🎵 AotW AOTW: Sergio Mendes & Brasil '77 PRIMAL ROOTS (SP 4353)

[LPJim]

Sergio Mendes & Brasil '77
PRIMAL ROOTS
SP 4353

SIDE ONE
Promise of a Fisherman (Promessa De Pescador) (Dorival Caymmi) 3:29/ After Sunrise (S. Neto- O. Neves) 3:28/ Canto de Ubirantan (original arrangement by Sergio Mendes) 2:07/ Iemanja (Baden Powell) 2:56/ Pomba Gira (original arrangement by Sergio Mendes) 2:30.

SIDE TWO
The Circle Game (Jogo De Roda) (Edu Lobo- Ruy Guerra) 18:58/ Promise of a Fisherman (reprise) 0:37.

Produced by Sergio Mendes for Sergio Mendes Productions/ Recorded at Sergio Mendes Studios/ Engineer: Bart Chate/ Mastered by Bernie Grundman/ Arrangements by Sergio Mendes - piano and vocals/ Bass: Sebatian Neto/ Drums: Claudio Slon/ Guitars: Oscar C. Neves/ Timbales and percussion: Rubens Bassini/ Congas, percussion and vocals: Laudir Soares de Oliveira/ Female Vocals: Gracinha Leporace and Geri Stevens/ Special thanks to Tommy Scott -- flute on "Circle Game," Clare Fischer (Yamaha Organ on "Promise," Julius Wechter (Marimbas) on "After Sunrise," Airto Moreira (percussion)/ Art Direction Roland Young/ Illustrations by Sandra Darnley/ Design by Chuck Beeson.

Reissued on CD as a Japan import

PRIMAL ROOTS entered the Billboard Top 200 on July 15, 1972, charted for five weeks and peaked at Number 164, according to Whitburn's "Top Pop Albums."

JB

 

[Dave]

Man, what an Unusual Album Sequence:

Peter Frampton WIND OF CHANGE -- A&M SP 4348

Free AT LAST -- A&M SP 4349

England Dan & John Ford Coley FABLES -- A&M SP 4350

Booker T & Priscilla HOME GROWN -- A&M SP 4351

Tim Weisberg HURTWOOD EDGE -- A&M SP 4352

And Now:

Sergio Mendes & Brasil '77 PRIMAL ROOTS -- A&M SP 4353!!


Just the thought of moving from Rock (a well-known NEW artist AND a well-known "established act") to Pop to Country Soul to (Smoooth) Jazz to now, the Brasilian beat, from one of A&M's "founding acts"...! Not to mention the Cabaret Stylings of Liza Minnelli or the Mike D'Abo obscurity, followed by the "unreleased" Demick & Armstrong, before...

Dave

 

[LPJim]

Hold on to your hat. From here we go to folkish oldies covers (SP 4354 THE BUNCH) and next to gay lifestyle comedy (Sandy Barons GOD SAVE THE QUEENS SP 4355), followed by Hendrix-like psyche rock (Arthur Lee VINDICATOR SP 4356).
When A&M got ready to diversify from a nice middle-of-the-road label it did so in a big way.
JB

 

[Harry]

PRIMAL ROOTS - nowadays a favorite of mine, but it took 25 years for me to even hear it.

Back in 1972, I was becoming more and more interested in music that was chart-hit related, and somewhere I'd gotten the message that this next Sergio Mendes album was 'way out there' and not hit material. Knowing that vocal favorite Lani Hall was gone, and unwilling to judge for myself, I never managed to get a copy of the album back then, and I'd all but forgotten about until finding A&M Corner in 1997.

After a couple of radio-friendly songs got me to splurge on LOVE MUSIC, I stopped buying Sergio Mendes albums after that, though I did manage to get a few of the mid-70s albums as freebies from the radio stations I worked for.

Occasionally I'd revisit the old Brasil '66 albums in the intervening years, making cassette compilations for the car, but I usually didn't get much past PAIS TROPICAL, but I'd include a song or two from LOVE MUSIC. My only taste of PRIMAL ROOTS were two songs that ended up on compilations: A shortened version of "Promise Of A Fisherman" on FOURSIDER along with "After Sunrise", and finally the full version of "Promise..." on CLASSICS VOLUME 18.

