sunvirgin.com->Discography->Carnavalito Boliviano
Please join the fan club today!
Review, Analysis and Recordings Containing
Carnavalito Boliviano
Carnavalito Boliviano Monophonic
Bolivian Carnaval  ( 2:05)
Recorded in 1954

Review and Analysis of Carnavalito Boliviano by Nicholas E. Limansky
From Yma Sumac - The Art Behind the Legend
used with permission - all rights reserved, © Nicholas E. Limansky
Read more on the Legacy of the Diva Web site!
This is the song that does not belong on Mambo!  It is uninteresting, unimaginative, and obliquely performed with little conviction from either Yma or the accompanying band.  Yma gives a particularly uninspired and tentative performance.  As though filler, this song says and does nothing and goes nowhere.  Ecstatic exclamations from the chorus add little.

We will run into this song again two years later when Yma records her next album, Legend of the Jivaro.  As if refusing to give up, Sumac and company re-arrange the music, retitle it "Batagna Hailli" and give it another try.  Although that arrangement is more successful, the song is not worth the efforts taken to promote it.

Although almost all of Mambo! is worth many repeated hearings,  6 of the original 11 songs are spectacular for Yma's vocalism and rank with the best work she put to disc: "Bo Mambo", "Taki Rari", "Gopher Mambo", "Chicken Talk", "Malambo #1" and "Jungla".

