Buena Vista Social Club Buena Vista Social Club (25th Anniversary Edition) [Deluxe Bookpack] 180g 2LP/2CD/Book Box Set

'Buena Vista Social Club' is both the name given to this extraordinary group of musicians and the album, recorded in just seven days in 1996 in Havana's 1950s vintage EGREM studios. It was clear from the atmosphere of the recording sessions that something very special was taking place. However, no one could have predicted that Buena Vista Social Club would become a worldwide phenomenon - awarded a Grammy in 1997 and, at 8 million copies, outselling any other record in the same genre.

The acclaim of the original album has elevated the artists (including Ibrahim Ferrer, Rubén González & Omara Portuondo) to superstar status, inspired an award-winning film by Wim Wenders, and has contributed to popularizing Cuba's rich musical heritage. Produced by Ry Cooder for World Circuit, the timeless quality of the music and the sheer verve of the veteran performers have ensured that this will go down as one of the landmark recordings of the 20th century.

To celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the album's recording, producer Ry Cooder and World Circuit's Nick Gold have gone back to the original tapes and into the archive to produce this Deluxe Remaster package, featuring previously unheard tracks from the original 1996 recording sessions, previously unseen photos, and new liner notes.

It's hard to overstate the impact of Buena Vista Social Club, the ensemble whose self-titled 1997 album revived the careers of a number of Cuban artists (Compay Segundo, Omara Portuondo, Ibrahim Ferrer) and sparked a welcome craze for music from this island nation. With the 25th anniversary of that momentous release, originally issued by Nonesuch, BMG has unveiled this deluxe edition. Packaged like a great coffee table book, the reissue includes a remastered version of the original LP on both vinyl and CD with the latter containing a wealth of unheard material from the album sessions. As well, there's a lovely booklet featuring extensive notes on each song and some fantastic behind the scenes photos of the recording process. It's a majestic collection worthy of the enlivening, stirring music found within. Producers Ry Cooder and Nick Gold allowed the personalities of these various musicians to come blazing out and captured the ardent breadth of these tunes.