Sergio - In Print / Out Of Print

[Harry]

With the state of the music industry and CD titles disappearing faster and faster, I thought I'd do a check Amazon on what's in and what's out of print in the Sergio Mendes world.

Currently out of print:
STILLNESS
PAIS TROPICAL
PRIMAL ROOTS
LIVE AT EXPO '70
IN CONCERT (never been on CD)
HORIZONTE ABERTO (rarely in print)
CONFETTI
BRASIL '86
ARARA
OCEANO

These two seem to be available as mp3 downloads only:
SERGIO MENDES (1983)
BRASILEIRO

Of course some of these can be had as used in the marketplace or expensive imports if you can find them.

It's an interesting juxtaposition. About fifteen years ago when this board was in its early phase, the main early A&M stuff was nowhere to be found except a wonky FOOL ON THE HILL, and the later A&M stuff could be had from Japan at one time or another, or from a quick-in-print US copy (like Herb's FANDANGO). Back then, the Bell/Elektra stuff was unheard of on CD.

Harry

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Well it's kind of sad that STILLNESS is out of print, but since it is my favorite Sergio Mendes album, I've continued to re-buy it as it comes along on various CDs, just like I did with the original album. So, if I remember everything, I currently have it on:

4 - LPs (all with scratches in different places)
1 - 8-track
1 - CD (homemade from what tracks were on the "Very Best of Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66" compilation, plus a needle drop or two to fill in the blanks)
1 - CD (original Japanese issue)
2 - CD (Japanese issue with mini-LP sleeve ) I accidentally ordered two copies so just decided to keep the extra one.

Tracks from that album usually hover in the "most played" rankings on my iPod, too.

PRIMAL ROOTS is one that I still marvel at from time to time, the fact that it not only ever made it to CD but that it came out in one of those mini-LP sleeves. I bought both the original and mini-LP of that one too, since it's one of my favorite Sergio covers. Plus that album holds a special place for me because before the official CDs came out, I had the honor of sending a copy of my homemade needle-dropped version to drummer Claudio Slon before his untimely passing.

Not too long ago I would have bet money that those Bell albums, and many of the Elektras, would probably never get reissued. Never say never, for sure.

 

[Harry]

PRIMAL ROOTS ... that album holds a special place for me because before the official CDs came out, I had the honor of sending a copy of my homemade needle-dropped version to drummer Claudio Slon before his untimely passing.

Though I can't claim to have made a needledrop for anyone as famous as Claudio Slon, I DID make one for my ex-Program Director's wife. He'd left the FM station I worked for and had come back later as a nighttime air personality on our nostalgia AM station. We were kicking around different songs - I think I brought him a copy of something by Lani Hall, and he mentioned that his wife had this crazy obsession with a really obscure Sergio Mendes album called "Primal....something". Of course I knew that he must have been talking about PRIMAL ROOTS as I'd just connected with that album. I think I'd ordered a copy from Dusty Groove and it arrived very clean and made a nice needledrop. I told him about it and he asked for a copy, which I did up with nice artwork replicas, the whole deal. He said it looked so good, he was going to wrap it up as a Christmas present for his wife - and give me the credit as presenter on the package. It turned out well - she loved it - had no clue who this "Harry" character was on the package - and drove him crazy listening to the Brazilian rhythms of the album. (probably not that crazy - he's already a hard-core jazz fan.)

I just remembered to check out a couple of albums I missed.
BRASIL '88 is out of print with its track available as mp3s in the US.
MAGIC LADY remains available as a 2-fer with SERGIO MENDES (1975).

Harry

 

[Rudy]

I stumbled across this last week while perusing their site. HDTracks has Sergio Mendes (1975) available as a high-res 192kHz/24-bit download:

https://www.hdtracks.com/index.php?file=catalogdetail&valbum_code=HX603497936960

A curious choice to be sure, but I'm hoping that Rhino digs further into their vaults.

 

[Rudy]

We actually have a sadly outdated sticky thread that I should update one of these days.

Among other albums prior to Brasil '66, here's a quick survey (and the catalog is a mess IMHO):

Dance Moderno: apparently in print. It is now bundled as a two-fer with another artist for a reasonable price, yet without the original album cover artwork. There are a couple of other import versions that are more pricey, possibly in print.

Quiet Nights: still no activity on CD. And almost non-existent on vinyl.

Bossa Nova York / Swinger From Rio: same album, different titles. The former title is available as an import for $9.99 as a series of Elenco reissues. The latter is available in a couple of different import versions, including as a two-fer with The Beat of Brazil.

Brasil '65: still in print, including the misleadingly mis-titled Best of Sergio Mendes & Brasil '65.

Sergio Mendes' Favorite Things: in print as an affordable import ($16.99 for an "Atlantic Original Sound" reissue), and as part of a 3-fer with In Person at El Matador and the Pele soundtrack.

