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Anthology
White album artwork of Anthology, a box-set by Selena written in a gold cursive font
Box set by
Selena
ReleasedApril 7, 1998 (1998-04-07)
Recorded1985—1995
StudioQ-Productions
Genre
Length1:50:01
LanguageEnglish, Spanish
LabelEMI Latin
Producer
Selena chronology
Selena
(1997) 		Anthology
(1998) 		All My Hits: Todos Mis Exitos
(1999)
Selena remix chronology
Siempre Selena
(1996) 		Anthology
(1998) 		Enamorada de Ti
(2012)

Anthology is the first box set by American singer Selena. It was released posthumously on April 7, 1998, through EMI Latin to commemorate the singer's works. The album contains 30 tracks on three discs, ten songs compiled in each genre-themed disc; "Pop / English" contains uptempo pop beats, "Mariachi" includes Mexican ballads with storylines of a broken heart, and "Cumbia" with danceable tropical music rhythms. Songs on the album range from a 14-year-old Selena on recordings taken from her Alpha (1986) album to the posthumously released "Disco Medley" (1997). With relatively few tracks in their original form, Anthology includes recordings redone and updated with newly remastered musical arrangements, though the singer's vocals remained untouched. The album was released as a result of the impact of Selena's death in March 1995, when the singer's father and manager Abraham Quintanilla began receiving requests from fans of her music. Following Selena's death, Abraham expressed his interest in persevering his daughter's memory through her music. Selena's family has been criticized by fans and the media for exploiting the singer and cannibalizing her murder by commercializing her repertoire.

The album has received a positive response from music critics, Stephen Thomas Erlewine called Anthology a "comprehensive overview" of Selena's music career. Erlewine believed it provided listeners with an assortment of the singer's talents. This was a similar assessment on The Orlando Sentinel, where music critics found that Anthology provided listeners with Selena's abilities in recording songs of various genres. Anthology debuted at number one on the United States Billboard Top Latin Albums and Regional Mexican Albums chart, selling 10,500 units its debut week. It managed to peak at number 131 on the Billboard 200 chart, and remained atop the Regional Mexican Albums chart for 11 weeks, the most for any album on the chart for that year. Anthology ended 1998 as the best-selling album on the Regional Mexican Albums chart, while it placed 12th on the Top Latin Albums year-end chart. Anthology has been Diamond (Latin) by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting 600,000 units consisting of sales and on-demand streaming.

Background

On March 31, 1995, American Tejano music singer Selena was shot and killed by Yolanda Saldívar, her friend and former manager of the singer's boutiques.[1] At the time of her death the singer was working on a crossover album that would have propelled her into the American pop market.[2] The impact of the singer's death had a negative impact on Latin music, her genre—which she catapulted into the mainstream market—suffered and its popularity waned following Selena's death.[3][4] The crossover-planned album Dreaming of You was released posthumously on July 18, 1995, debuting and peaking atop the United States Billboard 200 albums chart, the first majority Spanish-language recording to do so in the chart's history.[5][6] The album's release started a "buying frenzy" for anything related or containing Selena among Hispanic and Latino Americans.[7] The releases of Selena's works continue a promise Abraham Quintanilla told his family following his daughter's death, that he will continue to keep Selena's memory alive through her music.[8][9][10] According to A.B. Quintanilla, Suzette Quintanilla, and Selena collectively agreed that if anything were to happen to any one of them, their wish would be to continue on with their music.[11] A.B. said that one of Selena's wishes was for her to "never go away".[12] Since Selena's death, her family has been criticized by fans and the media for exploiting the singer and cannibalizing on her murder by commercializing her repertoire.[13]

A biographical booklet written by Abraham is enclosed in Anthology. Abraham wrote how he had received requests from people asking for a collection of the singer's works, hoping the album "fits the bill".[14] EMI Latin hailed it as the first collection by Selena to have been produced.[15] Abraham describes his family's emotions during the production of Anthology as "a labor of love" and dedicated the album to Selena's fans, acknowledging them for helping Selena reach her musical aspirations.[14]

Music

Songs found in Anthology range from a 14-year-old Selena on recordings taken from her Alpha (1986) album to the posthumous club remix of "Disco Medley" (1997).[16][17] According to EMI Latin, Anthology commemorates the singer's works, containing her earliest recordings to one of the last sessions before her death.[15] With relatively few tracks in their original form, Anthology includes recordings redone and updated with newly remastered musical arrangements, though the singer's vocals remained untouched.[14] The set contains tracks recorded by Selena prior to her contractual commitments with EMI Latin in 1989, while songs released during her tenure with the label were recorded under her father's studio Q-Productions.[15]

