Singles

[sjssf]

Has anyone made a compilation CD of all the Brasil 66 singles. That would be a swell project! I'd love to do a trade for that!

And speaking of, a friend of mine swears that his single of Fool on the Hill was backed with Waters of March. I think he must be confusing it with Agua de Beber but I know one of you will know this right off the bat.

 

[W.B.]

Regarding B'66's 45 of "The Fool on the Hill": Whatever that was, that might've been a "Forget-Me-Nots" reissue you may be talking about, For I have a copy of the original single (#961), and the B-side was "So Many Stars" (from the LP Look Around).

 

[JMK]

There's no way "Waters of March" could have backed "FOTH"--the first version was on Bell, and the second on Elektra. Sergio never recorded the tune in any of his A&M incarnations.

 

[Harry]

Has anyone made a compilation CD of all the Brasil 66 singles. That would be a swell project! I'd love to do a trade for that!

Are you referring strictly to single (45 rpm) mixes? I personally don't own all that many Brasil '66 singles, but I do own a couple of the ones that were different from their album counterparts ("Norwegian Wood", "For What It's Worth").

If you're just referring to the songs that were singles, I'm sure there are any number of professionally released worldwide compilations that would cover that territory pretty well.

Harry
...not particularly in need of another Brasil '66 compilation at the moment, online...

 

[Rudy]

Of the few singles I have, they're just mono versions of my stereo LPs. Aside from the few minor differences we've noticed, and a couple of B-sides, they really weren't unique.

Once all of us get the entire remastered B66 collection, of course, we'll be able to roll our own quite easily.

-= N =-
...nowhere near that point yet...

 

[sjssf]

Are you referring strictly to single (45 rpm) mixes? I personally don't own all that many Brasil '66 singles, but I do own a couple of the ones that were different from their album counterparts ("Norwegian Wood", "For What It's Worth")

No, I was thinking more along the lines of B-Sides, rarities and obscure things. Maybe rare live recordings, too. But it sounds like the singles weren't that different.

 

[Rudy]

"The Crab" was a B-side that never showed up on an album, and The Christmas Song has never shown up anywhere else, other than on the A&M-family album !Something Festive!. "Viola" from Expo was reportedly a bonus track on an imported EP. That would be three tracks right there...and Harry mentioned the two slightly different 45-RPM versions of those other songs. That would make 5. (Good for a 3" CD, at least!) I've owned very few Brasil '66 45s, one of which is the "Fool"/"Festa" single shown above, and I had "Ye-Me-Le" and "Pretty World" on singles in the very early 70's. And after all these years, the album versions are pretty much how I remember them on the 45's.

-= N =-

 

[Harry]

The only other 'rarities' I can think of are:

- The Magic Wheels - a tune released in Japan. There are two versions, one in English and one in Japanese. This was a later Brasil '77 release.

- Summer Champion - another Japan-only release. I've not heard this one, but I believe it also has Japanese/English versions, and also came out in the 70s.

- Like A Lover - On the FAMILY PORTRAIT album, this album appears in a slightly "unfinished" version. Just before going into the instrumental break, one of Sergio's piano riffs is missing.

- Chove Chuva - On the mono version of the EQUINOX album, the song has a different mix. Certain phrases are either repeated or missing.

- For Me - On that same mono album, the fade out of the voices at the end is handled differently.

Harry
...with some additions to the list, online...

 

[Rudy]

Shoot, I don't remember anything different about "Chove Chuva" (that was many years ago), but there's something about the fade-out of "For Me" that just seems slighly ...different.

-= N =-

 

[Harry]

The "Chove Chuva" differences are the kind you won't notice until it's pointed out. Without listening to it now, I can't recall just where the differences are. I recall it's a phrase that's repeated in one version and not another, but it sounds so similar to the rest of the track that it's not obvious.

Harry
NP: radio at work

 

[Rudy]

I'm heading over to Dad's house in a bit--maybe I'll pick up the vinyl when I'm there.

-= N =-
...curiouser...

 

[JMK]

The only other 'rarities' I can think of are:

- The Magic Wheels - a tune released in Japan. There are two versions, one in English and one in Japanese. This was a later Brasil '77 release.

- Summer Champion - another Japan-only release. I've not heard this one, but I believe it also has Japanese/English versions, and also came out in the 70s.

- Like A Lover - On the FAMILY PORTRAIT album, this album appears in a slightly "unfinished" version. Just before going into the instrumental break, one of Sergio's piano riffs is missing.

- Chove Chuva - On the mono version of the EQUINOX album, the song has a different mix. Certain phrases are either repeated or missing.

- For Me - On that same mono album, the fade out of the voices at the end is handled differently.

Harry
...with some additions to the list, online...

"Summer Champion" is simply "Summer Dream" from Magic Lady with a Japanese lyric (which bursts hilariously into English on the phrase "Sum-mer Champ-yon")--however, the mix (or at least the pressing) is VASTLY superior to that hideous Elektra bargain basement one, and I actually like the song in this incarnation. The one you forgot is that last Japanese tune from the live in Osaka set called "Come Over, My Love."

