Old Highway Notes: Border Curios Part 3

Creepy Curios

This is part of a multi-part post: Tijuana Day Trip

It Started At The Border-A Visit To Tijuana Mexico

Still in Tijuana and Enjoying the Music of Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass

Still in Tijuana With Artists Inspired By Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass

Rock and Roll in Tijuana-Mexican Style!

Tijuana Remixed: Molotov, Nortec Collective, and Faca

Border Curios Part 1

Border Curios Part 2

Border Curios Part 3

Hello again, mi Amigos y Amigas. I've been in Tijuana, Mexico so long that it seems some gringo Spanglish is starting to creep into my vocabulary. This week we continue exploring the dusty back corners of this virtual musical curio shop or what I have decided to call the set of random tracks associated with Baja, Mexico, Tijuana and the Border.

This week we begin with "Mexico", another track from the Refreshments, who showed up in Highway 101 Border Curios Part 1 with their sing "Banditos". I really enjoy the opening of the song, it has a nice Latin flavor to kick off this weeks music. The video, like on "Banditos" is an Anime mash-up-not to bad either. As in the rest of the curio shop, click on the song title for a download link on any track discussed throughout this post.

Mexico Fizzy Fuzzy Big and Buzzy Refreshments 4:00

My next track, "A Border Tragedy" is by another artist featured in Highway 101 Border Curios Pt1. Interestingly, I see the same song listed all over the internet as :A Border Tale" but could not find an explanation for the two different titles. I would love to hear the story if anyone knows anything about it. I really like Robert Earl Keen and this is another great song from him.

A Border Tragedy What I Really Mean Robert Earl Keen 4:10

Next we have 2 different versions of the same song. the song is a Burt Bacharach composition called "Mexican Divorce". Though I did not really talk about in my introduction to Tijuana, quicky divorces were a big draw, again Americans taking advantage of lax Mexican laws and enforcement. The first is A 1962 recording by The Drifters followed by Ry Cooder's version from 1974.

Mexican Divorce The Look Of Love: The Burt Bacharach Collection The Drifters 2:34

Mexican Divorce Paradise and Lunch Ry Cooder 2:34

After a Drifters song, it doesn't seem wrong at all to spin a Coaster track. Luckily, their first hit was a 1956 R and B recording, "Down In Mexico"

Down In Mexico Greatest Hits The Coasters 3:19

The next song is a quick little parody off the Tijuana Brass sound. Not sure why I have this in my collection, but this post explains a little about Nip Nelson and offers the album for download that this was taken from.

Tijuana Brass Nip Nelson Nip Nelson 0:55

After that strange interlude, I offer a song that takes me back to my childhood. My mom had a large pile of Kingston Trios I used to love to listen to when I was growing up. For some reason this song with it now racist sounding caricatures of the Mexican police made me laugh as kid. I still love the harmonies of the Kingston Trio, even if they can be pretty corny musically.

Tijuana Jail The Folk Years Kingston Trio 2:51

The folk sounds of the Kingston Trio provide me with the musical bridge I needed to get to the next number. Bluegrass music doesn't really have a lot of Mexican sounds to it. Although there are several songs about outlaws fleeing to Mexico. Sam Bush gives us some Mexican flavor though, with "Mexican Stomp".

Mexican Stomp Bluegrass Mandolin Extravaganza Sam Bush 3:04

After that bluegrass break there wasn't any good way to round out the theme without being at least a little muscally jarring. I went with Joe "King" Carrasco with his his cover of the Doug Sahm classic, "Adios Mexico". It is another type of Mexican stomp as we wind down our list by saying goodbye.

Adios Mexico Keep Your Soul: A Tribute To Doug Sahm Joe "King" Carrasco 2:44

And we close our visit to our virtual musical curio shop the way we began, with the singing cowboy Mr. Gene Autry bidding farewell in "Goodbye To Old Mexico".

Goodbye To Old Mexico The Gene Autry Show-The Complete 1950's Television Recordings Gene Autry 1:00

Again no link to the track but the box set the track was taken from is available HERE

Tijuana Border Traffic

Thanks for joining me as I explored the intersection of my music library and Tijuana Mexico. Next week we head back into the United States and begin our journey north on old Highway 101. At least that is the plan, sometimes it takes a bit longer to cross the border that expected, so we will have to see how it goes. I hope to see you then. Also don't forget to visit on Saturdays when we are exploring Chicago as the starting point of Route 66.

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