Brasil '66/'77 songs not performed by the Lead Singers

[Mike Blakesley]

Has anyone ever compiled a list of all the songs on the Brasil '66/'77 records that are not sung by the regular lead singer? As even the most casual fan should know, Lani Hall was the lead singer through most of the STILLNESS album, and then Gracinha Leporace and Karen Phillipp did the honors on PAIS TROPICAL.

Here are the ones I can think of off the top of my head - are there others? Note that I'm not listing the ones Sergio sings lead on....they're pretty obvious!

From LOOK AROUND -
The Look of Love - sung by Janis Hansen

From FOOL ON THE HILL
Lapinha - sung by Gracinha Leporace (misspelled as "Leporael" on the cover)

From YE-ME-LE
Easy to Be Hard - sung by Karen Phillipp (I think it's her, anyway)

from STILLNESS
For What It's Worth - sung by Karen Phillipp
Lost in Paradise - sung by Gracinha

From PRIMAL ROOTS
Pomba Gira and Canto de Ubirantan - sung by Laudir Soares de Oliviera along with Gracinha and Geri Stevens

I left PAIS TROPICAL out of this list because Gracinha and Karen were truly sharing the lead vocal chores at that point.

 

[Chris Martin]

Easy 2B Hard is definitely a 100% Lani tour de force

 

[A&Mguyfromwayback]

In all those first albums, Karen never sang another lead? or Janis? interesting.....

JTCW

 

[JMK]

Yes, the solo parts of Easy to be Hard are definitely Lani, but Karen's in there too on the duo sections. Karen has a very distinctive "s" sound (sexy, I might add) that you can hear in all her vocals.

 

[Chris Martin]

We should remember too, that on the Herb Alpert Introduces album there was, apparently, only Lani double-tracked.

 

[JMK]

Although I'm pretty sure someone here insisted years ago that Janis was one of the soloists on "Slow, Hot Wind."

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Janis was one of the soloists on "Slow, Hot Wind."

I believe Sergio was quoted somewhere saying the first album was all Lani, double-tracked and Janis wasn't added to the group until later.

 

[JMK]

Yes, you're right--but I remember there was a thread a long time ago where someone kept insisting that Janis was a soloist on that tune. Maybe I'm not remembering correctly, but I think I am.

 

[Brasil_Nut]

Jeff,

It was me who assumed that Janis was one of the vocalists on "Slow Hot Wind." I was wrong. And, it was to Brandon that Sergio explained how the first album was Lani double-tracked.

Hope it clears up the mystery for you.

Jon

 

[JMK]

No mystery on this end. Just thought I had remembered something to that effect having been discussed.

 

[Brasil_Nut]

Well, you're right. It was discussed, I was wrong, Brandon got the scoop from Sergio and Janis first appeared on EQUINOX.

Jon

 

[JMK]

Another one that I remember popped up in a thread from a galaxy long, long ago and far, far away is someone saying that Karen solos on "Sometime Ago." That is one that I've never been able to hear--it sure sounds like a Lani solo to me all the way through. Sergio didn't remember the details when I talked to him about it, but said he thought it was only Lani.

 

[Trevor]

Masquerade is both singers, but Karen seems to be lead vocals.

Also, with the País Tropical album, I've heard that Karen does all the vocals on the english songs.

I am not sure if the title song "País Tropical" is Gracinha with Karen or Gracinha with Gracinha.

"Zanzibar", "Asa Branca", and "Tonga" not sure either...

Jon??? Brandon??? Do either of you know?

 

[JMK]

As someone states above, Karen is double-tracked on all the English songs off of Pais. Gracinha solos on the Portuguese songs. Asa Branca doesn't really have a vocal.

 

[JMK]

Masquerade is both singers, but Karen seems to be lead vocals.

That's what I love about this Board--how those of us who have been listening to this stuff for years can hear things so differently. To me, "Masquerade" is a Lani-fest.

 

[A&Mguyfromwayback]

That's what I love about this Board--how those of us who have been listening to this stuff for years can hear things so differently. To me, "Masquerade" is a Lani-fest.

I agree - what seems clear to me is that when Lani was in the group, she was the 'lead' singer, and after that, all the singers were featured to some extent - wouldn't you say? (Of course, now that I've said that, I wonder about the three-singer years....)

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Asa Branca doesn't really have a vocal.

No --- what it doesn't have is lyrics. It has lots of vocals.

