Alpha (Selena album)

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Alpha
Alphaselena.webp
Studio album by
Selena y Los Dinos
Released1986
Genre Latin pop, pop rock
Length32:16
Language Spanish
Label G.P. Productions
Producer A.B. Quintanilla
Selena y Los Dinos chronology
The New Girl in Town
(1985)		Alpha
(1986)		 Muñequito de Trapo
(1987)
Singles from Alpha
  1. "Dame un Beso/Con Esta Copa"
    Released: 1986

Alpha is the debut studio album by American Tejano music group Selena y Los Dinos. Released in 1986 under Manny Guerra's G.P. Productions, it followed two albums the group recorded under different indie music labels. Selena y Los Dinos, led by vocalist Selena, recorded mostly cover songs. Wanting to stand out, bassist A.B. Quintanilla requested original material from Luis Silva after noticing his track record for writing award-winning songs. Silva ignored A.B.'s request and he was inspired by Abraham to write songs himself. The group expanded to include keyboardist Ricky Vela and guitarist Roger Garcia. Vela collaborated with A.B. on "Dame un Beso", while he collaborated with Abraham on "Dame tu Amor". A.B. became Selena y Los Dinos' music producer and songwriter, while Abraham encouraged them to record songs of various genres to appeal to a wider audience. Despite her limited Spanish, Selena recorded all nine tracks phonetically.

Contents

"Dame un Beso" was released on radio and generated considerable airplay, becoming Selena's first commercially acclaimed single of her career. It reached number one on radio stations in El Paso, Texas. The song was nominated at the 1987 Tejano Music Awards for Single of the Year and Song of the Year. Alpha led Selena to be nominated for the Tejano Music Award for Female Vocalist of the Year and win the Tejano Music Award for Female Entertainer of the Year. The group's struggles during the production of the album was dramatized by Christian Serratos and Gabriel Chavarria as Selena and A.B., respectively in Netflix's two-part limited drama, Selena: The Series (2020-21). The tracks "Dame un Beso" and "Dame tu Amor" experienced a resurgence in popularity in the 21st century; the former peaked at number 25 on the US Billboard Latin Digital Song Sales chart in 2020, while the latter peaked at number 31 on the Hot Ringtones chart in 2006.

Background and production

In 1972, Abraham Quintanilla departed the doo-wop-turned Tejano music group Los Dinos. After dwindling ticket sales and a decline in popularity, Quintanilla refocused on financially supporting his growing family. [1] The music business provided instability for Quintanilla, who received loans from his father that bailed him out of several failed investments he made for Los Dinos. [2] Quintanilla moved his family to Lake Jackson, Texas from Corpus Christi, Texas in hopes of settling down. He found it difficult to retire from music and spent his free time singing. [3] After realizing that his youngest daughter Selena could sing, Quintanilla recalled, "I saw the continuation of my dreams." [4] In 1980, Quintanilla opened a Tex-Mex restaurant with nine-year-old Selena fronting Southern Pearl, which included her older siblings 17-year-old A.B. Quintanilla on bass and 13-year-old Suzette Quintanilla on drums. [5] After the restaurant failed due to the 1980s oil glut that resulted in a Texas recession in 1981, Abraham decided to promote the band, now called Selena y Los Dinos, and moved back to Corpus Christi after the family was evicted from their home. [6] In 1983, Selena recorded her first singles "No Puedo Estar Sin Ti"/"Se Acabo Aquel Amor" and "Ya Se Va"/"Tres Veces No" on Freddie Records. The singles received little airplay and generated no sales. In 1984, Freddie Records released the group's first cassette album Selena y Los Dinos. The label provided little promotion and did not want to "waste money" on Selena y Los Dinos, preferring to promote bigger acts already signed by them. Freddie Records confronted Abraham that the group was premature and did not have faith that they would be a commercial threat, telling him "give [the group] another six years before [they would make] it". [7] Abraham pulled Selena y Los Dinos from Freddie Records for Bob Grever's Cara Records. They recorded The New Girl in Town which was released on cassette in 1985. Grever's music producer Manny Guerra departed Cara and formed his own label G.P. Productions. He dissolved Selena y Los Dinos' contract with Cara and the group began recording under Guerra's label in 1986. [8]

