Happy 30th: Gipsy Kings, MOSAIQUE

30 years ago this month, the Gipsy Kings released their fourth studio album, an LP that built on the success of their self-titled third album and its temporarily-inescapable single, “Bamboleo.”

Produced by Claude Martinez, MOSAIQUE was a promotional labor of love for the Gipsy Kings’ label, Elektra Records. Efforts by Bob Krasnow to push the band led to that aforementioned self-titled album hitting #59 on the Billboard 200, #4 on the Latin Albums chart, #3 on the Jazz Albums chart, and #1 on the World Albums chart.

Danny Cohn of Elektra Records had said, “I’d be surprised and disconcerted if [MOSAIQUE] sales don’t surpass half a million copies,” and wouldn’t you know it? They did. In fact, it was as a result of the success of MOSAIQUE that Gipsy Kings became the first French group to earn a gold record!