
1968 Acapulco Holiday Polydor
1968 Guitar A La Carte Vol.1. Polydor
1968 Wenn Das Schifferklavier An Bord ertönt Polydor HW
1968 Tanz Im Weissen Rössl Polydor
1968 Marimba A La Carte Polydor
1968 Dancing Rebecca Polydor
1968 Latino Dancing Polydor
1968 Blue Hawaii Vol.2. Polydor
1968 Spanish Eyes Polydor
1968 Hifi Stereo Polydor
1969 Accordeon In Gold Karussell HW
1969 Latin Rendez-Vous With Polydor
1969 Guitar A La Carte Vol.2. Polydor
1969 Accordeon A La Carte Vol.2. Polydor
1969 Hits A La Carte Polydor
1969 Latin A La Carte Polydor
1969 This Is Roberto Delgado Polydor
1970 Hawaiian Nights Polydor
1970 Calypso A La Carte Polydor
1970 This Is Reggae Polydor
1970 Caramba Vol.3. Polydor
1970 The Very B…
Marty
2008-09-23 17:54:11
1970 The Very Best Of Roberto Delgado Polydor
1970 Vibraphone A La Carte Polydor
1970 African Dancing Polydor
1970 Samba Caramba South America Olé Polydor
1970 Latin Flutes Polydor
1970 Accordéon Polydor
1971 South America Let’s Dance Polydor
1972 Happy Accordion Polydor HW
1972 Latin Special ’72 Polydor
1972 Wir Stehen Auf Akkordeon Vol.1. Polydor HW
1973 Fiësta For Dancing Vol.1. Polydor
1973 Happy South America Stargala Polydor
1974 Die Bouzouki Klingt Vol.1. Polydor
1974 Wir Stehen Auf Akkordeon Vol.2. Polydor HW
1974 Dance Time With Roberto Delgado Polydor
1974 Roberto Delgado Polydor
1975 Fiësta For Dancing Vol.2. Polydor
1975 20 South America Dancing Hits Polydor
1975 South America My Love Polydor
1976 Akkordeon Schlager-Parade Polydor HW
1976 Akkordeon Schlager-Parade Zug Um Zug Karussell HW
1976 Die Bouzouki Klingt Vol.2. Polydor
1976 Latin Rhythms Polydor
1977 Die Grossen Orchester Der Welt Polydor
1977 Die grosse Aktuelle Hammond Schlager-Parade Karussell HW
1977 Fiësta For…
Marty
2008-09-23 17:54:50
1977 Fiësta For Dancing Vol.3. Polydor
1977 Die Grosse Aktuelle Akkordeon Hitparade Karussell HW
1977 Fiësta Caramba 2000 Polydor
1977 The Best Of The Best Of Roberto Delgado Polydor
1977 Fiësta For Dancing Vol.4. Polydor
1977 Roberto Delgado In gold Polydor
1977 Buenos Dias olé Polydor
1977 Concerto D’ Aranjuez Polydor
1978 Die Balalaika klingt Polydor
1978 Music Box Dancer Polydor
1979 Jamaica Disco Polydor
1979 Roberto Delgado Meets Kalinka Polydor
1980 Vacation In The Sun Polydor
1980 Fiësta Colombiana & Los Paraguayos Pop Edition
1980 Da Capo Roberto Polydor
1980 Tropical Sun Dance Polydor
1981 Blue Tropical Polydor
1996 El Humahuaqueno CD Polydor
1998 Happy South America 2CD Polydor
1999 Happy Holiday Collection 2CD Polydor
2000 Lounge Legends CD Polydor
Marty
2008-09-23 17:56:10
2000 20 South America Dancing Hits RD CD
2000 Camino De Mexico RD CD
Milan
2007-05-05 17:24:53
For what it’s worth, his track Tara Din Din is great, as featured on the crap record African Dancing. Slow burning safari stuff. Still maybe not a reason to keep the otherwise dull record on your shelves.