album rating: ★★★★★
Genre: Salsa / salsa dura / guaguancó / samba / Latin jazz. Lo Mato (Si No Compra Este LP) — 'I'll Kill Him If You Don't Buy This LP' — is the eighth studio album by the dynamic duo of trombonist Willie Colón and vocalist Héctor Lavoe (born Héctor Juan Pérez Martínez, Ponce, Puerto Rico, 1946–1993), released by Fania Records in 1973. The humorous provocation of the title — a reference to the National Lampoon's January 1973 cover 'If You Don't Buy This Magazine, We'll Kill This Dog' — reflects the duo's celebrated bad-boy marketing image, constructed across a series of LP covers by Fania art director Izzy Sanabria that depicted them as outlaws, gangsters and fugitives. The album captures Colón and Lavoe at a creative and personal turning point: their professional relationship was already under strain due to Lavoe's increasing dependence on heroin, and Lo Mato would be the last album they recorded as a touring duo, before Colón disbanded the group to concentrate on production work. Yet none of this tension is audible in the music. The record opens with 'Calle Luna Calle Sol', Colón's cautionary tale of a street overrun by criminals, driven by Joe Torres's hook-laden piano line and Lavoe's most mature and soulful singing. Other key tracks include 'Todo Tiene Su Final', the autobiographical 'El Día de Mi Suerte' (co-composed by Lavoe), 'Junio 73' (featuring ecstatic duelling trombones between Colón and Eric Matos), 'Guajira Ven' and 'La María', which incorporates a Brazilian samba into the salsa framework. The rhythm section features Santi González on bass, José Mangual on bongos, Louis Romero on timbales and Milton Cardona on congas.
Label: Fania Records (USA), 1973.
Producers: Willie Colón and Jerry Masucci. Recording director: Johnny Pacheco. Engineer: Jon Fausty.
Recording studio: Good Vibrations Sound Studios, New York City, USA. Mid-1973.
Critical reception: Lo Mato was embraced as yet another classic on release and has grown considerably in stature since. AllMusic awarded it 8.6 out of 10, praising Colón's 'compositional depth and the band's powerhouse execution.' Fania's own retrospective notes describe it as showcasing the duo 'at the peak of their powers' — Lavoe's vocals 'soulful and mature, exhibiting his impeccable timing and infectious sense of humor', Colón filling 'the session with the trademark roar of his trombone solos.' Rate Your Music users give it a score of 4.0 out of 5. uDiscover Music called it 'salsa's new king for the '70s had nearly endless reserves of compositional fortitude.' 'Calle Luna Calle Sol' has remained a live staple of Colón's concerts for over fifty years.
Commercial success: Lo Mato was the fourth Willie Colón / Héctor Lavoe album to go gold, following Cosa Nuestra (1970), La Gran Fuga (1971) and El Juicio (1972). The album was remastered and recut for vinyl in 2022 by engineer Kevin Gray and released by Craft Latino, the reissue arm of Concord Music. 'Calle Luna Calle Sol' became one of the most enduring standards in the Fania catalogue.
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