Never Gonna Let You Go...

[wondering]

Hi All! I just "rediscovered" the song Never Gonna Let You Go and am hoping someone can tell me who sings with Sergio on this track. It's escaped my memory bank. I'm sure if I look hard enough I'll find the answer on my own, but figured it would be easier to go straight to the experts.

 

[Vinylalbumcovers]

Sergio actually isn't singing on this track at all. The singers are Joe Pizzulo and Leza Miller - both session singers at the time.

Ed

 

[wondering]

Ed, Thanks so much for the quick and helpful reply. I knew someone would have an answer. If only all of life's riddles were so easily solved...

 

[Brasil_Nut]

Ed is correct. Leza and Joe were session singers at the time, although Leza had worked with and been one of Sergio's singers with the release of the HOMECOOKING album. It was a surprise (to me) to see Leza back, as I would have expected Marietta Waters to appear on this song. I would imagine this is just about the time she left the group. It was nice, however, to see Leza make a return all the same.

Jon

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Did Sergio even really have a band at that time? I was thinking that Sergio disbanded the group when he went back to A&M. He would put the best musicians in place for each song, and act mostly as a producer. (Similar to Quincy Jones.)

 

[Brasil_Nut]

You have a good point, Mike.

Sergio did an interview in Rolling Stone Magazine where he talked about reforming the group to accommodate the sound he was looking for at the time. This was during SERGIO MENDES & THE NEW BRASIL '77. So, you could be right. Then again, I recall his group being pretty much the same touring band from Elektra to A&M. That said, I know he's grown accustomed to using well-known, talented musicians when recording -- usually the touring band mixed with studio musicians.

Jon

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Right, I would guess that he probably always had a band ready for touring.

Sergio did an interview in Rolling Stone Magazine where he talked about reforming the group to accommodate the sound he was looking for at the time.

Really? I have subscribed to RS since 1973 and never saw this. Do you still have it? Scan, man! Post!

 

[Mr Bill]

I remember reading somewhere (RS?) that when Sergio returned to A&M he was going to work more like Quincy Jones (or Alan Parsons?) and produce -- with an active hand -- rather than headline a set group of musicians. Hence the "talent showcase" style (writers and musicians) of his first few "A&M the 2nd Time Around" LPs...

Personally I like them as much as the old B66 recordings.

--Mr Bill

 

[JMK]

I don't remember ever seeing a RS IV either, but I do remember very well an Associated Press IV that might the one Mr. Bill is thinking of. It ran nationally just as "Never Gonna Let You Go" was cresting in the top 5. Sergio said exactly that--that he saw his "job" this time 'round was as more of a producer. IIRC, he specifically mentioned Robbie and the Batteau brothers in the IV.

 

[Dave]

I'll never forget how strange it was when "Never Gonna Let You Go" came out and it was by Sergio Mendes, whose OLD albums I would always see in record stores, at flea markets and on old A&M Inner-Sleeves...!

What a connection to hear how "that same Sergio" made a comeback--and to later find out it wasn't him singing...or those GIRLS who did the vocals (well ONE of them?) on the earlier-LP's...

Just my youthful impression, here...

I can remember singing along with the opening lines...I was as wrong as I could be, to let you get away from me... to my "first love" in the pool, as it blared over the loudspeakers, that summer...


Dave

 

[Brasil_Nut]

Mike...

The Rolling Stone article was given to me by my good friend Paul Jeromack ("MasterLcZ" here at the Corner) in the form of a photocopy. It has a photo of Sergio, scarf "blowing" in the breeze. It's an extensive interview where he talks candidly about recording, organizing his groups and disappointment in record sales, etc. Very interesting reading.

As for "Never Gonna Let You Go" hitting the airwaves, I recall buying the album on immediate release. I took it home, gave it a spin and thought, "Never Gonna Let You go could be a big hit..." While driving to work later that evening, it appeared on the radio. I could not have been more surprised or happy to hear it. It was a great time for not only Sergio, but A&M as well.

Jon

 

[Mike Blakesley]

That's amazing, I wonder how I could have missed it? I know I subscribed to RS at the time. (I did quit for a few years during the late 90s and started up again in 2003, but other than that I've subscribed since around '73 or so. I still have the issue with the Carpenters interview, in fact.)

