HOMECOOKING and NEW BRASIL '77 get domestic US releases

[Harry]

Collectors' Choice is releasing two of Sergio Mendes Elektra albums from the '70s on CD for the first time in the US. Both have previously been available as Japanese imports over the years, but neither have ever gotten a US release on CD.

http://www.ccmusic.com

Search for 'Sergio Mendes'

The two will sell for $12.95 each.

Harry

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I wonder if these will be sold in stores. They don't show up in our online catalog yet, but might at some point. The prices in the CC catalog are basic "list price," so check your local stores for availability, you might save some $.

That said, the new Collectors Choice catalog is a goldmine of old A&M stuff. They have listings for the most recent A&M Sergio Mendes releases (HERB PRESENTS, YE-ME-LE and CRYSTAL ILLUSIONS), plus:

Sandpipers: Misty Roses+The Wonder of You
Ozark Mountain Daredevils: Men From Earth+Car Over The Lake Album
Head East: Gettin' Lucky+Head East

...and they're also offering the Burt Bacharach A&M Years box from Hip-O Select, the Carpenters Ultimate Collection from the Netherlands, a Paul Williams collection, a Henry Gross collection, and the ever-popular "Many Others."

 

[Harry]

Also in the catalog is the Peggy Lee album of songs by Lieber and Stoller that was released on A&M as MIRRORS. The songs have all been remixed by Lieber & Stoller themselves, giving the album a new title - PEGGY LEE SINGS LIEBER & STOLLER.

Harry

 

[Trevor]

I have been through most of LA looking for these releases (and other Collector Choice Releases)... Is Collector Choice only available through their website???

I sometimes still like to go to a CD store and physically buy a CD.

I think Tower used to carry their stuff, but Tower is no longer open in LA.

other suggestions???

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I have been through most of LA looking for these releases (and other Collector Choice Releases)... Is Collector Choice only available through their website???

Many CC items are available in stores, but some (probably the items they feel will be low sellers) are not.

 

[Trevor]

I think I am looking for the low sellers. Thanks Mike.

 

[Harry]

There's also a trend that CC-issued discs remain exclusives on their site for a period of time - several months at least - and then show up through other retailers.

Harry

 

[Mike]

I ordered “Home Cooking” on the 17th of this month, and they said it won’t be available ‘til the 26th (of this month). I have not yet received a follow on e-mail saying that it’s been shipped.

My experience with CC is that they are slow, very slow, but dependable.

Regards,
Mike

 

[Mike]

I just received an e-mail from CC stating that my “Home Cooking” CD has been shipped!

Side note: I already have “Home Cooking”; it’s a BMG Brazil pressing. It sounds just fine, to me, but I’m curious if the CC pressing will sound better, worse or the same.

Regards,
Mike

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Be sure to let us know how the package looks. The only bad thing about the Brazilian issue was the (not-surprising) lack of English liner notes!

 

[aymnostalgico]

I'm going to be getting my hands on some of these recordings. I had never really listened to Baja Marimba Band until I came to this forum. I was here for the Mendes stuff, but all these other A&M artists are beginning to like me.

 

[Harry]

I'm going to be getting my hands on some of these recordings. I had never really listened to Baja Marimba Band until I came to this forum. I was here for the Mendes stuff, but all these other A&M artists are beginning to like me.

It's infectious, to be sure!

Harry

 

[Mike]

I finally received my Collectors Choice version of “Home Cooking”, which is actually manufactured by Rhino Entertainment Company. I compared it with my BMG Brasil version and yes, there are some differences.

1. Cover art and back cover have subtle differences.

2. Liner notes on the CC version are in English and are written by Ed Osborne.

3. I played both the BMG Brasil and CC version in my stereo with the settings the same. The Brasil version is noticeably louder and a bit harsher. The vocals on the CC version, to me, sound a little smoother and harmonious. To my untrained ear, the CC version is a better listen.

Best regards,
Mike

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Here are the AllMusic Guide reviews on the two albums. They pretty much feel the same about them as I do...nice, but not essential Mendes (with a couple of exceptions on each, as always!). For those not ordering from Collectors Choice, your favorite music store will be able to get HOMECOOKING on May 15 and NEW BRASIL '77 on June 5.


HOMECOOKING
In 1975, Sergio Mendes unveiled a new group that was billed as Sergio Mendes & Brasil '77, who got off to a pleasant start with Homecooking. In contrast to the bossa nova, samba, and Brazilian pop-jazz that put Mendes on the map in the '60s, Brasil '77 had more of a soulfunkquiet storm outlook. Quite clearly, Homecooking was aimed at the '70s soul market -- the album is closer to Stevie Wonder, the Emotions, Earth, Wind & Fire, or Minnie Riperton than Antonio Carlos Jobim or Astrud Gilberto. Most of the tunes aren't overly Brazilian-sounding, and the vast majority of the lyrics are in English rather than Portuguese. Even the songs that were written by well-known Brazilian composers (including João Donato's "Emorio" and Gilberto Gil's "Hey People, Hey") are mostly or entirely in English. So when you add all of those things up, it makes no sense to judge Homecooking by bossa nova or samba standards because that isn't the type of approach that Mendes is going for. Soul, funk, and quiet storm standards -- not hardcore Brazilian standards -- must be applied. And from a '70s soul standpoint, Homecooking is a decent, though not remarkable, effort. Nothing exceptional or mind-blowing occurs, but Mendes' Brasil '77 is pleasant and likable on material that ranges from the above-mentioned Gil and Donato songs to Elton John's "Where to Now, St. Peter" and Edgar Winter's "Tell Me in a Whisper" (both of which started out as pop/rock but successfully receive soul makeovers on this album). Homecooking (which RCA reissued on CD in Brazil in 2002) isn't among Mendes' essential releases, but if you accept the album for what it is -- '70s-style soul, not hardcore samba -- it's an enjoyable listen. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide


