With »Drug Story« the reissues of Joe Bataan’s Ghetto Records come to a crowning conclusion. Just as disappointed and exploited by the major labels as he was in search of creative self-determination, Bataan simply founded his own label for Latin funk half a century ago. A genre that, thanks in no small part to Joe Bataan himself, became known beyond the barrios of New York in the early 1970s. Born out of necessity, but with a lot of enthusiasm, only six albums were released on Ghetto Records between 1970 and 1972 —the recordings for »Drug Story« remain unreleased to this day. The nine songs show Joe Bataan at the height of his powers. Particularly noteworthy is the twelve-and-a-half-minute title track, which moves virtuously between soul, funk and salsa. Puerto Rican pianist Eddie Lebron, who was the first artist to release on Ghetto Records, is also back with two songs, as are The Edwards Generation and One’Sy Mack. The sincerity and freshness of the musical expression holds together such diverse content as a kind of eulogy (»(Goodbye Adios) Roberto Clemente«), love songs, criminal street scenes and motivational sing-alongs (»School Is In«). »Drug Story« is a fascinating piece of contemporary history, showing that D.I.Y. wasn’t just a punk concept.
Drug Story