Once I re-immersed myself into Sergio's music after discovering A&M Corner, I realized that I'd missed out on that last A&M recording from the early '70s, and quickly sought to remedy my oversight. I found a used copy of the LP from someone somewhere - it was probably pre-eBay and likely a site like Vinyl Vendors. The album was in nice shape and I immediately transferred it to cassette and later CD-R as I became more and more fond of it.

The near seamless flow from track-to-track on side one was bettered by the 18 minute tour-de-force of "The Circle Game" that makes up nearly all of side two.

This is one I never thought I'd see on CD and was thrilled to get it in the summer of 2002. It remains a prize in my collection and is listened to often.

Harry
NP: PRIMAL ROOTS - Sergio Mendes & Brasil '77

 

[LPJim]

I also acquired SP 4353 late in the game, in terms of completing my early A&M collection. By the mid-70s I was vaguely aware Sergio's sound was changing (not for the better IMHO) and my interests had moved elsewhere.
One day in 1987 I visited a used LP outlet which had just opened up. The guy running the store had weird priorities. He specialized in 12" disco singles and wanted top dollar for them.
PRIMAL ROOTS and Tamba 4's SAMBA BLIM were in his dollar rack. In mint condition. Not having either I snapped them up. (Not surprisingly, that store didn't stay in business much longer).
When I first spotted the "Circle Game" title my first reaction was ... hmm, an 18-minute version of a Joni Mitchell tune. Strange?
Of course I was pleasantly mistaken, both about that and the idea this was going to be another forgettable glitzy pop experiment.
This recording, although 32 years old, doesn't sound dated at all and still retains a fresh, experimental quality.
JB

NP: Joni Mitchell "The Circle Game"
.... and go round and round and round in the circle game ....

 

[Dave]

So far, you have ALL gotten Primal Roots sooner than I have! I don't think I was aware of it, until the Internet and A&M Corner came along; then I knew there was "One More LP To Get", after Pais Tropical...

Primal Roots was barely often on the shelves at the stores, but sooner or later I DID see it, and finally acquired it! And when I finally decided to buy the Foursider compilation, I learned that the first two songs, "Promise of a Fisherman (Promessa De Pescador)" and "After Sunrise" were on it...

I thought "The Circle Game" was the Joni Mitchell original, too... After all they did "Chelsea Morning"; but "Circle" is their OWN and just as good! Yes, Joni Mitchell's "The Circle Game" would sure be a pretty "trippy" song for Sergio Mendes & Brasil '77 to do--especially if they made it that long! I DO have the Tom Rush album, entitled The Circle Game; with a lot of songs done by Joni Mitchell, including the title-track, as well as by James Taylor & Jackson Browne...

As for Sergio Mendes & Brasil '77's Primal Roots, my favorites are still "Iemanja" and "Pompa Gira"...


Dave

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I had just become a fan of Sergio a couple of years before PRIMAL came out. I had STILLNESS and PAIS already and possibly FOOL, but I don't think I'd heard the earlier ones yet.

My family has a cabin on a lake near the Wyoming border, and we would go into Sheridan, WY for supplies while out there on vacation. I would always make my way to the Woolworth's store which had a big record department.

I had no idea there was a new Sergio Mendes coming up. I was just browsing through the records and there it was! A new Sergio Mendes! PRIMAL ROOTS! I read the liner notes in the store and became very confused and curious about how this was going to sound, especially this nineteen minute song on Side 2. At this point I didn't really know who the different singers were or anything, but I knew I had to have this album.

I was a week and a half away from getting home to my record player, so I decided to buy the 8-track of the album then and there because we had a player in the car. When we got back to the cabin, I sat in my parents' car in the hot sun and listened to the whole tape. My family thought I was nuts.

It definitely took a while for the album to "fungus" onto me. I liked "Promise" and "After Sunrise" right away, and the other tracks slowly worked their way into my favorites. Probably the last track I got to like was "Pomba Gira." But now I like it just fine. "Iemenja" is one of my favorite Sergio vocals.

"The Circle Game" was a bit hard to take at first, but I thought it was awesome the way it "circled" back to the beginning with that reprise of "Promise" at the end.

