Alpha (Selena album)

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Alpha
Studio album by
Selena y Los Dinos
Released1986
GenreLatin pop, pop rock
Length32:16
LanguageSpanish
LabelG.P. Productions
ProducerA.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.

"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

Hot Ringtones
chart in 2006.

Background and production

In 1972,

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

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
[12]

Joey Guerra of the

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

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.

Hot Ringtones chart in 2006.[26]

Track listing

Track listing of Alpha
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Dame un Beso"A.B. Quintanilla, Ricky Vela3:44
2."Con Esta Copa"Johnny Herrera3:00
3."Soy Amiga"Vela4:03
4."Corazoncito"A.B., Manny Guerra2:29
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 Quintanilla3:44
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

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. ^ a b Mitchell 1995.
  10. ^ a b Perez 2012, p. 20.
  11. ^ Classic Series, Vol. I 2006.
  12. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b Joseph 2018, p. 328.
  21. ^ a b c 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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