Willie Colon’s “Cosa Nuestra” in Billboard Chart

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“Cosa Nuestra” (1970), the 4th album by Willie Colon and Hector Lavoe, turned 50 and its re-release now made it to the Billboard charts.

“Cosa Nuestra” #3 in Billboard

A new edition of “Cosa Nuestra” was released to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The re-released album reached the #3 spot in the Billboard Tropical Albums chart. It seems people are hungry for the old Salsa music.

Inflection Point for Willie Colon & Hector Lavoe

“Cosa Nuestra” was an inflection point in the careers of Willie Colon and Hector Lavoe for several reasons.

It was the album to welcome the new decade of the ’70s, and musically it was a leap from his previous three albums. “Guisando“, the preceding album, had two or maybe three great hits. The title song and “El Titan” were the smash hits, with “No Me Den Candela” coming behind these, but also getting decent radio airplay.

However, their 4th album was full of hits, with seven of the eight songs becoming hits. They start with “Che Che Colé“, the opening track, and just keep going down the list.

The album also lifted the image of Willie Colon as “El Malo“. The album cover art has Willie Colon dressed as a gangster appearing over a dead body just to be thrown into the Hudson River with a rock tied to it. The gangster theme was gaining popularity, and Willie and Fania made the best of it.

“Cosa Nuestra” a Collectors Item

The re-release of the album includes a vinyl edition, which is coming back strong. Thankfully I don’t need it because I still conserve the original LP, which I got in an exchange with a friend.

Although Willie Colon and Hector Lavoe had gained a good reputation with the first three albums, this album was the one that catapults them to Salsa icon levels.