 

[Harry]

"Summer Champion" is simply "Summer Dream" from Magic Lady with a Japanese lyric (which bursts hilariously into English on the phrase "Sum-mer Champ-yon")--however, the mix (or at least the pressing) is VASTLY superior to that hideous Elektra bargain basement one, and I actually like the song in this incarnation.

I didn't know that. But then again Magic Lady isn't exactly high on my list.

The one you forgot is that last Japanese tune from the live in Osaka set called "Come Over, My Love."

Well, I did say "adding" to the list. And I've never heard that one anyway -- and if I've never heard it, then it must not exist, right?

I knew there had to be more. Isn't there also an old single from the pre-'66 days?

Harry
NP: a solid hour of Sinatra on the radio at work

 

[JMK]

Yes, there is that one transitional Brasil '65 single on Atlantic of "All My Loving" b/w "Telephone Song", where the sound is very similar to Brasil '66. Sergio couldn't remember who the male vocalist was when I asked him (it was obviously not Sergio).

 

[William]

Concert reviews from late 1965/early 1966 indicate that Marcos and Anamaria Valle were the featured vocalists of Brasil '65 at the time...... and, to my ears, it sure sounds like Marcos on "Telephone Song."

The flute solo on "All My Loving" is very obviously the work of another fine Atlantic recording artist with lots of A&M connections: Hubert Laws.


- William

 

[Rudy]

The only other 'rarities' I can think of are:

- Chove Chuva - On the mono version of the EQUINOX album, the song has a different mix. Certain phrases are either repeated or missing.

- For Me - On that same mono album, the fade out of the voices at the end is handled differently.

On the mono version of "For Me", I heard the vocals being faded out sooner, while the instrumental portion remained the same (Sergio's piano licks remain the same).

Noticing on "Chove Chuva" that the voices aren't as forward in the mix, but I hear more of Sergio's piano. The "whoppin' and hollerin'" from the band is a also a little more pronounced. The mix itself seems a little lifeless being in mono. Did not notice any phrases missing or repeated, but notice that it fades sooner than the stereo version.

The rest of the LP sounds a little "restrained" in the mix (listening to "Cinnamon & Cloves" right now), not as clean as the stereo version with perhaps a little more compression...but with mono LPs being mixed differently back in those days, it's not surprising. (Engineers had to create a mono mix vs. just "summing" left and right together, which could result in some nasty phase cancellations.)

-= N =-

 

[Harry]

Noticing on "Chove Chuva" that the voices aren't as forward in the mix, but I hear more of Sergio's piano. The "whoppin' and hollerin'" from the band is a also a little more pronounced. The mix itself seems a little lifeless being in mono. Did not notice any phrases missing or repeated, but notice that it fades sooner than the stereo version.

Do an a-b comparison if you can, running a stereo version (CD?) at the same time as the mono on your turntable. You'll hear what I mean as the tracks diverge from one another.

Harry
NP: Electric Light Orchestra on the radio at work

 

[Brasil6699]

It's been awhile, but I think the "Night and Day" single has double vocals in the part of: "Night and Day under the hyde of me...". Would somebody who still has this 45 verify this?

The other thing we could add to this album is 12" remixes, and the 45 edit of the Real Thing. Also, the spanish songs from the 1st side of the Sergio Mendes Picardia album, and the english version of Horizonte Aberto song which is entitled "Nowadays", and...

 

[mr J.]

Has anyone ever made a compilation CD of all the brasil 66 singles?now that would be a swell project!."

SJSSF-there is a compilation of all BRASIL 66 singles! The 2-CD british compilation VERY BEST OF SERGIO MENDES AND BRASIL '66 contains major portions of all the brasil 66 albums(1966-1970)-including all the radio singles.Fans who like the later albums will definitely want this package-all 10 tracks from YE-ME-LE are here,and 9 out of 10 tracks from STILLNESS are also included.The remastering is excellent! Instead of buying those expensive Japanese reissues,You can get approximately 80% of all 7 BRASIL 66 albums on this 2-CD set.

 

[Harry]

I finally got around to repeating the a-b comparison of the mono and stereo "Contant Rain" versions. The stereo version is longer, as the mono version has a section snipped out at around 2:30 into the song. Although the label on the mono album I have doesn't list it correctly, the mono version of the song clocks in just under 3 minutes while the stereo version is more correctly listed at 3:15. The section eliminated is just a repeat of the main chorus:

..."Chove chuva, constant is the rain"
"Chove chove chove chuva, endless is the pain"

The editing is flawless so that even a listener familiar with the longer stereo version will hardly notice anything different.

I don't have the 45 of this, but I assume that that is where this track originates, and was then used in the mono album pressing.

Harry
...up early on a Saturday morning, online...

 

[Harry]

SJSSF-there is a compilation of all BRASIL 66 singles! The 2-CD british compilation VERY BEST OF SERGIO MENDES AND BRASIL '66 contains major portions of all the brasil 66 albums(1966-1970)-including all the radio singles.Fans who like the later albums will definitely want this package-all 10 tracks from YE-ME-LE are here,and 9 out of 10 tracks from STILLNESS are also included.The remastering is excellent! Instead of buying those expensive Japanese reissues,You can get approximately 80% of all 7 BRASIL 66 albums on this 2-CD set.

