Gipsy Kings’ third album, Gipsy Kings (1987), marked the explosive breakthrough of the French Rumba Catalana legends onto the world stage. While the U.S. and European releases shared the same infectious tracks—sometimes shuffled in a different order—the 1995 Japanese edition turned up the heat with an alternate version of “Vamos a Bailar.”

The album’s shimmering instrumental “Inspiration” shot to pop-culture fame when it lit up the screen in the Miami Vice season-five episode “World of Trouble” in June 1988.

This was the record that launched them globally, earning gold certifications across France, the U.K., the U.S., and beyond. When it hit the American market in 1988, Gipsy Kings didn’t just chart—it soared, holding its spot on the Billboard 200 for an incredible 40 weeks, a rare feat for a Spanish-language album.

led [VINTAGE]