Carnavalito Boliviano  is included on the following releases
Download-only version of Yma Sumac's Mambo!, probably a bootleg as no EMI/Capital Records licensing information could be found. These are the same tracks that can be found on legitimate releases of Mambo! but in a different order. The exact country of origin is unknown. 2013 Australia
catalog no: AMR381
Download-only version of Yma Sumac's 1954 Mambo recordings. 2010 United Kingdom
catalog no: EAP 1-564
Fourth album 1955 United States
catalog no: T-564
A reissue, first 12" LP release of fourth album with additional tracks from Capitol vaults 1956 United States
catalog no: M-11892
Reissue of fourth album with additional tracks from Capitol vaults.  This is an abridged version (as noted on the lower back sleeve) which is missing Cha Cha Gitano from side two that is found on most other 12" LP and later reissues. 1979 United States
catalog no: 599331
Some later reissues of this title were abridged and had only ten tracks but this one is complete with eleven. 1987 France
catalog no: 7 80863
Reissue of fourth album which had only eight tracks, with additional tracks from Capitol vaults to fill the larger 12" LP format 1987 Greece
catalog no: UV-120
Another vinyl release by the Italian company which already released Voice of the Xtabay, Inca Taqui and Legend of the Sun Virgin on vinyl. 2005 Italy
catalog no: 7243 8 317161 3
Double LP Compilation from Greece features tracks from Voice of the Xtabay, Mambo! and Legend of the Jivaro 1971 Greece
catalog no: CD 62 056
This CD compilation features tracks from Yma Sumac's Capitol Records sessions and is not to be confused with the unrelated cassette and 12" LP of the same name. The material on this compilation was drawn primarily from the Mambo! and Legend of the Jivaro albums with two tracks from the live Rec . . . 1994 Italy
catalog no: LA 24
Hard to find CD collection featuring songs from several early '50s Yma Sumac albums with two tracks from the 1961 Recital LP. Little else is known about this compilation, which appears to have all the telltale signs of being a bootleg. It is also interesting to note that the author of the booklet se . . . 1998 Italy
catalog no: PS39015
A collection featuring tracks drawn primarily from Yma Sumac's Mambo! (1954) and her Legend of the Sun Virgin (1952) albums with several others from various albums and singles. 2007 Germany
catalog no: CD-45 524
Part of a series of public domain CD releases from Promo Sound, formerly listed here is being in Italy but their business headquarters are in Ireland. 1996 Ireland
catalog no: 4832692
EMI Rarities reissue of fourth album from France 1995 France
catalog no: 0777-7-80 863-2-1
Reissue of fourth album, first CD reissue 1996 United States
catalog no: 0777-7 8063-2-1
CD reissue on the Capitol Right Stuff label. From Canada, this release has a clear tray rather than a solid yellow one as found on the U.S. releases and has advertisments behind the disk. Image at the right shows the cover in the tray with the Valu Plus text showing from below.. 1996 Canada
Peruvian CD-R reissue of Mambo! using the Fuego del Ande cover art.  It is not known if this is a promotional release or a homemade CD-R.  2000 Perú
catalog no: TK-504
Compact disc made from vinyl sources pairs two records on one disk, with the two original cover arts on opposite sides of the CD packaging.  It is interesting to note that this CD has the uncut version of Sojello which has not been heard in that form since the early releases after which the master . . . 1994 United States
catalog no: CD 12517
Features tracks by Yma Sumac, one of which is a live performance from 1961 in Bucharest, Romania, while the rest are mostly instrumentals by various South American groups. 1994 Italy
catalog no: 796 642-2
Contains second half of Mambo! and complete Legend of the Jivaro, volume two of two 1991 France
catalog no: CD-367
Compact disc compilation. 1995 Italy
catalog no: CD 367
Part of a series of public domain CD releases from Promo Sound, formerly listed here is being in Italy but their business headquarters are in Ireland. 1997 Ireland
catalog no: CD 31507
Another compilation featuring selections from Yma Sumac's first four Capitol Records albums. This release is part of the Entertainers of the World series. Although the country origin is not stated anywhere on the packaging inside or out, the publisher is located in Ireland. This release does not hav . . . 2009 Ireland
catalog no: TOCP 50 037
CD compilation from Japan features a nice cross section of Yma Sumac's '50s material.  Now out of print, it still shows up once in a while. 1996 Japan
This CD compilation is one of the few known pressings from Greece in any format. 1997 Greece
catalog no: CREVO 34 CD
Compilation with previously-unreleased material.  This is the original 1995 issue but a more recent version exists with different tracks. 1995 United Kingdom
catalog no: 23351
76 Hits and Rarities from the goddess of Exotica. More details and track for this September 2012 collection coming soon. 2012 United Kingdom
Although this double CD has the tracks in a different order, it is basically the CD version of the LP, The Very Best of Yma Sumac, and is one of the few known pressings from Greece. 2003 Greece
catalog no: GSS 5482
This 3-CD set advertised as being from Holland but package and disk printing indicate it was made in Portugal. Released in March 2008 and contains 47 tracks, this boxed set contains three standard jewel cases all with the same cover art and no booklet or notes. The box cover is shown. 2008 Portugal
catalog no: 118734
Anthologie 1950-1959 Compact Disc set of Yma Sumac's containing all of Yma Sumac's 1950's Capitol Records original release catalog. Probably a bootleg as no EMI/Capital Records licensing information could be found. These tracks are included on legitimate releases of all the original albums. 2013 France
catalog no: BLUE102CD
Double CD collection features remastered tracks from the 1943 Argentina Session along with those from the Capitol Records years. 2005 United Kingdom
Yet another compilation CD with the title of Queen of Exotica making three with that title. This one, which is a 2-CD set, combines four of Yma Sumac's '50s albums. 2005 United Kingdom
catalog no: 0777 7 99701 2 4
Two-CD reissue of Voice of the Xtabay (original eight tracks only), Mambo and Legend of the Jivaro, in one jewel case. Manufactured in Holland for EMI Germany. 1992 Germany
catalog no: B00006IWIC
Two CD set containing the entire Mambo! and Ultimate Yma Sumac Collection CDs, probably as individual CDs in a slipsleeve. 2002 France
catalog no: 4 M-11 892
This is the first, and as far as we know, the only cassette reissue of Yma Sumac's fourth album.  She toured and performed in several U.S. cities as part of the promotion, inclusing The Ballroom in New York and Theatre on the Square in San Francisco.  Abridged, this cassette release is missing Cha . . . 1987 United States
Back to Top