I bought the LP as soon as we got back home and until the CD came out, that was my only copy of the album other than the original 8-track. There was a scratch during the intro of "Promise of a Fisherman" that I STILL HEAR every time I play the song on CD.

Like Harry, I was amazed that it came out on CD and just for insurance I bought two copies.

One of my coolest "A&M Corner" experiences is related to this album. The late Claudio Slon (Brasil '77 drummer) visited the Corner a couple of times and asked if anyone knew if the album was available on CD. (This was a couple of years before it actually did come out.) I wrote him back that I had done a needle-drop from my LP and cleaned it up with Sound Forge, and offered to send him a copy, which he accepted. He wrote back that my "remaster" sounded great and that he was enjoying the album again, and he sent me a pre-release copy of the Joao Donato "Amazonas" album (Claudio's last recording, if I'm not mistaken) along with a quick thank-you note.

So there are alot of great memories, and a couple of prized possessions, tied to PRIMAL ROOTS for me. I agree with LPJim, it does not sound dated at all. It was ahead of its time by at least 20 years.

 

[Rudy]

I agree with LPJim, it does not sound dated at all.

Agreed--it's probably one of the few of his that doesn't sound dated, unlike some of the 70s albums. I heard "After Sunrise" on a Verve compilation and was surprised as how well it fit in with some of the contemporary tracks.

 

[Dave]

I remember first hearing a remake of "Promise of a Fisherman (Promessa De Pescador)" by Santana on his group's Borboletta album. I, of course, looked the song up to find info on whatever "original" existed and only remember seeing it written by Dorival Caymmi and I think I saw it available on whatever Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66/'77 albums were out at the time--which were the Foursider and Classics compilations.

And I just had a "flashback" to my first seeing Primal Roots long ago and one of my record haunts that long went out of business, too...

Dave

 

[Harry]

Isn't it curious (once again) that PRIMAL ROOTS is our Album Of The Week diring the same week that FOOL ON THE HILL gets a reissue?

Harry
...connecting the dots, online...

 

[Mr Bill]

Isn't it curious (once again) that PRIMAL ROOTS is our Album Of The Week diring the same week that FOOL ON THE HILL gets a reissue?

I suspect a conspiracy!

--Mr Bill

 

[Captain Bacardi]

This album to me by comlete surprise when I first got it a couple of years ago. It was nothing like the Brasil '66 albums that I was familiar with. "The Circle Game" was nothing short of awe-inspiring for me. This is the kind of stuff I like to hear Sergio play. I was glad when this was released on CD. I've played it a lot ever since. I would put this up as one of Sergio's better efforts!



Capt. Bacardi

 

[Brasil_Nut]

Primal Roots struck a chord to my young ears from the beginning. I absolutely could not believe what I was hearing!!

Stand outs include:

Sergio's haunting rendition of "Iemanja" -- (to my ears) one of his best vocals. His tone and inflection add a touch of realism to the emotion of the song.

I also love how the girls chime in on "Pomba Gira" and keep the rhythm going throughout the song -- my favorite part being when they jump in for a brief moment at the very end...amazing!!

Geri Stevens has said that being part of Brasil '77 was a treat. She does, however, emphasize that it was challenging to master Portuguese lyrics in such a short period of time; a feat accomplished with the assistance of Gracinha.

All in all, I'd rate Primal Roots a ten. Definitely ahead of its time, a true predecessor to Brasileiro, another of Sergio's great accomplishments.

Jon

 

[Brasil_Nut]

Primal Roots struck a chord to my young ears from the beginning. I absolutely could not believe what I was hearing!!

Stand outs include:

Sergio's haunting rendition of "Iemanja" -- (to my ears) one of his best vocals. His tone and inflection add a touch of realism to the emotion of the song.

I also love how the girls chime in on "Pomba Gira" and keep the rhythm going throughout the song -- my favorite part being when they jump in for a brief moment at the very end...amazing!!

Geri Stevens has said that being part of Brasil '77 was a treat. She does, however, emphasize that it was challenging to master Portuguese lyrics in such a short period of time; a feat accomplished with the assistance of Gracinha.

All in all, I'd rate Primal Roots a ten. Definitely ahead of its time, a true predecessor to Brasileiro, another of Sergio's great accomplishments.

Jon