The first disc, titled and themed "Pop / English", opens with "Always Mine", an uptempo track that became the first English-language pop song recorded by Selena, a goal she and A. B. had since entering the music industry. The remix version of "No Quiero Saber" on Anthology, is taken from Voces Unidas, the official Latin album for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. The third track, "Don't Throw Away My Love" is a remix version of Selena's first songwriting credit "My Love", taken from her 1989 debut album. The following song, "La Bamba" is a cover version of the same title recorded by Ritchie Valens in the 1950s. The next song, "I'm Getting Used to You" was remixed by David Morales. The next song, "Yo Fui Aquella" was originally a ranchera song and was redone with updated arrangements that transformed it into a ballad. The seventh track, "Captive Heart" was one of the last songs recorded by Selena before her death. The following tracks, "Amame" and "Missing My Baby" were originally on Entre a Mi Mundo (1992). "Disco Medley" (Club Remix) closes the track listing for the first disc.[17] The track is a medley of disco-era songs "Last Dance" (1978) and "On the Radio" (1979) by Donna Summer, "The Hustle" (1975) by Van McCoy and the Soul City Symphony, and "I Will Survive" (1978) by Gloria Gaynor and "Funkytown" (1979) by Lipps Inc. "Disco Medley" was performed live at the Houston Astrodome on February 26, 1995, cited as her last concert before she was murdered.[18] Writing for The Orlando Sentinel, music critics Natalie Pignato and Umatilla High found the first disc to retain its fast-paced accelerated beats from the first track to its last.[16]

Disc number two, titled and themed "Mariachi", opens with "El Ramalazo", and was recorded by Selena in 1986.[19] The following track, "Dame Tu Amor", was the first song composed in collaboration between Abraham and keyboardist Ricky Vela in 1985.[20] Track number three, "Pa'Qué Me Sirve La Vida", originally a ranchera, the updated arrangements on Anthology transformed it into a "mariachi-valseada". "Diferentes" was recorded by Selena in 1986 after listening to and liking Rocío Dúrcal's recording of it.[19] The fifth song, "Siempre Hace Frío", was originally intended for the Don Juan DeMarco (1995) soundtrack, which was shelved by music producers.[21] This was followed by "¿Qué Creias?", a song Selena often performed onstage with a male volunteer from the audience who portrayed her former lover, while Selena scorches them as the wronged partner.[22] The seventh track, "Quiero Estar Contigo", was written by A. B. who utilized the accordion and keyboards in its original form in 1987, a period in which keyboard-driven tracks were at their peak in popularity. The following song, "Rama Caída" is one of the earliest recordings done by Selena when she was 14 years old. The following song, "Sabes" was written by Vela, and is particularly liked by Abraham who called it one of Vela's best works.[19] The song is followed by the mariachi track "Tú Sólo Tú", which was also originally intended for the Don Juan DeMarco soundtrack,[21] which closes the track listing for the second disc.[19] The second disc contained a mellow presence throughout its track listing and featured Mexican ballads with storylines of a broken heart.[16]

"Yo Te Daré" opens the third disc, titled and themed "Cumbia". The song was modernized for Anthology, including "La Puerta Se Cerró". The former was originally a salsa track recorded in 1988 and was updated to sound similar to the arrangements found on "Si Una Vez" (1994). The third track, "Corazoncito" appears on Anthology in what Abraham calls "an even funkier arrangement." This is followed by "Enamorada de Ti" which opens as a downtempo ballad before transitioning into a danceable cumbia.[23] Track number five, "No Debes Jugar" was originally released on Selena Live!. This was followed by "Cariño Mío", which was one of the most requested songs by fans for Selena to perform at her concerts in the 1980s. The song was updated from cumbia to a tropical salsa track. The next song, "Salta La Ranita", is updated with an accordion, which provides listeners with more layers of instrumentation compared to its bare original form. In the eighth song, "Te Amo Solo A Ti", producers on the album extracted Selena's vocals from the original track and placed it under a cumbia and ranchera hybrid rhythm. Abraham was surprised to have found the updated song to sound natural, noting the stark stylistic differences between cumbia and ranchera.[23] The following song, "La Llamada" follows the protagonist's former lover calling her and protesting his innocence, not buying his excuses, she tells him to refrain from calling her again.[24] "Baila Esta Cumbia", closes the track listing of the third disc and was previously on Ven Conmigo (1990).[25] The third disc contained more of Selena's best works than the discs that proceeded it, according to critics Pignato and High.[16]

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[26]

