Compilations and Recommendations for the New Listener:

For the person who wants to buy a single "greatest hits" collection of NG, there's no compilation which adequately covers both the Piloto/Issac period and the following Calixto period. To further confuse the issue, most of the CD's labeled "Best of NG" are not even the best songs of the period they draw from. We recommend "En la Calle" on QBADisc to cover the early period and, if you can find it, "Simplemente Lo Mejor de NG", which does contain a good selection of the best tracks of the middle period.

If we could make our own "Timba.com Best of NG" it would include:

1. La Expresiva
2. Los Sitios Entero
3. Que Viva Changó
4. La Protesta de los Chivos
5. To’ el Mundo e’ Bueno, Camará
6. Un Tipo Como Yo
7. Lo Que Siento es Le Lo Ley
8. Rap de la Muerta
9. Yo Soy Un Hombre
10. Te Confunde Ser Esa Mujer
11. Échale Limón
12. Santa Palabra
13. El Trágico
14. Hice Mi Papel
15. Te Pongo Mál
16. Un Sueño Terrible
17. La Película del Sábado
18. Picadillo de Soya
19. Papa Changó
20. La Apretadora
21. La Medicina
22. Yo No Creo en Nadie

En La Calle - QBADisc - This disc hangs together so wonderfully as an album and has such a great cover that few NG fans realize that it’s a compilation. It has everything from the original "En La Calle" except "Que Viva Changó" and four of the best songs from "No Se Puede Tapar el Sol". It also has a very nice mix and is still very easy to find.

1. La Expresiva (from "En la Calle")
2. Los Sitios Entero (from "No Se Puede Tapar el Sol")
3. Necesito Una Amiga (from "En la Calle")
4. La Protesta de los Chivos (from "En la Calle")
5. To’ el Mundo e’ Bueno Camará (from "En la Calle")
6. Un Tipo Como Yo (from "No Se Puede Tapar el Sol")
7. Por Que Tú Sufres con lo Que Yo Gozo (from "No Se Puede Tapar el Sol")
8. Lo Que Siento es Le Lo Ley (from "En la Calle")
9. No Se Puede Tapar el Sol (from "No Se Puede Tapar el Sol")

The Best of NG La Banda - Milan Records - Much of this disc would be better described at the "Rest of Early NG La Banda". It contains many obscure and otherwise impossible to find tracks from "No Te Compliques" and even some that may never have been released in Cuba. The person expecting a greatest hits collection of monster tracks will be disappointed, but the collector will be thrilled. There are three legitimate greatest hits, "Santa Palabra" from the middle period, "Un Tipo Como Yo" from "En la Calle", and Piloto’s "Te Confunde Ser Esa Mujer" which is one of the great tracks missed by the person who only buy the two recommendations above. In addition to "Te Confunde" this CD has all of the tracks from "No Se Puede Tapar el Sol" that aren’t included on the QBADisc "En la Calle". It also has three tracks from "No Te Compliques", four from the Cuban "échale Limón" and two which we have yet to find anywhere else, "Largo Fin de Semana" and the other song Piloto wrote for NG, "Llegar a Tí".

1. Te Confunde Ser Esa Mujer (from "No Se Puede Tapar el Sol")
2. Tú y Yo, Somos uno Mismo (from "No Se Puede Tapar el Sol")
3. Jinetero Yo (from the Cuban "Échale Limón")
4. Amor Entre Tres (from the Cuban "Échale Limón")
5. Cha Cortés (from "No Te Compliques")
6. Llegar a Tí (origin unknown)
7. Largo Fin de Semana (origin unknown)
8. Santa Palabra (from the Cuban "Échale Limón")
9. No me la Llames Más (from the Cuban "Échale Limón")
10. Un Tipo Como Yo (from "No Se Puede Tapar el Sol")
11. Te Regalaré mi Mejor Canción (from "No Se Puede Tapar el Sol")
12. Ponle el Biberón (from "No Te Compliques")
13. Se Terminó el Carnival (mislabeled as "No Te Compliques") (from "No Te Compliques")

Best of NG - Hemisphere Records - This has some of the better songs from some of the lesser albums.

