Wonder How Many Songs They Recorded in Other Languages

[AandMFan]

Seeing that This Guy's in Love With You was recorded in at least two other languages, it makes you wonder how many other songs were given that treatment. And since we are on that subject, wouldn't that have been the perfect opportunity to remaster them and add them as bonus tracks on the Shout Factory re-issues?

Maybe we can beg Collectors Choice to issue a special CD of alternate language cuts, if there are enough of them. Or a mix of alternate versions of songs and alternate languages.

 

[Harry]

Back in the '60s, having English-speaking acts record their hits in other languages was pretty rare. A&M was a natural for that kind of thing though, given the overall "Spanish" flavor of the label, particularly in the early days.

The Sandpipers did a whole compilation of their songs into THE SPANISH ALBUM, though all were originally done in Spanish anyway. Claudine Longet, of course did a number of songs in French and Portuguese, but again these were originally done that way.

The Beatles are famous for doing two German-language versions of their hits, and Herb did his two turns of "This Guy's In Love With You" in Spanish and Italian.

Harry

 

[Steve Sidoruk]

And since we are on that subject, wouldn't that have been the perfect opportunity to remaster them and add them as bonus tracks on the Shout Factory re-issues?

Maybe we can beg Collectors Choice to issue a special CD of alternate language cuts, if there are enough of them. Or a mix of alternate versions of songs and alternate languages.

I see two rather large problems with this idea. First, I don't believe such a release is commercially viable. And second, there is this problem with where are the master tapes? A&M used to keep their singles together on reels, not individually by artist and did these survive the vault fire last year???

Herb's two foreign language versions of This Guy's In Love With You could possibly be considered if and when a box set were ever to be put together.

 

[A&Mguyfromwayback]

But then there's the Captain & Tennille, who I remember did at least a few of their songs in Spanish as well -

 

[Harry]

Yes, by the '70's things began to get more "global". Captain and Tennille did an entire album over in Spanish by laying new vocal tracks over their basic backing tracks, turning LOVE WILL KEEP US TOGETHER into POR AMOR VIVIREMOS.

Sergio Mendes recorded his "Pais Tropical" in Japanese, along with a Japanese version of "The Magic Wheels". Carpenters did a live concert in Japan and did the chorus of "Sing" with local schoolchildren, changing the lyrics to Japanese, meanwhile recording a studio version of the song in Spanish ("Canta").

In the '80s, A&M developed an entire line of albums for the Spanish market, AyM Discos. Lani Hall did three albums in Spanish (with no English counterpart) following her Portuguese effort for the Brazilian market. Both Herb and Sergio modified an album or two for the Spanish market, with Herb adding a couple of tracks to BLOW YOUR OWN HORN, one being a Spanish vocal. Those two tracks, "Noche de Amor" and "Sueño Precolombino", make the NOCHE DE AMOR version of the album something special - but here there was no English counterpart to the songs.

Sergio's PICARDIA was a Spanish version of his 1983 SERGIO MENDES album. The vocal tracks on Side One were re-done in Spanish by Gracinha, Joe Pizzulo, and Leza Miller, while the Side Two stuff was either instrumental or left in English.

Herb and Lani redid their "Come What May" duet for the Spanish market, retitling it "Lo Que Siento Hoy Por Ti" and including it on Lani's hits album while also releasing it as a single. This one was another re-dubbed vocal over top of the basic tracks. Indeed, if you listen carefully, you can hear the reverbed backing singers echoing lines still in English!

Harry

 

[TonyCurrie]

Actually, in the 60s many British performers recorded in several languages - Petula Clark, for example, recorded her songs in English, French, German and Italian, and so did a plethora of others. Alma Cogan even recorded in Japanese.

I was involved in a BBC radio documentary about this last year - it was fascinating.