Anthology was released on April 7, 1998,[26] and is a triple box set containing 30 tracks on three compact discs or cassette tapes; ten tracks on each genre-themed volume.[16][17] The album has received a positive response from music critics. Writing for Allmusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine called Anthology a "comprehensive overview" of Selena's music career that provides listeners with an assortment of the singer's talents, though found that the set is incomplete of Selena's best works such as "Dreaming of You" (1995).[26] A similar review in The Orlando Sentinel echoed Erlewine's comments on Anthology, music critics Pignato and High believed it provided an example of Selena's talents in recording songs of various genres. They also opined that Anthology is the singer's "crossover dream come true", more so than its predecessors that were released posthumously, calling it a "must-have for fans."[16] Richard Torres, a music critic for Newsday, suggested Anthology for those interested in listening to more songs by Selena, during his review for its successor All My Hits: Todos Mis Exitos (1999).[27]

Commercial performance

Fernando del Valle, writing for The Monitor, found several music retailers in the Rio Valley stocking Anthology ahead of its release. Laura Fajardo, manager of Camelot Music in Harlingen, Texas, noticed that "Selena fever" remains high, albeit not fanatically.[28] The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard Top Latin Albums and Regional Mexican Albums chart on the issue dated April 25, 1998. Anthology marks the third consecutive Top Latin Album number-one debut for Selena, following Siempre Selena (1996) and Dreaming of You (1995). Anthology extended Selena's record of the most weeks an artist has spent at number one, 65 cumulative weeks atop the Top Latin Albums chart since Nielsen SoundScan began tabulating Latin album sales in 1993. The album sold 10,500 units, less than its predecessor Siempre Selena, which sold 14,500 units in its debut week,[29] while the set debuted at number 144 on the Billboard 200.[30] Sales of the album helped push Latin album sales in the United States above 90,000 units, for the first time in a month, as well as exceeding sales of Latin albums in the US of the same period in 1997. Anthology sold 3,500 more units than Ricky Martin's Vuelve, knocking it from the top spot.[29]

Typically, the Mother's Day weekend holiday is one of the top-selling periods for Latin albums in the United States. Anthology sold 8,500 units, a 5% decrease from the previous tracking week. John Lannert of Billboard magazine was surprised that Anthology did not gain in sales that week. The album remained at number one on the Top Latin Albums and Regional Mexican Albums chart for its sixth consecutive week, while it dipped to number 151 on the Billboard 200 chart.[31] Anthology remained atop the Regional Mexican Albums chart for 11 weeks, the most weeks an album has spent at number one, while it was the third most weeks at number one on the Top Latin Albums chart.[32] Anthology helped EMI Latin to place third among best-performing record imprints on Billboard's recap Latin music report. The album was placed at number nine in the Top Latin Albums recap report.[33] Anthology ended 1998 as the best-selling regional Mexican album in the United States, while it placed 12th on the Top Latin Albums year-end chart.[34] The set sold 116,000 units by December 1998, making it the best-selling album by EMI Latin for the year.[35] The album was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting 600,000 units consisting of sales and on-demand streaming.[36]

