Los Lobos: Dream in Blue (American Music Series) Hardcover – Illustrated, September 15, 2015

Excellent chronicle of the musical evolution of one of the most innovative, entertaining and accomplished bands in American music today. From their beginning in the 70's to now, Los Lobos has always been about the music, letting their lyrics, musical prowess, versatility and musical curiosity do most of the talking. Morris takes a similar approach in this book, focusing on the band's music more than their personalities.If you're looking for an anecdote rich tell all of celebrity ups and downs and tales told out of school, this book may not be for you, although there is one somewhat disheartening story about the band's involvement in the making of Paul Simon's landmark album "Graceland". If you are interested in learning about their creative process and experience writing, producing and recording everything from "Si Si Puede" and "Just Another Band From East LA" in the mid 70's to "Tin Can Rust", this is an insightful, well researched, entertaining read with uncensored input from all the members of the band as well as a litany of music icons including Tom Waits, T Bone Burnett, Phil and Dave Alvin and many others. Morris paints a vivid picture of East Los Angeles with the resurgence of traditional Chicano music and the LA music scene in the 70's and early 80's when punk and American music ruled the local clubs and often shared the same stage and the same audience. Los Lobos: Dream in Blue is a must have for Los Lobos fans but undoubtedly a treat for anyone interested in the culture and evolution of American music and rock and roll. Highly recommended.

Well written; an enjoyable read. Outstanding on the development of the music. I would have loved a bit more on the personal side, collaborations, experiences on the road, festivals, etc., considering this is pretty much the only thing out there on this outstanding band.

I am a huge fan of Los Lobos and have been tracking them for decades. This wonderfully written book did a great job of filling in many bits and pieces of the LL story. I appreciated the knowledgeable reporting and some pretty good history of a period of time in the L.A. scene when music was truly evolving.The only problem is temporal. The book stopped at a point in the career of these musicians that left me feeling there was so much more I wanted to know. But, clearly, the band has not stopped evolving. So, I believe an update of this book that continues the LL story is more than warranted.Until then if you feel about Los Lobos the way I do, READ THIS BOOK. It's worth your time.

The author (Chris Morris) is a long time LA music beat writer and was an integral part of the LA "Punk" scene in the early 80's that spawned Los Lobos and a host of other great acts (X, The Blasters, Dwight Yoakam...etc.). As a result, "Dream in Blue" reads very much like an LA Times Sunday spread on steroids...It's written in a chronological order with more or less equal time spent on all phases of their career concluding with "Tin Pan Trust". Overall, he gives a very even handed view on the band's output...with equal parts praise and critic. This approach, combined with his insider status and journalistic background result in an unusual music bio...this isn't a "tell all" tale or one of gushing fandom proclaiming genius on every other page...instead, its simply a fantastic behind the scenes account of the bands music and overall career arc of this great band. Fans of the band or the 80's LA roots/punk scene will love this and it paints a vivid of their early success and touches a number of the key LA roots/punk bands operating during that time frame. Because of that this is one of the best trips down memory lane I have gone on in quite a while...now all we need is a book on the Blasters!

Greetings fellow Los Lobos fans,My name is Michael Cano and I am writing this review from the page of my lovely wife Patricia Faragher.Too bad I can only click Five Stars, as this remarkable book deserves many more than that. I have been a Lobos fan for many, many years now, ever since I heard them back in 1982, via their stirring and stunning EP; "...and A Time To Dance." of which I still listen to with stunning regularity to this day. I have followed the band in earnest ever since and eagerly await each new release.That said, I cannot recommend more highly, this book on the band, written by Mr. Chris Morris, longtime music journalist and great and loyal friend of the Los Angeles music scene, in all its configurations over the decades. (Yes, the same Chris Morris who wrote those passionately literate liner notes for the Blasters box set, and the same Chris Morris who appears in the legendary Minutemen documentary, "We Jam Econo.")Mr. Morris gives readers a beautiful birds-eye view on both the formation of the band and the music they have and continue to create, and we are all the richer for it.I consumed this tome over the course of one full day, completely enraptured by the stories and text that Mr. Morris provides, and I do believe that you will be, also.More than recommended, this book should be required.I thank you for your time and attention.

There's a lot of stuff that's not in this book, but in terms of the forming of the band and their music, it is pretty complete. Want to know how they formed and what their early gigs were like? Want to know how they got famous? Their studio album history and challenges? This book has all those answers and more. Recommended for all Los Lobos music lovers.

Great read, shipped quickly. I purchased this as a gift, and I will order one for myself. I just saw Los Lobos in Santa Fe, New Mexico recently and the gift was for my sweet mom. The band was kind enough to sign her book! Viva the Chicano Boogie Woogie!