The Beat of Brazil: available as a two-fer with Swinger From Rio, and as another two-fer with The Great Arrival (available but possibly out of print).

The Great Arrival: available as a two-fer with The Beat of Brazil (possibly out of print), as well as a two-fer with an album from another artist (apparently in print).

In Person at El Matador: available as a newer import reissue, or as part of the 3-fer with Favorite Things and Pele.

 

[Michael Hagerty]

Unless I'm reading Amazon wrong, CRYSTAL ILLUSIONS is also download-only.

 

[Harry]

Unless I'm reading Amazon wrong, CRYSTAL ILLUSIONS is also download-only.

Correct. When I glanced at it I saw a new CD for $8.something, but neglected to note that it was a Marketplace seller with a new CD at that price. Good catch.

Harry

 

[Trevor]

I just saw many of these at auction on eBay for $30. . .

 

[Michael Hagerty]

re: Crystal Illusions as a digital download-only.

Correct. When I glanced at it I saw a new CD for $8.something, but neglected to note that it was a Marketplace seller with a new CD at that price. Good catch.

Harry

And by the way, I downloaded it and played it on shuffle with other downloaded LPs from iTunes on a car with a great stereo the other night.

It's horrendous.

My vinyl copy from 1969 is much better. Sounds like it was dubbed from a pocket transistor radio (well, maybe not that bad, but...).

 

[junglero]

Are there more tracks from the "In Person at El Matador" album? Seems to me I recall at least the snippet of the beginning of one tune before a new number is sung. I'm sure the live performance was edited but does anyone know if there is anything else from that date left in the Atlantic vaults? I'm aware of the Atlantic Records vault fire-hopefully additional tracks didn't go up in smoke.

 

[jfiedler17]

With the state of the music industry and CD titles disappearing faster and faster, I thought I'd do a check Amazon on what's in and what's out of print in the Sergio Mendes world.

Currently out of print:
CONFETTI

When was Confetti even last in print? In all the years I've been collecting music, I can't recall ever running across a CD copy of that one. Which is unfortunate, 'cause while I realize that Confetti and Sergio Mendes are completely atypical of Sergio's usual, Latin-oriented stuff and consequently not very popular with most of his diehard fans, I've always thought that "Alibis" and "Real Life" were both really fantastic adult-contemporary-pop songs. I don't believe the latter has ever even shown up on a Mendes compilation, but it's one of my favorites. I actually don't know if I've ever run across another copy of Confetti on vinyl, either, for that matter! I'm still listening to the same copy I bought as a kid from Camelot in the late '80s!

- Jeff F.

 

[Harry]

As far as I know, CONFETTI has only ever appeared on CD in Japan, not in the US. It's come and gone a few times since I've had information about it through the Internet.

Seek out CONFETTI as a Canadian LP - it has an extra track, the instrumental version of "Olympia".

I don't think "Real Life" has ever been on a widely released compilation, if at all.

Harry

 

[JMK]

I'm pretty sure my CD of "Confetti" is a domestic American release. I have vague memories of buying it new here in Portland many years ago--it didn't have an OBI or anything to suggest it was Japanese that I recall, and I'm sure it was in shrinkwrap. Of course, my memory being what it is, I could be wrong LOL.

 

[Harry]

I'm pretty sure my CD of "Confetti" is a domestic American release. I have vague memories of buying it new here in Portland many years ago--it didn't have an OBI or anything to suggest it was Japanese that I recall, and I'm sure it was in shrinkwrap. Of course, my memory being what it is, I could be wrong LOL.

You know, you're right. My memory had deleted the fact that CONFETTI was one of those mid-80's CDs that A&M put out. It was a current album at the time and made it to the new format. I remember holding it in my hand in one of those blister-pack packages where the booklet was on top and the jewel-case and CD were below. At the time I wasn't all that interested in Sergio's then-current stuff, but rooted for the Brasil '66 stuff every time I was in a record store. I can recall seeing Lani Hall's named on the Brasil '86 disc face, but since I didn't know the song, I wasn't interested in spending the $15-$20 that CDs cost back then. There were too many discs I DID want that I wasn't taking chances on albums I knew nothing about.

But once it was deleted - like FANDANGO from Herb - it disappeared without a trace in US stores. The Japanese released it several times through the 90's and 00's. My copy is from around 1994 with a catalog of POCM-1977. It might have been one I ordered from that old Thoughtscape Sounds.

Thanks for jogging the old memory cells Jeffrey!

Harry

 

[JMK]

Yes, mine says A&M CD 4984.

 

[Harry]

Yes, mine says A&M CD 4984.

That's got to be a mid-80s original. The album's copyright date is 1984. I wonder when the CD was issued. JMK, does the CD have a date around the inner-hub? Many A&M's of that era do.

Harry

 

[JMK]

According to my son who can still read print that small, it says AMCD 4984, then a 3 a bit over.