First time I heard "Never Gonna Let You Go" was on a 45. I didn't think it was Sergio at first, until I heard Leza Miller's voice kick in. That's not the best song on that album in my opinion..."My Summer Love" gets the honors for me.

 

[Brasil_Nut]

Personally, I would have selected "Life In The Movies" as a follow-up to "Never Gonna Let You Go" instead to "Rainbow's End". Then again, Joe had been an integral part of Sergio's return to the mainstream. It must have seemed fitting to feature "Rainbow's End" because of his vocals...sensational all the same.

Jon

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I also thought "Voo Doo" was a great tune. But you're probably right, they wanted to feature Pizzulo on the vocals. (I still to this day can't understand why "Real Life," from the CONFETTI album, wasn't a smash hit.)

 

[JMK]

I have a three page IV with Sergio circa 1979 with a large picture of him with his scarf blowing in the "breeze" but it's from Creem, not RS. There are some great band photos in it, too. The article where he talked about his new role as a producer, comparing himself to Quincy Jones, was in the summer of 1983. It had a nice pic of Sergio in front of a piano in the two newspapers I saw it in. I think I saved a copy but it wasn't in the "usual suspect" piles when I looked this a.m.

 

[Mr Bill]

"Rainbow's End" is probably my favoriite track on his A&M Return LP (followed closely by "Life In The Movies"). I was pretty excited to see David Batteau's name among the LP songwriting credits. If you're able to find a copy I strongly recommend Batteau's A&M debut LP, Happy In Hollywood, A&M SP4576.

It will be quite some time before this is AOTW (sometime in early 2009 by my estimate)

--Mr Bill

 

[JMK]

The brothers put out at least one album (on WB maybe? memory failing....) called "Batteaux". I always liked that.

 

[jfiedler17]

I also thought "Voo Doo" was a great tune. But you're probably right, they wanted to feature Pizzulo on the vocals. (I still to this day can't understand why "Real Life," from the CONFETTI album, wasn't a smash hit.)

Wholeheartedly agree with you about "Real Life"! I'll never understand why that one didn't crack the Top 40, either. That's undoubtedly my favorite Sergio single of the '80s. Even with as many times as I've listened to it before, that first verse - before the drums kick in - never fails to give me goosebumps. That song is just gorgeous.

"Rainbow's End" is probably my favorite track on his A&M Return LP (followed closely by "Life In The Movies"). I was pretty excited to see David Batteau's name among the LP songwriting credits. If you're able to find a copy I strongly recommend Batteau's A&M debut LP, Happy In Hollywood, A&M SP4576.

"Never Gonna Let You Go" is my fave on the A&M return LP, but "Rainbow's End" would be a really, really close second. I don't know that it could have gone Top Ten like "NGLYG" did, but it still should've charted higher than it did and I'm surprised it didn't just barely creep into the Top 40.
I've never run into a copy of Happy in Hollywood, unfortunately, but I used to have a promo single of "Walk in Love" when I was little that I wore the heck out of. Great song.
Trivia question for everyone: while he never had a Top 40 hit himself, David Batteau did co-write two Top 40 hits by other artists; who here can come up with both of them? [Hint: one of them - which is one of my favorite lost '80s singles - was the follow-up single to a #1 hit by another artist with a tie to Sergio.]

Jeff F.

 

[A&Mguyfromwayback]

Personally, I would have selected "Life In The Movies" as a follow-up to "Never Gonna Let You Go" instead to "Rainbow's End". Then again, Joe had been an integral part of Sergio's return to the mainstream. It must have seemed fitting to feature "Rainbow's End" because of his vocals...sensational all the same.

But Joe Pizzulo isn't singing on "Rainbow's End" - I think it's Michael Sembello...

JTCW

PS.....is the David Batteau song you're talking about "Automatic Man" by Sembello?

 

[Vinylalbumcovers]

Yeah, you're right, A&MGuy. It is Sembello.

Ed

 

[Harry]

Actually, it's DAN Sembello doing lead vocals on "Rainbow's End."

