K. Brown 2004-04-26
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
By copping a "too cool" attitude in my adolescence, I missed out on a "too cool" group. See, I thought I was hep and eclectic in the late 70s, listening to everything from Janis Joplin to Tom Waits to The Eagles. Unfortunately, like so many self proclaimed hipsters, I turned my nose up at the disco scene, dissing everything from Bee-Gees to Chic.
I came to my senses nearly ten years ago, reclaiming my over-the-top-pop-culture heritage, and caught up with every ABBA and Village People tune that I previously denied myself. In catching up with these tunes, I came across a few new treasures that I might have known about years ago had I not dissed the disco. The first was Boney M. My most recent surprise find is Baccara.
The original Baccara duo, named by RCA exec Leon Deane after The Baccara Rose, consists of drop-dead gorgeous bombshells Mayte Matee and Maria Mendiolo. They burst onto the scene in 1977 with a hit called "Yes, Sir, I can Boogie." You can't get much more over-the-top-disco with a title like this. Listen to this compilation, and you will find some of the most way-out dance tunes that make Baccara appear to be the archetype of campy music.
That's not to say that these songs are nothing but camp. In fact, the whole flavor of Baccara practically makes "camp" an art form! Some songs are romantic, some outright silly, but the entire CD contains excellent dance music. The appeal of Matee and Mendiolo shine with their voices: playful, animated, and sexy to the point where my rational mind says "how phony, how contrived!" but the pop-culture section of my soul is head over heels for Baccara! Technically speaking, the frequency of erotic sighs and winces in the songs may be overdone, but these women do it up so cute, you wouldn't want to hear them sing any other way. As cartoonish as their delivery is, I could not help feeling seduced, and I deveoped a major crush on these gals from the seventies!
The first time I sampled this CD, Baccara reminded me of a mix of ABBA and.........well, something else, but I had trouble pinpointing what that extra presence was. Nothing Guajardian, but something inspired! Then, as I began listening to "Devil Sent You To Loredo" a second time, it dawned on me that I could picture the late Benny Hill, backed up with flamencos and foxy dancers, delivering a silly limerick of a tune about the old west! ABBA and Benny Hill, just picture that unlikely hybrid, and you have Baccara!
Baccara's initial success is impressive. "Yes Sir, I Can Boogie" was the first number one hit by a female duo, as well as a singing act from Spain. The hits lasted just a few years, and Matee and Mendiolo disbanded. Mayte and Maria both created separate revamped versions of Baccara over the years with varied results; the duo of Maria and Marisa appears to have the best success with their hit "Fantasy Boy."
After checking out this compilation, I'm ready for more! Nobody is too cool for Baccara!