1. Papá Changó (from "En Directo")
2. Verano Habanero (from "Veneno")
3. Bonito Y Sabroso ("Tony Calá Canta a Beny Moré")
4. Cara De Guante (from "La Que Manda")
5. No Me La Molestes Más (from "Para Curaçao")
6. La Bruja (from "Para Curaçao")
7. Veneno (from "Veneno")
8. La Apretadora (from "En Directo")
9. Cienfuegos ("Tony Calá Canta a Beny Moré")
10. Conga De Los Refranes (from "Veneno")

Llegó Ene Gé - "Yo Soy un Hombre" is one of NG’s best tracks and "Que Venga la Fiera" is also great. The same versions with better mastering can be found on the Japanese compilation, "Nueva Generación" which also has several other rare gems. "Te Confunde Ser Esa Mujer" is another of NG’s best and can also be found of "Best of NG" along with "Cha-Cortés" and "Amor entre Tres". "La Película del Sábado" is an earlier recording that the one which appeared on "La Bruja". The two takes have some differences and both are great and this one has a different mix which some may prefer. This is the only CD which has "Perfidia" (a great timbafication of the old standard), "Por Quien Merece Amor" and "Me va a Extrañar".

1. Yo Soy un Hombre
2. Por Quien Merece Amor
3. Te Confunde Ser Esa Mujer (from "No Se Puede Tapar el Sol")
4. Amor Entre Tres (from the Cuban "échale Limón")
5. Cha-Cortés (from "No Te Compliques")
6. Me va a Extrañar
7. Perfidia
8. Que Venga la Fiera
9. To’ el Mundo e’ Bueno, Camará (source: "En la Calle")
10. La Película del Sábado (earlier version than "La Bruja" - source unknown)

Todo el Mundo Baile con NG La Banda -This is the only CD with music from the Nueva Generación Latin Jazz period and also the only CD with Manolín’s song "Vuela Paloma". It has the hard-to-find gem "Que Viva Changó" but it tragically fades out with two minutes of burning Timba yet to come. The other tracks can be found on the readily available QBADisc "En la Calle".

1. Vuela la Paloma (from the Cuban "Échale Limón")
2. Necesito una Amiga (from "En la Calle")
3. Los Sitios Entero (from "En la Calle")
4. No Se Puede Tapar el Sol (from "No Se Puede Tapar el Sol")
Tracks 5-11 are Latin Jazz from the Nueva Generación period:
5. Abriendo el Ciclo (from "Abriendo el Ciclo")
6. Elegua Soyu (from "Siglo 1 A.N.E.)
7. Songo Bluosongo (from "Siglo 1 A.N.E.)
8. Siglo 1 A.N. E. (from "Siglo 1 A.N.E.)
9. Aseyo Yemaya, Asesu (from "Siglo 1 A.N.E.)
10. Danzon Para Las Estrellas Marinas (from "Siglo 1 A.N.E.)
11. Coherente Africana (from "Siglo 1 A.N.E.)
12. Que Viva Changó (missing last 90 seconds! - originally on the Cuban "En la Calle")

Simplemente Lo Mejor de NG La Banda - This really is "simplemente lo mejor" of middle period NG. It has the very best tracks from the Calixto Oviedo period and a nice selection of others as well, but even a semi-serious NG fan will want all three of the original CD’s from which this compilation is made, and all are easily obtainable.

1. Santa Palabra (from "Échale Limón")
2. Murakami Mambo (from "Échale Limón")
3. Ya Llegó La Hora (from "La Bruja")
4. La Bruja (from "La Bruja")
5. ¿Qué Es Esto? (from "La Que Manda")
6. El Trágico (from "Échale Limón")
7. Pelota (from "La Que Manda")
8. La Cucaracha (from "La Que Manda")
9. El Saxofón (from "La Que Manda")
10. Picadillo De Soya (from "La Bruja")
11. Échale Limón (from "Échale Limón")

Nueva Generación (Japanese) (Kitty Records) - If you find it, buy it! It’s the only way to get "El Rap de la Muerta" and "Se la Aplicaron Todas" and its versions of "Soy un Hombre" and "Que Venga la Fiera" have better mastering than "Llegó Ene Gé". Not to be confused with the pre-NG group, "Nueva Generación", this material covers the end of Issac stint and the beginning of Mena’s, but before Piloto left.

1. Por Que Tú Sufres (from "No Se Puede Tapar el Sol")
2. Los Sitios Entero (from "No Se Puede Tapar el Sol")
3. Te Regalaré Mi Mejor (from "No Se Puede Tapar el Sol")
4. Se La Aplicaron Todas
5. Yo Soy Un Hombre
6. Rap De La Muerta
7. No Se Puedes Tapar El Sol (from "No Se Puede Tapar el Sol")