El Coco

Brazil (LP)

AVI Records (US) / 1975 / AVI 1040
LP-album 33 ⅓ rpm Vinyl record
Genre: Dance

One of Rinder & Lewis' first productions, this El Coco album has the distinct early Rinder & Lewis sound found on Mondo Disco, as well as the debut Le Pamplemousse LP and the 'In Search Of...' soundtrack. As is typical of early Rinder and Lewis, they play all of the instruments themselves. Lots of string synthesizers, synth bass, electric piano, and percussion galore.

There is actually very little that's danceable on this album. However, it is actually the more laid-back songs that are the best, such as the dreamy "Bahia" or the gorgeously mellow "Masquerade".

"Disco Carnival" and their take on the old standard "Brazil" come off as quite cheesy. But they breathe new life into "Caravan", and some of the other covers are quite interesting (although I haven't heard the originals to compare). "Delicado" has a long percussion break which was later reworked into "Hot Disco Night (Are You Ready?)" and released under the moniker of Sweet Potato Pie. This has gone on to be sampled by countless drum 'n' bass records.

This album is sometimes erroneously referred to as "Caravan" as that is the most prominent word on the front cover. The credits give thanks to Top Tape Records (their label in Brazil), and Big Boy, who was a pioneering figure for disco in Brazil.

There is a very rare 12" mix of Caravan, however this is simply a re-edit and not a true remix. It can be found on the "Disco 54: The AVI Collection" compilation, although it is *very* dynamically compressed. An edit of "Disco Carnival" is on the El Coco Greatest Disco Hits compilation. This seems to be a rather strange choice as it is widely regarded as the worst track on the album.

Also See...
Laurin Rinder Interview
AJ Cervantes Interview / History of Butterfly & Destiny Records

Submitted by BrunoRepublic (4)

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