A.B. was frustrated that Selena y Los Dinos recorded mostly cover songs and wanted original compositions to stand out, he recalled "we had no songs. We were constantly looking for material". He approached award-winning songwriter Luis Silva who ignored A.B.'s requests for original songs, which made him upset. Abraham encouraged him to write songs himself, which A.B. recalled "was the beginning" of creating "Dame un Beso". He became the group's music producer and songwriter. [9] Selena y Los Dinos expanded to include Ricky Vela on keyboards and Roger Garcia on guitar; both were replacements of Rena Dearman and her husband Rodney Pyatt, respectively. A.B. collaborated with Vela on "Dame un Beso", their first songwriting credit. [10] B-side, "Con Esta Copa", was a cover of the original Los Dinos' single. Vela collaborated with Abraham on "Dame tu Amor", their first collaboration. The track, "Lo Dejo Solo", which was penned by Vela in 1986, was shelved and remained unreleased until 2006 on the posthumous re-issue titled Classic Series, Vol. I, replacing the instrumental "El Tejano", also penned by Vela. [11] Abraham preferred that the group record various genres for Alpha to appeal to a wider audience. He found that the Valley enjoyed accordion-based music, while in West Texas listeners preferred cumbias, and Houston and Dallas audiences liked pop music. Alpha is a Latin pop and rock pop album, with stylistic influences of Tejano, adult contemporary, dance-pop, and regional Mexican music. [12] Daniel Bustamente, the record producer of Houston's Festival Chicano, recalled the music Selena performed at her first appearance at Miller Outdoor Theater as being "still not as full, but she always impressed everybody with that voice. The way she was able to do different things with her voice was like an opera singer, in a sense." [9] Despite her limited Spanish, [10] Selena recorded all nine tracks phonetically. [13]

Reception and media appearances

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [12]

Joey Guerra of the Houston Chronicle ranked Alpha at number 15 on his list of the best Selena albums. Guerra called the record a "hard-to-find album" and named "Dame un Beso" as one of Selena's "first minor hits". [14] Rob Harvilla of The Ringer urged readers to watch Selena's 1987 performance of "Dame un Beso" on YouTube, writing that viewers "can hear her outfit: the probably homemade sparkly silver spacesuit, the towering poof of hair that doubles the size of her head. You know what she looks like even if you're not looking at her". [15] Steve Legget of Allmusic found Classic Series, Vol. I as a shorter version of its predecessor Y Sus Inicios, Vol. I (2003), the first volume of an album series issued under Q-Zone Records that chronicled Selena's recordings prior to her contractual commitments with EMI Latin. Legget found Selena to be premature in Classic Series, Vol. I, despite finding her vocal abilities mature for her age. Finding little of the track listing to ignite any interest, Legget finds the overall releases of her early recordings as being "worth their weight in gold." [12]

Selena y Los Dinos's struggles during the production of Alpha were dramatized by Christian Serratos and Gabriel Chavarria as Selena and A.B., respectively, in Netflix's two-part limited drama Selena: The Series (2020-21). In the series, A.B. looks at previous Tejano Music Award for Songwriter of the Year winners, noticing that Silva is the top awarded writer. He requested original material from Silva at the 1986 Tejano Music Awards (TMAs), but Silva was unwilling to provide songs to "a bunch of kids". After persuading Silva to provide the group with two songs, he later regressed his decision the following day. Feeling defeated, A.B. isolates himself in his room and Abraham encourages A.B. to write songs himself. A.B. teaches himself how to write songs by listening to previous winners, understanding a song's musical structure, and scale. [16] In the series, Serratos lip-syncs to the group's works. Savannah Walsh of Elle called the scene an "exhilarating performance". [17] Marco Torres of Houstonia recalled listening to "Dame un Beso" two decades ago during Tejano music's golden age, finding the inclusion of the song in the series as nostalgic. [18]

Commercial performance and awards

Alpha was a moderate success for the group, providing them with a growing fan base. [19] The album led Selena to be nominated for the Tejano Music Award for Female Vocalist of the Year at the 1987 Tejano Music Awards. [20] Selena's win for the Tejano Music Award for Entertainer of the Year flabbergasted audiences that a 15-year-old dethroned the genre's frontwoman Laura Canales. Selena y Los Dinos was also nominated for Most Promising Band, making Selena the only female artist to be nominated outside of the Female Vocalist category. [21] Alpha was also nominated for the Tejano Music Award for Album of the Year. [21]