SERGIO MENDES & THE NEW BRASIL '77
In the mid- to late '60s, Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 were one of the most successful acts doing stark Latin pop for A&M. By the early '70s, the members of the classic Brasil '66 lineup had moved on and styles had changed. Mendes ended up on Elektra/Asylum in the mid- to late '70s, when the label was best-known for its laid-back and polished pop/rock artists like Carly Simon, the Eagles, and Jackson Browne. For this 1977 set, Mendes didn't pick up an acoustic guitar and sign on Waddy Watchel, however. Sergio Mendes & the New Brasil '77 has Mendes in a fully updated, glossy R&Bpopjazz mode. For fans that might not be the best news. The covers of "Love Me Tomorrow" and "Mozambique" have all of the accoutrements of stylish late-'70s R&Bjazz and most of their facelessness. The sleek cover of "If You Leave Me Now" does have Mendes' trademark close, halting harmonies, and an inventive arrangement. Stevie Wonder contributes two B+ tracks, "Love City" and "The Real Thing," and both warmly bear his harmonic signatures. Players who were part of Wonder's great '70s band Wonderlove also contribute tracks, like the aforementioned "Mozambique" and the playful "P-Ka-Boo." Like many artists doing albums like this, Mendes all but disappears in the gloss of the mix. The results are fair to good, but anyone liking his '60s work can't help but feel disappointed. ~ Jason Elias, All Music Guide

 

[Trevor]

The All Music Guide's reviews are really bad. Still comparing Homecooking to the original Brasil66? That doesn't seem right to me. It's like comparing Cher's Half Breed to Sonny and Cher. The reviews seem like it's someone who listens to it once, and then writes on what they know (which seems to be very limited).

 

[Mike Blakesley]

You must not have read the review of HOMECOOKING. He doesn't compare the album to B'66 at all, in fact he says:

it makes no sense to judge Homecooking by bossa nova or samba standards because that isn't the type of approach that Mendes is going for.

The reviewers are contrasting these Sergio Mendes albums to OTHER Sergio Mendes albums, and they both go to pains to explain that the music and band ARE different than the Brasil '66 years.

Not all reviews can be raves. Back in the day, these records got a lot more bad reviews than good -- all because they compared the music to Sergio's heyday. I was "late to the party" myself (My first Mendes album was STILLNESS), but I would still guess that Sergio's oldest fans would probably say that the B'66 albums were his best, most enduring and most timeless work.

 

[Mike]

So, did anyone else purchase the Collector’s Choice edition of Home Cooking?

Has anyone else compared the BMG Brasil Home Cooking CD with the CC edition?

Mike

 

[Harry]

Not yet. I'll probably pick it up if I see it around, but I'm not in any hurry to get it. I AM intrigued by your mention that the new mastering sounds better.

Harry

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Same here. I wasn't going to buy either one, but probably will buy HC to hear the difference. I hardly ever care to listen to NEW BRASIL '77 so probably won't buy that one, unless the HC packaging is superb. (Not likely, given the label...although I'm intrigued that these are made by Rhino. Could make a difference.)

 

[Rudy]

Same here. I wasn't going to buy either one, but probably will buy HC to hear the difference. I hardly ever care to listen to NEW BRASIL '77 so probably won't buy that one, unless the HC packaging is superb. (Not likely, given the label...although I'm intrigued that these are made by Rhino. Could make a difference.)

These were Elektra albums originally, IIRC, which explains why Rhino would have a hand in it (they've pretty much turned into the "vintage reissue" arm of Warner). I just hope the treble isn't jacked way up: the last Rhino box set I got, released last year, has ear-bleeding treble to it. That "guess the artist" track I posted in Off-Topic is an example. I could zap all the neighborhood mosquitos with that set.

 

[Harry]

I just got the HOMECOOKING release from Collectors Choice. It was an add-on to an Amazon order to get the price up to qualify for free shipping. It was one of those cases where I'd forgotten about this release (I have the BMG version from Brazil), and Amazon's little ads at the bottom of the order page that hone in on your interest popped this up as one of the selections. At $10-$11, I figured it was a good bet, and it got me over the limit for free shipping to boot.

Mike (above) is correct in his ascertainment that the new disc is much more tame than the BMG release. Volume levels are more manageable, indicating that the old one was probably maximized to death. The new release sounds much better.

The cover art has been restored to include the "tabasco" artwork like the LP. Worst offenses are the green track titles on the red oven on the back artwork, and the silly sticker on the outer shrink wrap proudly and erroneously claiming: "Sergio's First Album with Brasil '77".

All-in-all, quite recommended, especially if you don;t own this title or want to upgrade from the LP.

Harry

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I just got my HOMECOOKING today. The only thing I'd add to the above comments is, they added a white "border" around the cover artwork. Why do that? (And to make it worse, the border goes around the whole sheet, not just the front cover image, so the border is on 3 sides when the package is closed.)

Not a big deal, just a nitpick, but it just bugs me when cover art gets screwed up.

It's also nice to see that TIMELESS is mentioned in the liner notes.