What a joy this album was once I finally heard it. I was one of those who'd pretty much abandoned Sergio sometime in the '70s as his stuff no longer grabbed me the way it did in the '60s.

Of course I heard "Never Gonna Let You Go" on the radio (still do!), but it was not exactly definitive Sergio-sounding. It, to me, sounded like it could have been from any number of singers in the '80s. A good song, and a great record - it just didn't scream out 'Sergio Mendes' the way that say, "Mas Que Nada" did.

Back when I first found this forum in 1997, I began to rekindle my interest in these old favorite artists of mine - a returning home, if you will. One of the earlier acquisitions from sifting through the record library at work was this 1983 SERGIO MENDES album.

I'd remembered seeing it as an early CD in the stores with its distinctive cover photography.

Back then CDs were expensive, so unless it was something you really wanted, you tended to put it in the 'maybe later' category. By the time I decided to try to find it, it was long gone.

I relied on my vinyl for a while, and in those early Internet days had heard of a site called CD Banzaii. Basically they listed everything that was ever in print, and if you ordered from them, they'd do a worldwide search of their sources and attempt to get you what you wanted. This one came as a surprise one day, some six months after I'd placed the order.

I believe that since then it's gone through another round of being in print in Japan.

For those unaware, the SERGIO MENDES 1983 album was released under a different title to the Latin market - PICARDIA. It was the fourth entry in the AyM Discos series, and featured a change in the vocals on side one of the LP to Spanish. "Voodoo" became "Brujo", "Never Gonna Let You Go" became "Nunca Mas Diras Adios", and "My Summer Love" became "Un Loco Dia". "Carnaval" of course retained its title, but all songs featured a new vocal track in Spanish.

Instead of Leza Miller and Carol Rogers doing the lead on "Voodoo", it was left to Gracinha and Isela Sotelo to do the honors on "Brujo".

Both Joe Pizzulo and Leza Miller redid their turns on "Nunca Mas Diras Adios", as did Gracinha and Michael Sembello remain the leads on "Un Loco Dia."

"Carnaval" on the English album had vocals listed by Gracinha, Leza Miller, Carol Rogers, Suzanne Wallach, Geoff Lieb, Bill Martin, Robert Martin, and Don Freeman. On the PICARDIA version, only Gracinha and Isela Sotelo are listed.

Thus the Spanish version has more of a "Gracinha" feel to it than does the standard issue.

My favorites are many on this album, but I'd say "My Summer Love" and "Carnaval" are right up there at the top - in any language!

Harry
NP: PICARDIA - Sergio Mendes

 

[JMK]

It's funny, because I've always had this kind of "sixth sense" telling me when there was "new Sergio" available. I remember in spring 1983 going into what was then Portland's only big used record store (there's a whole district full of them now, LOL) and heading to Sergio's section and there was a pre-release promo copy of the s/t album sitting there. When I saw it was on A&M I was excited, to say the least. I remember getting home in a dead heat and slapping that baby on the turntable. I was in love from the first listen (although my band's vocalist at the time kept saying that Leza reminded her of Minnie Mouse, which still kind of makes me laugh). It wasn't for at least another month or two until I started hearing "Never Gonna Let You Go" on the radio, and I was so happy that Sergio was having chart success again. I've always liked "Rainbow's End" as well. The single was a shortened version from the album cut (it was among all those 45s I unloaded last week on eBay).

 

[jfiedler17]

PS.....is the David Batteau song you're talking about "Automatic Man" by Sembello?

You guess correctly. I love that 45!
If anyone wants to take a shot at guessing the other Top 40 hit Batteau wrote, here's a hint to get you going: it was the final Top 40 hit by one of the most successful soft-rock acts of the '70s [and although it charted much higher than "Automatic Man" did, it's equally as rarely-heard these days.]

Jeff F.

 

[Vinylalbumcovers]

Thanks for the Sembello correction, Harry. I didn't even know Dan sang..

Ed

 

[Mike Blakesley]

it was the final Top 40 hit by one of the most successful soft-rock acts of the '70s

Something by Air Supply? I know it can't be America because their last hits were written by Russ Ballard.