Track listing

Disc 01: Pop / English
No.TitleWriter(s)Remixed byLength
1."Always Mine" (previously on Dulce Amor)A.B. QuintanillaA. B., Chris Fonseca3:36
2."No Quiero Saber" (previously on Ven Conmigo)A.B., Pete Astudillo 3:40
3."Don't Throw Away My Love" (previously unreleased remix of "My Love")Selena Quintanilla—PerezA. B., Fonseca3:38
4."La Bamba" (previously on And the Winner Is...)Luis Martínez Serrano, Ritchie ValensBrian "Red" Moore, Ray Paz3:52
5."I'm Getting Used to You (Def Club Remix)" (previously on "I'm Getting Used to You" single)Diane WarrenA. B., Fonseca, David Morales8:36
6."Yo Fuí Aquella" (previously on Preciosa)A.B. 3:34
7."Captive Heart" (previously on Dreaming of You)Mark Goldberg, Kit HainA. B., Fonseca4:23
8."Amame" (previously on Entre a Mi Mundo)Selena, A.B., Astudillo 3:38
9."Missing My Baby" (previously on Entre a Mi Mundo)A.B. 3:51
10."Disco Medley: Last Dance/The Hustle/On the Radio (Club Remix)" (previously on "Disco Medley" single)Van McCoy, Giorgio Moroder, Donna SummerA. B., Fonseca6:10
Disc 02: Mariachi
No.TitleWriter(s)Arranged byLength
1."El Ramalazo" (previously on Munequito de Trapo)Tomás Méndez"Red", Paz2:52
2."Dáme Tu Amor" (previously on Alpha)Abraham Quintanilla, Ricky Vela"Red", Paz3:45
3."Pa'Qué Me Sirve La Vida" (previously on Alpha)Jesús Monge"Red", Paz2:52
4."Diferentes" (previously on And the Winner Is...)Juan Gabriel"Red", Paz3:16
5."Siempre Hace Frío" (previously on Siempre Selena)Cuco SánchezJose Hernandez3:13
6."¿Qué Creías?" (previously on Entre a Mi Mundo)A.B., Astudillo"Red", Paz3:30
7."Quiero Estar Contigo" (previously on Preciosa)A.B., Jankarlos Nunez"Red", Paz2:28
8."Rama Caída" (previously on Munequito de Trapo)Juan H. Barrón"Red", Paz4:26
9."Sabes" (previously on Preciosa)Vela"Red", Paz2:24
10."Tú, Solo Tú" (previously on Dreaming of You)Felipe Valdés LealHernandez3:12
Disc 03: Cumbia
No.TitleWriter(s)Arranged byLength
1."Yo Te Daré" (previously on And the Winner Is...)A.B."Red", Paz3:14
2."La Puerta Se Cerró" (previously on Dulce Amor)Copyright Control"Red", Paz3:49
3."Corazoncito" (previously on Alpha)A.B., Manny Guerra"Red", Paz2:48
4."Enamorada de Ti" (previously on Munequito de Trapo)A.B., Astudillo"Red", Paz4:00
5."No Debes Jugar" (previously on Selena Live!)A.B., VelaLos Dinos2:51
6."Cariño Mio" (previously on Preciosa)Vela"Red", Paz3:35
7."Salta La Ranita" (previously on And the Winner Is...)Víctor H. Garza"Red", Paz3:12
8."Te Amo Solo a Ti" (previously on And the Winner Is...)E.J. Ledesma"Red", Paz3:33
9."La Llamada" (previously on Selena Live!)A.B., AstudilloLos Dinos3:09
10."Baila Esta Cumbia" (previously on Ven Conmigo)A.B., AstudilloLos Dinos2:54
Total length:1:50:01

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[37]

Charts

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for Anthology
Chart (1998) Peak
position
US Top Latin Albums (Billboard)[40] 12
US Regional Mexican Albums (Billboard)[41] 1

Certification

Certification for Anthology
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[36] Diamond (Latin) 600,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

References

Citations

  1. ^ Verhovek 1995, p. 1.
  2. ^ Jasinski 2012.
  3. ^ Untiedt 2013, p. 127.
  4. ^ Shaw 2005, p. 50.
  5. ^ Stavans & Augenbraum 2005, p. 5.
  6. ^ Arrarás 1997, p. 22.
  7. ^ Patoski 1996, p. 211.
  8. ^ Garcia & Gamboa 2022.
  9. ^ Paul 2022.
  10. ^ Mendoza 2022.
  11. ^ Smoothvega 2020.
  12. ^ Quintanilla 1997.
  13. ^ Falcon 2015.
  14. ^ a b c Quintanilla 1998, p. 5.
  15. ^ a b c Anon. 1998, p. 131.
  16. ^ a b c d e f Pignato & High 1998, p. 82.
  17. ^ a b c Quintanilla 1998, pp. 8–9.
  18. ^ Perry 2017.
  19. ^ a b c d Quintanilla 1998, pp. 12–13.
  20. ^ Classic Series, Vol. I 2006.
  21. ^ a b Cole & Farley 1995, p. 2.
  22. ^ Salazar 1995, p. 27.
  23. ^ a b Quintanilla 1998, pp. 16–17.
  24. ^ Patoski 1996, p. 113.
  25. ^ Ven Conmigo 1990.
  26. ^ a b c Erlewine 1998.
  27. ^ Torres 1999, p. 141.
  28. ^ Del Valle 1998, p. 1.
  29. ^ a b c Lannert & Mayfield 1998, p. 46.
  30. ^ Lannert & Mayfield 1998, p. 92.
  31. ^ Lannert & 1998 (d), p. 58.
  32. ^ Lannert & 1998 (h), p. 58.
  33. ^ Lannert & 1998 (i), p. 74.
  34. ^ Lannert & 1998 (j), pp. 18–19.
  35. ^ Lannert & 1998 (j), p. 52.
  36. ^ a b Anon. n.d.
  37. ^ Quintanilla 1998.
  38. ^ Lannert & 1998 (a), p. 48.
  39. ^ Lannert & 1998 (h), p. 54.
  40. ^ Lannert & 1998 (j), p. 18.
  41. ^ Lannert & 1998 (j), p. 19.

