Lou Bega Mambo

60 track collection of current hits and classics. Artists include, Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Gloria Estefan, Gibson Brothers, Gypsy Kings, Kaoma, Enrique Iglesias, Santana, Lou Bega, Will Smith, Cher, Quincy Jones, DJ Mendez, Los Lobos, Perez Prado, Geri Halliwell, Kylie Minogue, Toni Braxton, Safri Duo and many more.

Universally known as the King of the Mambo, Pérez Prado was the single most important musician involved in the hugely popular Latin dance craze. Whether he actually created the rhythm is somewhat disputed, but it's abundantly clear that Prado developed it into a bright, swinging style with massive appeal for dancers of all backgrounds and classes. Prado's mambo was filled with piercing high-register trumpets, undulating saxophone counterpoint, atmospheric organ (later on), and harmonic ideas borrowed from jazz. While his tight percussion arrangements allowed for little improvisation, they were dense and sharply focused, keeping the underlying syncopations easy for dancers to follow. Prado played the piano, but was often more in his element as the focal point of the audience's excitement; he leaped, kicked, danced, shouted, grunted, and exhorted his musicians with a dynamic stage presence that put many more sedate conductors and bandleaders to shame. With this blueprint, Prado brought mambo all the way into the pop mainstream, inspiring countless imitators and scoring two number one singles on the pop charts (albeit in a smoother vein than the fare that first made his name) as the fad snowballed. He was a star throughout most of the Western Hemisphere during the '50s, and even after his popularity waned in the United States, he remained a widely respected figure in many Latin countries, especially his adopted home of Mexico.

Pure… Summer collects 68 original hits featuring Gipsy Kings ("Bamboleo"), Men at Work ("Down Under”), Terry Jacks ("Seasons in the Sun”), Electric Light Orchestra ("Mr. Blue Sky”), Albert Hammond ("It Never Rains in Southern California”), and Kenny Loggins ("Footloose”). Tracks by the Jacksons, Miami Sound Machine, Billy Ocean, Johnny Nash, and Harry Nilsson are also included on this four-disc compilation.