Graciasland
1994 studio album by El Vez
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Graciasland is an album by the American musician El Vez, released in 1994.[2][3] Often labeled as parody rock, the album addresses issues related to Mexico, immigration, and Chicano culture.[4][5]
| Graciasland | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1994 | |||
| Genre | Rock and roll | |||
| Label | Sympathy for the Record Industry[1] | |||
| Producer | El Vez | |||
| El Vez chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production
The album was produced by El Vez.[6] He recorded it with his band, the Mexican Mariachis, and his backup singers, the Elvettes.[7][8]
"Aztlan" is a reimaging of Paul Simon's "Graceland", with the Rio Grande used instead of the Mississippi; Graciasland's album cover also sends up Graceland.[9][10][11] "Immigration Time" is a takeoff of "Suspicious Minds" that also incorporates elements of "Sympathy for the Devil".[12][4] "Hurarches Azules" is an interpretation of "Blue Suede Shoes".[13]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [14] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [6] |
The Chicago Reader wrote that El Vez "combines one part Elvis with one part bilingual and musical puns, then adds dollops of everything from Hendrix to the Clash."[15] The Boston Globe noted that El Vez "shuffles the familiar and Williams Burroughs-like, cuts it up and recontexturalizes it into new, jarring forms, some in English, some in Spanish."[16]
The Press-Telegram called "Immigration Time" "a timely, topical tune sung to the melody of the King's 'Suspicious Minds' with lyrics right outta Prop. 187."[17]
AllMusic wrote that "Graciasland is El Vez's best work, smoothly combining humor, social and political satire, and great rock & roll in one fell swoop."[14] MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide deemed it "his crowning achievement," writing that the musical references "are played neither for parody nor nostalgia, but as legitimate touchstones from our popular history."[6] In 2009, the Iowa City Press-Citizen called the album a "delightfully subversive, post-modern collision of Elvis Presley with his often-unwitting, pan-global spinoffs."[18]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "La Negra" | |
| 2. | "Hurarches Azules" | |
| 3. | "Aztlan" | |
| 4. | "Chicanisma" | |
| 5. | "¡Go Zapata Go!" | |
| 6. | "It's Now or Never" | |
| 7. | "Cinco De Mayo (W/Blackbird) Edit." | |
| 8. | "Gypsy Queen" | |
| 9. | "Trouble" | |
| 10. | "The Cuauhtemoc Walk" | |
| 11. | "Cesar Chavez" | |
| 12. | "Mexican Radio" | |
| 13. | "Safe (Baby Let's Play Safe)" | |
| 14. | "Immigration Time" |