"Dame un Beso" was released on radio and generated considerable airplay, becoming Selena's first commercially acclaimed single of her career. [22] The song was one of the most played songs on radio stations in Texas while ranking at number one in El Paso, Texas. [20] [23] Radio stations KBNA, a bilingual station with the highest audience impressions in El Paso, and XZOL reported "Dame un Beso" received "plenty of spins". The song was also generating spins on Radio Cañón-owned stations in Ciudad Juárez. [21] The song was also nominated at the 1987 Tejano Music Awards for both Single of the Year and Song of the Year. [24] "Dame un Beso" and "Dame tu Amor" received a resurgence in popularity in the 21st century; the former peaked at number 25 on the US Billboard Latin Digital Song Sales chart in 2020, [25] while the latter peaked at number 31 on the Hot Ringtones chart in 2006. [26]

Track listing

Track listing of Alpha
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Dame un Beso" A.B. Quintanilla, Ricky Vela 3:44
2."Con Esta Copa"Johnny Herrera3:00
3."Soy Amiga"Vela4:03
4."Corazoncito"A.B., Manny Guerra 2:29
5."Sentimientos" Al Hurricane, Tiny Morrie3:15
6."Pero Cómo Te Ha Ido"Herrera3:04
7."Pa'Qué Me Sirve La Vida"Chucho Monge3:20
8."Pensando en Ti"Vela, Roger Garcia4:07
9."El Tejano"Vela, Guerra2:00
10."Dame tu Amor"Vela, Abraham Quintanilla 3:44
Total length:33:32
2006 re-issue
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Dame un Beso"A.B., Vela3:44
2."Con Esta Copa"Herrera3:00
3."Soy Amiga"Vela4:03
4."Corazoncito"A.B., Guerra2:29
5."Sentimientos"Al Hurricane, Morrie3:15
6."Pero Cómo Te Ha Ido"Herrera3:04
7."Pa'Qué Me Sirve La Vida"Monge3:20
8."Pensando en Ti"Vela, Garcia4:07
9."Lo Dejo Solo"Vela3:31
10."Dame tu Amor"Vela, Abraham3:44

See also

Related Research Articles

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Christopher Gilbert Pérez is an American guitarist, best known as lead guitarist for the Tejano band Selena y Los Dinos. He married the frontwoman of the group, Selena, on April 2, 1992. Pérez grew up in San Antonio, Texas as one of two children of Gilbert Pérez and Carmen Medina. In 1986, he began his tenure by joining Shelly Lares' band. By the late 1980s, Pérez was respected among Tejano musicians for his guitar skills. This caught A.B. Quintanilla's attention; at the time, A.B. was seeking another guitarist for the band he produced, Selena y Los Dinos. Between one and two years after Pérez joined the band, he and Selena began a personal relationship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Selena y Los Dinos</span> American Tejano band

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"Dame Tu Amor" is a song recorded by American recording artist Selena for her second LP record, Alpha (1986). Lyrically, the narrator addresses her infatuation to give her his love as she is longing for him to do so with a kiss that ensures admiration for her. The themes explored in the song suggest solicit love. "Dame Tu Amor" is a ranchera ballad with cumbia influences. It was composed by Richard Brooks, Ricky Vela, and Selena's father and manager, Abraham Quintanilla, Jr. Critics praised the song for its instrumentation and lyrical content and has since been in several compilation albums following Selena's death in 1995. "Dame Tu Amor" peaked at number 31 on the US Billboard Hot Ringtones chart in 2006.

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<i>Dulce Amor</i> (album) 1988 studio album by Selena y Los Dinos

Dulce Amor is the sixth and last independent studio album by Tejano music group Selena y Los Dinos. The album became the final album to be released from RP Records on December 24, 1988. Selena's brother, A.B. Quintanilla III had become the main songwriter. Selena recorded fourteen songs but only released ten. All the songs were recorded in three different recording studios. Dulce Amor helped Selena to be noticed at the 1989 Tejano Music Awards. She was then signed by EMI Latin. This would be the last studio album to be released under “Selena y Los Dinos” as all subsequent albums would be released under “Selena”. The album had only sold over 30,000 copies. It was ordered to be removed from stores by EMI Records.

