Just last Sunday I was lamenting how the Latin show on the local jazz station had gradually become lightweight. Not the gut punch it used to be. So I was achin' to hear something with some umph. I ran into a 2009 cover of Gil Scott Heron's "The Bottle" by Joe Bataan (a Fania/Salsoul guy). It did have umph, even compared with Heron's original. Recorded in 2009, long past his "prime", with a regular band. A little rawer than his earlier stuff, in a good way. Bataan had, as I found out about ten minutes ago, recorded the song originally in 1975. Unfortunately that version is all laden with strings n' shit. The sax sounds like the background music on The Love Boat. It was 1975. Anyway, here you go, three versions of "The Bottle" to play around with.
Joe Bataan - The Bottle mp3 at Internet Archive 2009
Gil Scott Heron - The Bottle mp3 at Internet Archive 1974
Joe Bataan - La Botella (The Bottle) mp3 at Internet Archive 1975
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