Al Thoulathi al Mareh (The Fun Trio) | Chocolate and Walnuts (Sono Cairo, 1968)

In 1968, the world, including Egypt, was on fire with open dissent, and Al Thoulathi al Mareh, or Fun Trio in English, were at their pinnacle, performing in numerous Arabic-speaking countries, and spawning a number of less successful copycat trios in their wake.

Comprised of Wafa' Mohamed Mostafa, Safa' Youssef Lotfi, and Sana' al-Baroudi, the three Institute of Arabic Music alumni were christened The Fun Trio by musician and composer Ali Isamail, who wrote the title track of this single and the instrumental that appears on the B-Side.

Although the trio had broken up by the early 1970s as the singers got married and carved out new lives for themselves, they experienced a brief resurgence in popularity in the late 70s and early 80s, with at least three cassette compilations to their credit, before seemingly disappearing from the landscape.

It would be unfair to call this a "novelty" record, despite how it might otherwise look. Ismail was a sophisticated composer and the title track, as well as the B-Side instrumental, are solid pieces of work.

(Listen to "Chocolate and Walnuts")

(Listen to "Al-Milayat Al-Laf")