Websites

  • "Selena "Anthology" Box Set". LA Weekly. April 16, 1998. Retrieved June 22, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  • Torres, Richard (May 2, 1999). "The Best of Selena Lives On". Newsday. Retrieved June 22, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  • Pignato, Natalie; High, Umatilla (July 3, 1998). "Selena Anthology". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved June 22, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  • Quintanilla, Selena (1990). Ven Conmigo (Media notes). A.B. Quintanilla (producer). EMI Latin. H1E-42359.
  • Salazar, Gene (April 30, 1995). "Fiesta '95 Dedicated to Selena". The Victoria Advocate. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  • Cole, Patrick E.; Farley, Christopher John (July 10, 1995). "Old Rock, New Life – Page 2". Time. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  • Quintanilla, Selena (2006). Classic Series, Vol. I (Media notes). A.B. Quintanilla](producer). Q-Productions. 635750012128.
  • Perry, Claudia (January 10, 2017). "Selena turns in sultry, sensual performance at Dome". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
  • Quintanilla, Selena (1998). Anthology (Media notes). Abraham Quintanilla (written biography). EMI Latin. 7243494110.
  • Del Valle, Fernando (April 1, 1998). "Remembering Selena". The Monitor. Retrieved June 21, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "RIAA Gold & Platinum". RIAA.com. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  • Lannert, John (May 2, 1998). "Latin Notas". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 18. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 92. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  • Lannert, John (May 23, 1998). "Latin Notas". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 21. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 96. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  • Lannert, John (July 25, 1998). "Latin Notas". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 30. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 92. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  • Lannert, John (August 29, 1998). "Latin Notas". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 35. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 126. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  • Lannert, John (December 26, 1998). "Latin Notas". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 52. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 194. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  • Lannert, John; Mayfield, Geoff (April 25, 1998). "Latin Notas". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 17. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 92. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  • Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Selena Anthology Album Review". Netaktion. Allmusic. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  • Mendoza, Madalyn (March 14, 2022). "Quintanilla family is releasing new Selena album nearly 30 years after the Tejano icon's death". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved March 15, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
  • Smoothvega (April 30, 2020). "AB Quintanilla Talks 'Selena' Netflix Series, Announces Final Album, His Career, Legacy + More". YouTube (Podcast). Event occurs at 23:00 (1st), 1:08:00 (2nd), 1:35:00 (3rd). Retrieved March 15, 2022.{{cite podcast}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
  • Edward James Olmos (narrator), Jose Behar (executive producer), Abraham Quintanilla (executive producer), Claribel Cuevas (associate producer), Randal J. Edwards (associate producer), Ila von Hasperg (editor), Jeffrey Coulter (producer), Cecelia Miniucchi (director) (April 1, 1997). Selena Remembered (DVD, VHS) (Documentary) (in English and Spanish). Corpus Christi, Texas: EMI Latin Productions, Q-Productions. Event occurs at 53:49. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  • Falcon, Jaime-Paul. "Selena's Family Needs to Stop Tarnishing Her Legacy". Dallas Observer. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  • Verhovek, Sam Howe (April 1, 1995). "Grammy-Winning Singer Selena Killed in Shooting at Texas Motel". The New York Times. p. 1. Archived from the original on August 20, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  • Jasinski, Laurie E. (2012). Handbook of Texas Music. Texas A&M University Press. ISBN 978-0-87611-297-7.
  • Untiedt, Kenneth L. (2013). Cowboys, Cops, Killers, and Ghosts: Legends and Lore in Texas. University of North Texas Press. ISBN 978-1-57441-532-2.
  • Shaw, Lisa (2005). Pop Culture Latin America!: Media, Arts, and Lifestyle. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 1-85109-504-7.
  • Stavans, Ilan; Augenbraum, Harold (2005). Encyclopedia Latina: History, Culture, And Society In The United States (4th ed.). Danbury, CT: Grolier Academic Reference. ISBN 0-7172-5815-7.
  • Patoski, Joe Nick (1996). Selena: Como La Flor. Boston: Little Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-69378-2.
  • Garcia, Ricky; Gamboa, Suzanne (March 15, 2022). "New digitally modified Selena music announcement gets mixed reviews online". KXAN-TV. Retrieved March 15, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
  • Paul, Maria Luisa. "More 'Bidi Bidi Bom Bom' to come: Selena's father announces new album nearly 27 years after the singer's death". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  • Arrarás, María Celeste (1997). Selena's Secret: The Revealing Story Behind Her Tragic Death. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-684-83193-7.
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