If the two-volume LP set Live At The Cheetah signified the emergence of the New York salsa explosion of the '70s, the equally double album Live At Yankee Stadium, released in 1975, marked the very zenith of the salsa phenomenon - its official introduction into the mainstream.

There is an irony, of course, to the music included in these excellent discs:  much of these tracks were actually recorded in Puerto Rico, and not at the Yankee Stadium.  The Yankee tracks were of lesser sonic quality, and the producers (wisely) decided to replace them with similar tracks recorded at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum.

Regardless of historical trivia, the music here brims with life.  The sound is warm and pristine, and the artists involved were at the very top of their game.  Included here is a wonderful version of Héctor Lavoe's ubiquitous anthem "Mi Gente," a rootsy "Que Rico Suena Mi Tambor" with el niño bonito de la salsa, Ismael Miranda, and the soulful Ismael Quintana debuting his solo career with "Mi Debilidad."

Most importantly, Live At Yankee Stadium will be forever remembered as the one album that established Celia Cruz, once and for all, as the unequivocal Queen of Salsa.  Celia had already experienced stardom in her native Cuba with La Sonora Matancera, and she continued occupying a vital place in tropical music through her memorable collaboration with Nuyorican bandleader Tito Puente in the '60s.  But it was her volcanic, 11 minute-long rendition of "Bemba Colorá" with the Fania All Stars that placed her smack in the middle of the salsa explosion.  More than three decades later, this epic track still sizzles.

The two volumes of Live At Yankee Stadium belong in any comprehensive collection of Afro-Caribbean music.  Even though the inevitable clash of egos did take place from time to time within the Fania camp, you can't help but marvel at the bonhomie with which superstars like Larry Harlow, Ray Barretto, Héctor Lavoe, Johnny Pacheco and Roberto Roena - to name but just a few - got together to perform some of the greatest dance music that this planet has ever experienced.

VIDEO FANIA ALL STARS AT YANKEE STADIUM:

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