The 50 best salsa albums of all time [LISTA]

Salsa began as a Caribbean phenomenon, but quickly spread across the world, taking its catchy beats and catchy melodies to a universal level. With roots in several Cuban styles and a particularly Puerto Rican influence, this genre became one of the biggest musical revolutions in Latin America.

Created to make people dance on nightclub dance floors, salsa also manages to touch the listener in their deepest emotions, bringing stories of longing, struggle and passion.

The sound we call salsa today was shaped in 1965, when young Latin musicians began reinventing the tropical rhythms that were part of their roots — like guaracha, son montuno, and bomba. While the Beatles dominated the world pop scene with their sonic innovations, these salsa artists added new ingredients to the Caribbean universe: rock and psychedelia, funk and R&B, bossa nova and jazz.

This music evolved over the years: it started with the boogaloo of the 60s, went through the symphonic and grandiose salsa of the 70s and, in the 80s, gave way to romantic salsa, which flirted with pop. Since then, she has oscillated between softer tones and more intense approaches, without losing the ability to reinvent herself.

To celebrate this trajectory, the Rolling Stone USA brought together, with the support of big names in the genre, journalists and musicologists, a list of the 50 most iconic salsa albumsreleased between the 60s and the present day. This selection does not include mambo icons from the 50s, which represent a separate aspect.

Below, check out the albums ranked from 50th to 1st place:

50. La-33, La-33 (2004)
49. Bobby Rodríguez, Lead Me To That Beautiful Band (1975)
48. Luis Enrique, Cycles (2009)
47. Guayacán Orchestra, Sentimental from Punta to Punta (1991)
46. Typical 73, Typical 73 (1973)
45. India, Llegó La India… Via Eddie Palmieri (1992)
44. Cheo Feliciano, Prints (1979)
43. Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Across 110th Street (2004)
42. Machito, Fireworks (1977)
41. Tito Puente, Tribute to Beny (1978)
40. Tommy Olivencia and his Orchestra, Bandera Planté (1975)
39. Justo Betancourt, Pa Bravo Yo (1972)
38. Ray Barretto, Rican/Struction (1979)
37. Frankie Ruiz, Soloist… But No Solo (1985)
36. Angel Canales, Flavor (1975)
35. La Lupe, Queen of Latin Soul (1968)
34. Charlie Palmieri, The Keyboard Giant (1973)
33. Ismael Rivera and his pipes, Here I am (1978)
32. Willie Colón & Hector Lavoe, Asalto Navideño (1970)
31. The Latin Dimension, ’75 (1974)
30. Johnny Pacheco & Pete ‘El Conde’ Rodríguez, Tres de Café and Dos de Azúcar (1973)
29. Mark Anthony, All Your Time (1995)
28. Ismael Miranda, This is how a son is composed (1973)
27. Ricardo Ray Y Bobby Cruz, El Bestial Sonido De… (1971)
26. Gilberto Santa Rosa, Intense (2001)
25. Bobby Valentin, Soy Boricua (1972)
24. Willie Rosario, Infinite (1973)
23. Willie Colón, Ghosts (1981)
22. The Joe Cuba Sextet, Wanted Dead Or Alive (1966)
21. Eddie Palmieri, The Sun of Latin Music (1974)
20. Orchestra Harlow, Parsley (1974)
19. Rubén Blades and Seis del Solar, Seeking America (1984)
18. Joe Arroyo and La Verdad, Original Muse (1986)
17. Tito Puente, For Los Rumberos (1972)
16. Fania All-Stars, Live at the Cheetah, Vol. 1 (1972)
15. Mark Dimond, Brujería (1971)
14. Niche Group, At Hay Quinto Malo (1984)
13. Willie Colón & Héctor Lavoe, Cosa Nuestra (1969)
12. Roberto Roena and his Apollo Sound, 6 (1974)
11. Rafael Cortijo & Ismael Rivera, With All the Hierros (1967)

Top 10

10. Fruko and his Tesos, El Grande (1975)
9. El Gran Combo, Nadie Don’t Sit Here! (1979)
8. Ray Barretto, Indestructible (1973)
7. La Sonora Ponceña, Musical Conquest (1976)
6. Oscar D’León, Y Su Salsa Mayor (1978)
5. Johnny Pacheco & Celia Cruz, Celia & Johnny (1974)
4. Cheo Feliciano, Cheo (1971)
3. Héctor Lavoe, Comedy (1978)
2. Eddie Palmieri, Azúcar Pa’Ti (1965)
1. Willie Colón & Rubén Blades, Siembra (1978)

Read the full article from Rolling Stone USA here.