Perhaps the most common of all
Cugat albums,
Best of is not unique in any way, nor is it a compilation drawn from previous releases. It is, however, a Latin dance-album powerhouse. And it draws upon the more successful lessons learned in Viva Cugat and fully exploits Mercury's "Perfect Presence Sound." "Amapola" has nearly the same swing as "Siboney"; perhaps they are from the same session. The version of Pablo Beltran Ruiz' "Sway (Quien Sera)" stands as the definitive recording of Latin, big-band dance music. "El Cumbanchero," "Tequila," and "Mama Inez" also are no slouches, and "Tea for Two Cha Cha Cha" is just glorious...and funny. The exotic "Taboo" has a boys chorus, but the strings detract from the jungle flavor. Also there are "Misirlou" and "Ba-Tu-Ca-Da." Overall, it is hardly perfect or even, but with six photos of
Abbe Lane and several great, great tracks, it deserves the title
The Best of Cugat.