Flashback to 1982 with the debut album of Juan Carlos Baglietto, Tiempos Difíciles
In our quest to explore early rock music from Argentina, we found Rolling Stone’s list of The Best Rock Album from Argentina from 2007. We decided to start going down the list, listening, and reviewing along the way. #98 is Juan Carlos Baglietto with his debut album from 1982 entitled, Tiempos Dificiles (Difficult Times).
After three listens, one right after another, I can see why Rolling Stone added this album to its Top 100 list. Fueled with strong pianos and sound reminiscent of the late 70’s pop from the states, Juan Carlos Baglietto gives the audience everything they can need. It’s classic rock, fused with folk and pop. My wife and I debated over how to describe Baglietto’s style. His music and voice remind me of a combination of Neil Sedaka and Franco De Vita. I know, odd combo, right?
When I think of 80’s music, I always feel like the sound is generic and dated; but not with Tiempos Dificiles. As I mentioned, part of me hears a younger more vibrant Franco De Vita in this album. His music is new and fresh. But it’s that Neil Sedaka that throws the vintage theme to the release. Some songs are upbeat, there are some ballads, and it’s all combined together with an over instrumentalized production. Don’t get me wrong, for an 80’s album, it’s is definitely one of the better albums I have heard without being teen pop.
Overall, I really enjoyed the debut album for Juan Carlos Baglietto, Tiempos Dificiles. And it will open up my eyes to more of his music in the future.
Juan Carlos is on Twitter at @JuanCaBaglietto but his account does not have any tweets.
Since that day, I have been study Latin pop and rock music and have become a Latin pop music historian through the publishing of articles, fanzine, and websites. My goal is to teach people about Latin pop music and the history behind it with my website, Siempre En Domingo.
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