I’ve wanted to review this album for a while now, but I needed to own it before I examined the record for one particular reason. I’ll explain. I’ve had this album digitally that I got from a fellow Menudo fan, and when listened to the album, I noticed that the songs that the group sings together seem to be the same as their 80’s versions. Songs like “Llegas Tu” and “Isole” sounded just like the version I knew from the album Fuego, just remastered.
It is so hard to say if the song was re-recorded for the Fuego album or not, to me, it still seems like it was just remastered. The music is identical. And it is hard to believe that changing out four members of the group would still give you the same vocal harmony to have to them be so similar that you can not be 100% sure. The song, “Fuego” on this album is 35-second shorter than the version fans are used to hearing. That is because, in this version, the boys begin singing right away versus having a musical intro.
Menudo has been one of those artists that I enjoy collecting, and that is because they have so many releases in so many countries on so many different labels that they have such huge collectibility. Different colors of logos, various record companies. I am in the process of creating a database of Menudo albums to discuss the differences.
Songs on this album that had reissues in future albums include, “El Ayer” and “El Momento Del Adios.” Both of these songs feature vocals that are immature and feel unsure of themselves. When compared to their 80’s counterparts, there is a strong difference in the quality of the song. Rene and Johnny sing lead vocals on the new versions. I don’t think the members in this line-up were the best singers, and they show their age.
For the most part, the album is pretty good. We realize that the hits of the ’80s really weren’t popular when they were originally released. I am, why do we not see a lot of videos on YouTube of this line-up singing “Fuego.” It is one of the group’s most popular songs. You would think that videos would surface if it was that popular then. As for collectibility, the album is a must for any Menudo fan. Now to answer the question of which version to get?
I would say…This one. The RCA red and yellow logo has a sepia-toned back cover. This makes the individual member’s photos a sepia color. This gold logo version has beautiful black and white photos that photograph and scan well. As for the red logo, it is too common. I would hunt for the gold cover more.
*UPDATE 9/19/21 – I have changed the name of the album title due to the fact that when the album was originally released, it did not have a title therefore it is self-titled. Fans tended to change the name of the album based on the first single, which was a ballad titled, “Laura”. In Columbia, the album was released as Laila. I don’t know if it was a misprint or not. At this time, the album has not available on streaming.
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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