Original Album Series

Amazon (both US and UK) is showing a listing for something called "ORIGINAL ALBUM SERIES" by Sergio Mendes with a release date of October 18th, 2011. There are no details or cover art images yet.

The ORIGINAL ALBUM SERIES itself seems to be a box set format that includes five albums from an artist. From what I read, the box includes the five albums in mini-LP-style sleeves, and are listed as being "Import" on both sides of the Atlantic. Labels all seem to be WEA or Rhino.

I'm guessing that the albums that would be in this set might be of the non-A&M variety. Sergio's had a lot of albums that could be possibilities here.



Harry

WEA/Rhino would probably mean either the 60s Atlantic albums, or something he did on Elektra in the 70s....maybe both? I don't recall how many he did for those labels.

Yes, you're right--The Beat of Brazil is the correct title. Looks like a nice set of the Atlantic-era Sergio recordings. What's sad is that I prefer to get these on vinyl, but I've never heard an Atlantic pressing of some of these albums that doesn't play back like popcorn...

I was hoping it would be his A&M albums...I like the mini-sleeve packaging. If they did a massive box of all of his A&M albums it would be cool! But who'd buy it -- well, besides Harry and me?

I'd possibly buy it if the mastering was the same or better than what's out there now (which is pretty good). I have a mix of the US and Japan releases--it would be nice to have everything matching. It'd have to be cheap, though...CDs aren't worth much anymore.

If these were on LP reissues (not pressed by Universal...they've done some 180g pressings of various albums lately that have been very noisy), I would consider them more.

You know what would be cool? If there was a software package where you could download album-cover art, and then the software would print it out in the proper formats (CD booklet and inlay, label) and then you could assemble your own artwork. That wouldn't give such niceties as textured paper, embossing, foil stamping etc but it would be better than the cheap packages some reissues come with these days. We're already mostly there with those elements for the non-CD Herb Alpert albums...all that's needed is the software. (I suppose there are already templates in various photo or page layout programs, but it'd be nice to have die-cut paper that would be perfectly trimmed, etc. Just another one of my many ideas for a product that would be a complete flop!)

I became an instant fan of Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 after seeing & hearing them open the show for Herb & the TJB in June 1966, at the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut. I was 13 at the time. The "Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66" album was released shortly after in August.

It is most likely that the majority of his fans only knew of his A&M Records releases back then, because they were having great success with a lot of radio play and TV exposure. The A&M albums were pop vocals. Sergio's Atlantic albums were jazz instrumentals, except for the Brasil '65 album's vocals. Atlantic Records was heavily into jazz at the time. As I learned of Sergio's jazz albums, I added these to my collection as each was released. I found that I really enjoyed this other side of Sergio Mendes.

This is a great opportunity to pick up those five great albums for a reasonable price - in what looks to be a nice 5-CD Box Set. Listen to them in chronological order to hear Sergio's sound evolve. You'll hear some songs that he later revisited. A real bonus is the 'live' Brasil '65 album - you can compare and contrast between Brasil '65 and Brasil '66. Whether it was Sergio or Herb or the "A&M magic" or maybe the stars were all in alignment, we may never know. But whatever it was, it definitely was something special that we all recognize today.

He also made a few great albums prior to Atlantic--that is a side that most haven't heard! Very much in the jazz/bossa nova tradition, and he did a more than respectable job of it. His Brasil '65 album most closely follows the mold of those older recordings. I wish the labels would get those released as well.