My guess is that 'sjssf' was looking for a compilation of 'just' the singles. And while you'd think that the 48-track UK compilation must encompass all of the singles, it doesn't. While I don't profess to have much of a Brasil '66 singles collection, I'm pretty sure that both "The Frog" and "Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay" were singles, and they don't appear on that compilation. Wasn't "Watch What Happens" released as a single? That's not on there either.

Recently, I decided to expand upon that 2-disc set by making a third -- collecting all of the remaining Brasil '66 tracks and sequencing them into the 'missing' third disc of a mythical three-disc set. Here was my track listing:

Upa, Neguinho
Slow Hot Wind
The Frog (A Ra)
Canto Triste
Crystal Illusions
Watch What Happens
Laia Ladaia (Reza)
Berimbau
Look Around
Casa Forte
Song Of No Regrets
Celebration Of The Sunrise
Festa
O Pato
Gente
Lapinha
Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay
When Summer Turns To Snow
Tristeza
Stillness (reprise)

This additional 20 tracks added to the original 48, means that there were only 68 studio tracks by Brasil '66. Add one more for "The Christmas Song" and you get 69. For a comparitively small output, the group certainly had a lot of punch.

As to the re-mastering on The Very Best Of Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 (UK), it's questionable in some places. One can certainly hear a difference overall, but it's mainly just a boosting of the bass frequencies. And there are occasionally bad dropouts not present on the originals. Check out "Wichita Lineman" sometime. The dropouts early on in the song render it almost unlistenable.

That's not to say that I don't think it's a good deal. It truly is and I still recommend it to anyone as a good collection starter. I remember it being the first import Brasil '66 I bought -- and it really filled in the digital collection. Being a completist though, I subsequently needed to buy all of the Japanese imports anyway.

Oh and one more thing -- the math: 48 tracks on the dual CD, 20 more not included, for a total of 68 Brasil '66 tracks.

48/68 = 0.705882352941176470588235294117647

so the compilation gives you about 70% of all Brasil '66 tracks.

(Sorry - it's the old math teacher in me.) :|

Harry
...doing the math, online...

 

[walterphil]

i recently passed up a mono copy
of the debut-at the flea market for $8-
i can still get it next week-
i wonder if any of those songs are different?
the cover sure is breath taking
(with an inch or 2 added to the bottom of the photo.)

one minir annoyance/difference
(i may be wrong)
but isn't a verse chopped out of
night and day on the first vinyl
greatest hits?
i seem to remember a
truncated version.

also, i forgot about that great version
of "the christmas song." fabulous.

also digging thru my old 45's
i found 7 brasil 66 singles with pic sleeves--
the (pictured elsewhere here) pretty world
scarborough fair (sergio on couch)
fool on the hill (what a friggin great group shot)
the look of love (ditto) (sex-y lani)
and dock of the bay (everybody looks uncomfortable in the boat!
the last 2 are japanese only copies of
constant rain/slow hot wind & mas que nada/the joker.
both of these have identical (yet different colored) group shots
(a shy lani hiding behind sergio)

wish i could post em for ya

w

 

[Brasil_Nut]

It's been awhile, but I think the "Night and Day" single has double vocals in the part of: "Night and Day under the hyde of me...". Would somebody who still has this 45 verify this?

The other thing we could add to this album is 12" remixes, and the 45 edit of the Real Thing. Also, the spanish songs from the 1st side of the Sergio Mendes Picardia album, and the english version of Horizonte Aberto song which is entitled "Nowadays", and...

As usual, Brandon and Harry are right on top of this subject. And, I do agree with Brandon -- inlcusion of disco singles and later material can only help to make a "single" discography complete.

Jon

...singling out various Cornerites, online...

 

[Harry]

I don't believe I've ever heard the mono single of "Night And Day", nor the 12" of "The Real Thing", NOR the English version of "Horizonte Aberto." So I'm not exactly on top of this subject!

Harry
...packing for his trip, online...

 

[Brasil_Nut]

It's been awhile, but I think the "Night and Day" single has double vocals in the part of: "Night and Day under the hyde of me...". Would somebody who still has this 45 verify this?

Hi! My Friend Brandon!! Drop me a private message soon...we have a lot to catch up on (Mendes-wise, that is...)

You know, I have the original single pressing (on ochre label) of For Me, which is backed with Night & Day. I know exactly what you mean about the "double vocal" here. (Isn't it, "Night and day, under the height of me?") Do you mean it almost sounds like an echo? That's what mine sounds like to me.

The other thing we could add to this album is 12" remixes, and the 45 edit of the Real Thing. Also, the spanish songs from the 1st side of the Sergio Mendes Picardia album, and the english version of Horizonte Aberto song which is entitled "Nowadays", and...

...and the song Summer Champion, which was only released in Japan, and another Japanese song they performed onstage back around the Olympia period...

Jon