Pick Up Dori Caymmi CDs on WEA

[snapcrotch]

Now that Warner Music has been sold to an investor group headed by Edgar Bronfman, it might be a good time to gather some WEA back-catalog items. Most everyone at this site should have Sergio's magnificent Elektra CD from 1992,'Brasileiro'. Let me urge you to get 'Dori Caymmi', also on Elektra, a 1988 release which Sergio produced and played synths (and with Gracinha on backing vocals).
Dori Caymmi is two years younger than Sergio, and he's a Brasilian heavyweight composer, singer, and guitarist who has resided in Los Angeles since 1989. He's got three other CDs on Warner-Qwest: 'Brasilian Serenata' (1991), 'Kicking Cans' (1993), and 'If Ever' (1994). Of these, I strongly recommend 'Kicking Cans'.
Those inventory bean-counters have no musical taste and they've got itchy fingers when it comes to hitting the 'DELETE' key. As major conglomerates absorb each other, layoff redundant staff, and (ulp!) drop slow-moving product lines -- you might want to get busy and nab these older releases, such as Dori Caymmi's, while they're still in print.

 

[jimac51]

IMHO,I wouldn't worry too much about catalog one way or the other. As much as Time Warner needs the dough,changes are not going to happen overnight. In fact,I suspect even personnel changes will not start until 2005. The last thing -THE VERY LAST THING-that these guys want to do is to take back a lot of unwanted stock and issue credit for new merchandise. There are a ton of problems at WEA and deep catalog ain't one of them. It's the present and future(no new acts on the horizon-no hits) that is the problem. An argument can be made that WEA has the most viable back catalog of everyone and with Rhino,they have the track record to exploit it better than anyone. As the past has shown,Bronfman ain't the guy to get the job done(the PGD/UMVD merger did not come as a result of some brilliant idea from him and he wasn't around to see it as a unified company). In some reports that I have read,it has been mentioned that these partners are not going to give Edgar Jr. a lot of time to get the house in order the way it needs to be done. One rumor has Andrew Lloyd Webber salivating at the publishing part of WEA and it may happen if the money guys behind Bronfman want a quick return. Once again, what they don't want to do is see a warehouse full of returns. Lower prices? A distinct possibility- depending on the success of UMG's lower pricing(which seems to be finding mixed results so far).Mac

 

[Dave]

Uh, are we suggesting that EVERYTHING affiliated with WEA, which was once strictly the overseas division of Warner-Elektra-Atlantic, is going to relegated to cut-out bins?? Does this mean items which still have yet to be reissued in the Warner-Archives Series don't have a fighting chance? Or maybe whoever takes over will more faithfully and quickly reissue stuff, as opposed to Rhino's reissuing, which was really once CHARGING, now slowing down to an almost screetching halt?

Dave

...ready to head over to certain area record stores which had done the same in the face of similar activity at the once thriving and independent Capitol and A&M labels, suddenly slaughtering THEIR back-catalogs in the times of THEIR buy-outs...

 

[snapcrotch]

What I Should Have Said Dept. -- Let me correctly refer to the present- day Warner Music Group (WMG) and not WEA, a habit from my early 70's college DJ daze.
Secondly, my main point was to praise the four Dori Caymmi CDs released by WMG, particularly because of the high level of musicianship of our favorite Brasilians who are based in LA.
As the last Caymmi CD was released in 1994, I worry when several years since I've seen one in retail -- only at Tower Music. If Caymmi was on another label (or 'Music Group') the tendency would be to pare the four Caymmi slow-sellers to a single 'Best Of' release. As JMac writes, the WMG corporate culture has done an admirable job of resisting this -- Rhino re-packagings notwithstanding. Very soon there'll be a new corporate culture calling the shots. And so, besides cutting staff, will the new owners eventually cut inventory? It's a fair question.

 

[snapcrotch]

Well, a 15-minute web search reveals that 3 of the four Dori Caymmi CDs are already gone, although Amazon politely lists 'Brasilian Serenata', 'If Ever', and 'Dori Caymmi' as "out of stock". You won't find these titles mentioned whatsoever at CD Universe, Barnes & Noble, and Tower Records websites.
Without "searching the world" on GEMM, let me advise anyone with a love of Sergio Mendes, Gracinha, Claudio Slon-involved music to nail these if you see them in remaindered or used bins.
Whether this is a symptom of a larger WMG decision on catalog, I'm not in a position to definitively confirm.

 

[Rudy]

Certainly doesn't look good though...those can sometimes disappear at the drop of a hat. In a way some things haven't changed since the old days. Back then, if I saw an interesting CD, I'd buy it since I thought I'd never see it again. For some titles, it turned out to be prophetic. That practice seems as good today.

 

[Harry]

I have both Dori Caymmi and Brasilian Serenata and can recommend both to and Sergio Mendes fans. The self-titled one was produced by Sergio and has Gracinha doing some vocal work. Both feature some very familiar musicians names in the Brazilian music world.

Dori Caymmi is [DDD], while the newer Brasilian Serenata ia [AAD].

These, plus Dori's work on Sergio's Brasil '86 and Lani's Brasil Nativo give me quite a bit of Mr Caymmi's work at my disposal.

Harry
...who, after snowblowing, could use some nice Brazilian music about now, online...

 

[jimac51]

As of 12/07/03,amazon lists KICKING CANS with 4 in stock(more on the way);CINEMA-A ROMANTIC VISION with 2 in stock(more on the way)(BTW-This is a Zebra recording,distributed,but not owned by WEA and Zebra's web site has a glitch on status of this album);IF EVER is listed as out of stock but availability is still listed as !-2 days,usually meaning that they only order this on an "as needed" basis from WEA. All other listings are either imports or already gone. BTW, the WEA Corp. has and remains to be the distribution arm of WMG(no matter what the inclusive music company has called themselves) since its inception in 1971 with Jim Caparro its current head. They don't make it,they don't sell it- but,unless you're getting your music over the net or a record club,they are the reason you can hold it. Mac