Trying to find pop and rock music from 1979 that I would follow or want to follow was a hard challenge. After coming up with only a few albums, I found a pop chart from Mexico. On the top 40 charts from Mexico, I found Juan Gabriel. What I know about Juan Gabriel is that he was a flamboyant ranchero singer that many pop artists covered. In 1979, that was not Juan Gabriel. I was surprised by what I heard,
Me Gusta Bailar Contigo (I Like To Dance With You) is Juan Gabriel’s 13th studio album. Up until this point in his career, Juan Gabriel was recording both mariachi and ballad albums. From what I can tell, Me Gusta Bailar Contigo is the artist’s first pop album. It embraced the music of the era: disco. The entire album oozed with disco beats. I could just picture the gays at the underground clubs dancing away the night with songs from this album.
I was surprised by what I heard on Juan Gabriel’s Me Gusta Bailar Contigo album.
One track I already knew. “Nadie Baila Como Tu” (Nobody Dances Like You) was covered by the popular group, Pandora in 1991 when they recorded a tribute album to Juan Gabriel. Of all the tracks, only one song did not contain lyrics. “Queriendote Alcanzar” (Wanting To Reach You) is an instrumental track that Gabriel wrote. Actually, every song on the album was written by Juan Gabriel.
The album is the epitome of what was coming out of every disco in the late seventies but works for Juan Gabriel. His over-the-top femininity works well with the danceable discos tracks. Put on your polyester and go-go boots. It’s time to dance with Juan Gabriel and Me Gusta Bailar Contigo in 1979.
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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