Various Artists - Let’s Do The Boogaloo (2017) BGP 2 x LP - Rare Soul

The boogaloo is an infectious and little defined dance that dominated American dance records in the mid-60s. It was the joyous place where young black and Latin youths met and made sweet music. All previous Boogaloo compilations have focused on the Latin aspect, “Let’s Do The Boogaloo” looks at how the music crossed over between the two. The boogaloo craze started in Chicago with a record by Tom & Jerryo, but it proved to have an enduring legacy with its hit-making potential running from 1965 through to 1968, much longer than any other comparable dance. Our earliest records The infectious ‘Ready Steady Go’ by Prince & Princess, Listen to the latin style horns on it produced by Rolling Stones producer Jimmy Miller, kicks us off with a frenetic beat and some Latin horns. It is the perfect boogaloo crossover. Elsewhere we feature big sounds from both the soul and Latin side of the music. Club classics by the likes of Hector Rivera and Roy Lee Johnson, and obscurities by The PS 54 School Yard and Shirley Butler. The musical aspects of this compilation hail from as far apart as Texas and Detroit and Philadelphia and LA, where BGP found the previously unreleased Bob & Earl Band ‘Boogaloo’. The entire album tells the story of the dance and how the music adapted to it. Bringing together the many strands that connects Chubby Checker, Charlie Palmieri, Mongo Santamaria and Jimmy Castor. This is musical and dancefloor dynamite that brought together communities, and “Let’s Do The Boogaloo” is the definitive compilation from the genre. Whereas most dances disappeared within months, one of the biggest boogaloo hits  ‘Boogaloo Down Broadway’ by the Fantastic Johnny C reached its peak in early 1968, and boogaloo records even resurfaced in hip hop in the 1980s. The latin world took the sound even more to heart, and boogaloos have a tendency to reappear even now. So what made the boogaloo so enduring? Other than it is incredibly good music, there doesn’t appear to be a definitive answer. This compilation has music recorded in the North, South, East and West between 1965 and 1968. It takes in big names attempting to cash in on the latest dance craze plus new artists and producers trying out this exciting music. The beat is often messed with, and sometimes such as in Lou Courtney’s ‘Me And You (Doin’ The Boogaloo)’ stretched so far that you wonder if what you are hearing really is still a boogaloo. The sounds though are irresistible the groove is often on the cusp of funk and always danceable,listen to the frenetic hysteria of Hector Rivera’s ‘Playing It Cool’ and you are aware that this is music that is vibrant and exciting and will never die.Most of these tracks were/still are played on the northern scene....SUPERB ALBUM!

AMM

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