Perez Prado – Black Magnolia
Perez Prado – Mambo Barroco
Perez Prado – Sexomania
As Oliver Wang noted when he originally posted a couple of these songs, though many of his albums are easy to find, figuring out when 1970s LPs from Pérez Prado were actually recorded is bloody difficult. It’s hard to even know which Pérez Prado is even leading these bands. Dámaso Pérez Prado and Pantaleón Pérez Prado were both born in Cuba, about 10 years apart. Dámaso is the one we generally think of, famous for stylized grunts and his Mambo recordings of the late 1950s and early 1960s. By the late 1960s and 1970s, both brothers appear to have been leading the band and recording under the Pérez Prado name. For me, it’s all in the grunt. The grunts and shouts on “Black Magnolia,” “Mambo Barroco” and “Sexomania” sound like the elder Prado, so I’ll chalk this album up to him.
While this record was released in 1976 on the Dimsa label, I can’t believe that any of this music was recorded later than 1970. The only other Pérez Prado record I own is Concierto Para Bongo which has at least 4 “Go-Go” songs on it and must have been recorded before 1967. Just based off of the sound of the drums, especially on the Latin Soul Barn Burner “Black Magnolia,” I’m thinking this one was recorded in 1968, but like a lot of Prado records from the 1970s, it’s just not possible to tell. While Prado is a world reknowned artist his catalog isn’t revered enough to have somebody completely nerd-out and document it step by step. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a cache of reel-to-reels somewhere in Mexico City that have all the tracks he recorded in the mid 1960s and early 1970s that got released over time. Maybe some day someone will dig up the full story on Prado’s 1960s/1970s output and clear up all the mysteries, but for now enjoy the sounds.
Cheers,
Michael