Love It Up / Takin' Over

Artists

Album Info

Release Date: 2023-09-10

Label: Tropical Tigers

TGR005 LINER NOTES by — DJ Bongohead of Peace & Rhythm

Hello all you cats and kitties out there in Latin Soul land, it’s time again for another barrio boogaloo banger from Tropical Tigers! Like the two most recent releases on the label, this ferocious little 45 features two classic 60s certified dancefloor album cuts for the first time on a 7-inch, exciting news that’ll make the DJs salivate and the dancers gyrate from coast to coast.

First up, on the A-side, it’s the groovy Latin love-in anthem from 1967, “Love It Up” (aka “Viva El Amor”) courtesy of the multi-talented Nuyorican Louie Ramírez. Taken from In The Heart of Spanish Harlem, his one-off LP with Mercury Records, the session was produced by Richard Marin, with participation from Marin’s kid brother, Bobby, who sings on the tune, accompanied by his pals Jimmy Sabater and Willie Torres (of Joe Cuba Sextet) as well as soul shouter Ray Pollard. “Love It Up” was written and arranged by Mark Weinstein and, unlike other records of the time waxed by Ramírez, the song features heavy trombone riffs (no doubt courtesy of Weinstein). According to Bobby Marin, his brother Richard set up the album date with Mercury because he had been hired by the label to feature up-and-coming Latin talent, and he wanted his homie Ramírez to shine as his first artist. The track has some mighty heavy sounds, with muscular bass, crackling percussion and hard, NYC-style ‘bone blasts, all of which add contrast to the humorous lyrics and the vocalists’ fun loving tag-team approach.

The flip side is another slab of bluesy Latin soul madness from an album featuring the dynamic duo of Louie Ramírez and Bobby Marin, a happening little tune appropriately called “Takin’ Over”—because this jam takes over the place when the DJ spins it! Extracted from the Mary Lou Records LP La Cucaracha Brass, which most likely came out in 1968, the song is actually an altered version of “We Are Taking Over,” a previously released cut from the Mary Lou album Cool Man by Rafael “Raphie” Martínez And His National Combo from the year before. Marin speeded up the tempo and retitled it, but if you listen carefully, it’s the same recording, yet vastly improved by being reedited at a faster pace (with the dancers in mind). As a staff producer at Mary Lou, Bobby Marin relates that “the album was put together to save money by re-using previously recordings and adding new vocal tracks with my group, The Latin Chords. I thought of the catchy name due to the fact that Herb Alpert’s Tijuana Brass was hot at the time.” A definite DJ “go-to” album cut for some time, “Takin’ Over” is a heavy boogaloo blues number, written by Cruz, featuring a brutal piano intro and a catchy soul jazz trumpet riff that won’t quit.

Now, both essential cuts are thankfully available on a handy 7-inch single, fully-licensed from Bobby Marin. With this one-two, double-fisted NYC boogaloo punch, you can unleash this tasty Tropical Tiger for another sure-shot Latin soul dance floor knock-out!

— DJ Bongohead of Peace & Rhythm