 

[JMK]

Lani was most definitely the lead, and, let's face it, she deserved to be (IMHO, at least). She was the first one signed by Sergio, she recorded the first album by herself and she was always the featured soloist on the big ballads on all of the Brasil '66 albums. But neither Janis nor Karen should be thought of as "less than" simply because they didn't get the soloing time that Lani did. I'm always pleasantly surprised by live recordings of both Brasil 66 ensembles when I hear how wonderful Janis and Karen are. I've often wished Karen's goal of a solo album (which she discussed in some interviews shortly after leaving Sergio) had come to pass.

 

[JMK]

Asa Branca doesn't really have a vocal.

No --- what it doesn't have is lyrics. It has lots of vocals.

Well actually Asa Branca *does* have a lyric--Sergio's version just doesn't use it. But, yes, Gracinha kinds of "la la"'s behind the sax. I was talking about the songs that do have a lyric on "Pais."

But I forgot to mention that I do think Karen is singing with Gracinha on "Pais," though it's interesting to note that the mix with her is different in the Portuguese and Japanese versions. Did someone else possibly sing on the Japanese version? I've never seen credits on that version.

 

[jww]

Is the jury still out on "Chelsea Morning" from STILLNESS?? I thought those in the know had varying opinions on that one.... Perhaps Lani with some studio effects? Jww

 

[JMK]

Yup, this is one where I sure only hear Lani and Karen, but some hear Gracinha in there. Not that this means anything, but I remember very well it was Lani & Karen lip-synching the song on one of Brasil '66's last tv appearances, on The Tim Conway Show in November of 1970.

 

[Brasil_Nut]

Interesting you mention "Sometime Ago" Jeff. You know, Brandon and I discussed this some years ago. He even did an overdub comparison of the first and second verses, "...now I'm discovering, as I'm recovering, love wasn't really just a game..." It's definitely either Lani singing with a "twang" -- or -- Karen singing with her typical "twang".

Paul would have to verify this, but three years ago at The Blue Note in New York, we asked Gracinha about the YE-ME-LE album and how it was recorded. It came up because we wondered why she had not received credit for having appeared on "Ye-Me-Le" the song. She didn't recall why she hadn't been credited, but did say that Sergio had utilized the vocals differently with this album. "It was the first time he recorded Lani in one channel and Karen in the other," she said. "Up to that point, it was done with Lani double-tracked; then Karen would come in and harmonize. On 'Ye-Me-Le' they were used equally." When asked if Karen had soloed on the album, she wasn't sure but said she thought so. "I'd have to hear it again," she told us.

The next evening we were chatting and she said, "Karen sang solo on 'For What It's Worth' and the 'Pais Tropical' album." When Paul asked her if she appeared on "Chelsea Morning" she replied, "Yes...it's all three of us." I take this to mean that it was Lani, Karen and Gracinha that she was referring to.

Jon

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I've often wished Karen's goal of a solo album (which she discussed in some interviews shortly after leaving Sergio) had come to pass.

I remember seeing a Karen Phillipp album listed in a catalog a long, long time ago. (This would be in the early 70s.) I remember trying to order it, but it would never come in ... always backordered. I finally gave up on it. But never did know if it was "our" Karen or someone else with the same name...or if it really ever existed at all.

 

[Brasil_Nut]

This is SO strange, Mike!! I recall being in a used record store back in the mid '80s, thumbing through the "P" section and coming across a plain cardboard sleeve of a "Karen Philipp" promotional album. Back then, although I knew who Karen was, I didn't really think that much about it. In other words, I was darn stupid not to buy the thing!!

Years later, I read where she had mentioned recording songs for an album, etc. She also appeared as a solo act in Las Vegas along with Jack Jones and several other singers in a musical review back in the early '70s. She also appeared in Lake Tahoe back around the same time.

I don't know why her solo career didn't come to fruition, short of the fact that she really wanted an acting career more than anything. I would assume that M*A*S*H came along, then other acting roles, she married Pat and pretty much left the scene. At least, this is how it sounds in a book where she describes how she met and fell in love with Pat. Also, she mentioned in a couple of interviews that she had been working on an album at one time and point.

Who knows? It would have been awesome had she released an album. With such a unique and interesting vocal instrument, it would have been great to hear Karen on her own.

Jon

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Maybe the album got made and then was never released, the fate Karen Carpenter's album met and then eluded.