Disco LP - SAMBA SOUL - S/T (RCA Victor)

Samba Soul - Self Titled (RCA Victor) USA 1977
2nd press on Black RCA label, Cover is generic black sleeve, Vinyl, EX, a couple of marks worth mentioning but plays great

The legendary album dearly clutched to the heart by hip hop & house producers world-wide as a goldmine of the cleanest, funkiest, tightest disco breaks you could hope for. As a listening experience it holds up fairly well on its own, with well-arranged takes on Brazilian standards and superb production values. The strings aren't as sappy as they can tend to be on this type of affair and even the weird chipmunkish quality of the backup singers holds a kitsch charm that's not nearly as annoying as the plethora of soulless choral accompaniment to be found in the disco genre. Obviously it's more suited to revving up for a night of clubbing or to be slapped on at a party if you want to kick it up a notch bit - both "Mambo No. 5" and, to a lesser extent, the "Cove Chuva / Mas Que Nada" medley will kill it on a floor when dropped at the right time in a set.

The record was recorded in Brazil and is Disco, but it’s got great b-boy drum & conga breaks galor (sic) like the two in Garota De Ipanema/Manha De Carnaval, the three in Chove Chuva/Mas Que Nada which isn’t a bad tune in itself even with all the strings, the three in Cidade Maravilhosa, the one in Esta Chegando A Hora, and of course there’s Mambo No. 5, the best overall song that was featured on UBB, that has three drum breaks of its own in between a Latin/Brazilian dance track.

"Mambo No. 5" made an appearance on Ultimate Breaks n Beats Vol. 25.