<i>And the Winner Is...</i> (Selena album) 1987 studio album by Selena y Los Dinos

And the Winner Is... is the fourth independent studio album by Tejano music group Selena y Los Dinos. It was released in April 1987 under Manny Guerra's GP Productions. The title alludes to the multitude of accolades Selena garnered since her entry into the music industry. And the Winner Is... was unveiled with the objective of expanding the Tejano audience that the band had recently enthralled. Among the album's singles, "La Bamba" represented Selena's initial appearance on a national music chart, reaching its peak at number 20 on the US Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart in August 1987. Concurrently, Selena's rendition was released around the same time as Los Lobos', which supported the eponymous film. As Selena y Los Dinos was a relatively obscure group, their version began to wane on the chart as Los Lobos' version climbed. And the Winner Is... garnered favorable reception from music critics, with Tim Baker of Newsweek observing the group's gradual elimination of their characteristic doo-wop sound from prior recordings. While And the Winner Is... secured a nomination for Album of the Year at the 1988 Tejano Music Awards, Selena won Female Vocalist of the Year, her second consecutive win.

<i>16 Super Exitos Originales</i> 1990 greatest hits album by Selena

16 Super Exitos Originales is a greatest hits album by American singer Selena released on March 3, 1990, through EMI Latin. The label aimed to release a compilation containing recordings by Selena y Los Dinos prior to their contractual agreement in 1989, to illustrate the band's musical progressions up to that point. 16 Super Exitos Originales encompasses 16 tracks re-recorded under new arrangements, ranging from compositions recorded through Freddie Records in 1983 to the group's Dulce Amor (1988) album. The album received critical acclaim from music critics, who found it to have contained recordings that solidified Selena's status in the Tejano music market and introduced her to a broader audience. The album peaked at number 22 on the US Billboard Regional Mexican Albums chart. EMI Latin posthumously re-issued 16 Super Exitos Originales under the title Mis Primeros Exitos on August 13, 2002.

<i>Muñequito de Trapo</i> 1986 studio album by Selena y Los Dinos

Muñequito de Trapo is the third independent studio album by Tejano music group Selena y Los Dinos. It was released in 1986 under Manny Guerra's GP Productions. The album was originally intended to be an LP for DJ Promotional use only; however, it was later released on cassette. The album mostly consists of cover songs with very little original material. Tim Baker of Newsweek called the album "A return to the 'oldies-rock & roll' sound of the first album."

<i>Preciosa</i> (album) 1988 studio album by Selena y Los Dinos

Preciosa is the fifth independent studio album by Tejano music group Selena y Los Dinos. It was released on October 10, 1988 under Manny Guerra’s RP Records. Preciosa garnered favorable reception from music critics, with Tim Baker of Newsweek observing the group finally purging their oldie influences from their discography. At the 1989 Tejano music awards, Selena was the finalist for Female Vocalist of the Year. Terco Corazon was nominated for Single of the Year, and A.B was nominated for Songwriter of the Year.

<i>Selena y Los Dinos</i> (album) 1984 studio album by Selena y Los Dinos

Selena y Los Dinos is the debut independent studio album by American Tejano music group Selena y Los Dinos. It was released on July 16, 1984 under Freddie Martinez’s Freddie Records. The album was originally released in cassette format and in limited quantities. The album was not sold in stores and Freddie records did little to promote it. In 1995, the album was re-issued under the title Mis Primeras Grabaciones and again in 2005, during the 10th anniversary of Selena's passing, with remastered audio tracks.

References

  1. ↑ Patoski 1996, p. 28.
  2. ↑ Patoski 1996, p. 46.
  3. ↑ Patoski 1996, pp. 29, 35.
  4. ↑ Patoski 1996, p. 36.
  5. ↑ Patoski 1996, p. 40.
  6. ↑ Patoski 1996, p. 43.
  7. ↑ Patoski 1996, p. 49.
  8. ↑ Patoski 1996, p. 55.
  9. 1 2 Mitchell 1995.
  10. 1 2 Perez 2012, p. 20.
  11. ↑ Classic Series, Vol. I 2006.
  12. 1 2 3 Legget n.d.
  13. ↑ Jones 2013.
  14. ↑ Guerra 2020.
  15. ↑ Harvilla 2021.
  16. ↑ Zamora 2020.
  17. ↑ Walsh 2020.
  18. ↑ Torres 2020.
  19. ↑ Marquez 2001, p. 18.
  20. 1 2 Joseph 2018, p. 328.
  21. 1 2 3 Patoski 1996, p. 65.
  22. ↑ Lapham 1988, p. 11.
  23. ↑ Bisantz & Bisantz 2018.
  24. ↑ Patoski 1996, p. 57.
  25. ↑ Bustios 2020, p. 25.
  26. ↑ Anon. 2006.

Works cited

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