🎵 AotW Classics Bossa Rio - Alegría! (BTS 17)

What is your favorite track?

  • Spinning Wheel

    Votes: 1 12.5%
  • Zazueira

    Votes: 2 25.0%
  • Girl Talk

    Votes: 2 25.0%
  • The Night Has A Thousand Eyes

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • What A Pity (Que Pena)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • With Your Love Now

    Votes: 1 12.5%
  • Open Your Arms

    Votes: 1 12.5%
  • Eleanor Rigby

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Don't Go Breaking My Heart

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Blackbird

    Votes: 1 12.5%

  • Total voters
    8

Harry

Charter A&M Corner Member
Staff member
Site Admin
Bossa Rio
Alegría!
BLUE THUMB BTS 17

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Also released on CD as a Japan Mini LP in 2006.

Tracks:

Side A:
[1] SPINNING WHEEL (3:05)
(David Thomas)
[2] ZAZUEIRA (3:08)
(Jorge Ben)
[3] GIRL TALK (2:55)
(B. Troup, N. Hefti)
[4] THE NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND EYES (3:02)
(B. Weisman, D. Wayne, M. Garrett)
[5] WHAT A PITY (QUE PENA) (2:59)
(Jorge Ben)

Side B:
[1] WITH YOUR LOVE NOW (3:20)
(M. Valle, P.S.Valle, N. Gimbel)
[2] OPEN YOUR ARMS (3:44)
(D. Caymmi, E. Souto, P. Tapajos, J. Livingston, R. Evans)
[3] ELEANOR RIGBY (3:25)
(Lennon, McCartney)
[4] DON'T GO BREAKING MY HEART (2:28)
(B. Bacharach, H. David)
[5] BLACKBIRD (3:10)
(Lennon & McCartney)

(uncredited on the LP)
BOSSA RIO is:
Vocals: Gracinha Leporace and Pery Ribeiro
Flute: Pery Ribeiro
Drums: Ronald Mesquita
Piano: Osmar Milito
Organ: Manfredo Fest
Bass: Octavio Bailly,

PRODUCED BY: SERGIO MENDES FOR
SERRICH PRODUCTIONS
ENGINEER: DICK BOGERT
RECORDED AT: A&M RECORDS
ORCHESTRATED AND CONDUCTED BY: MIKE WOFFORD
ORGAN COURTESY OF THE LOWERY ORGAN CO.
Design & Photography by Tom Wilkes & Barry Feinstein
for Camouflage Productions

BLUE THUMB RECORDS, INC., 427 NORTH CANON DRIVE,
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIF., 90210. This album is available on 4 and 8
track stereo tape, reel to reel and cassette. Printed in U.S.A.
 
Though we don't often do non-A&M albums in our Album Of The Week threads, it's not without precedence. This album, produced by Sergio Mendes, was a follow-up to the A&M BOSSA RIO album, was recorded at A&M Studios, and produced a couple of radio-friendly tracks, namely "With Your Love Now" and "Blackbird". So it seems fitting that we give it some space here at A&M Corner.

I remember hearing both of the above-mentioned tracks on the radio, and given the sound of the group being just about identical to the prior album, assumed it was another A&M release. It was quite a surprise to pick up the album, see "Blue Thumb" as the label, but see Sergio Mendes still listed as the producer. It still felt like an A&M album though, with the fonts, typesetting, album design, all fitting within the classic A&M mold.

I never picked up the Japanese CD of this title, as I had a fairly good needle-drop from vinyl, which serves to this day.

Harry
 
This was my introduction to the group, courtesy of the Capitol Record Club. :) It wasn't until some time later that I found out there had been a prior A&M release, which back in those days I just figured I'd never find. Lo and behold in a bargain bin one day, there was the A&M release. That was back in the days when finding little "gems" like that was kind of an exciting phenomenon.
 
BTW, in case anyone is interested, there's an OK version of Open Your Arms on the CTi Wanderley "Set" release "When It Was Done." It has the second verse in English that is done in Portuguese on the Bossa Rio version. I had to cobble the two English lyrics together years ago when I did a choral arrangement--even Ray Evans couldn't remember (or find) the original version he did with Jay Livingston.
 
Did anyone here ever grab this when it was out on CD? I've never even found an LP of it yet. I do have a miserable needle drop of it for now, so I at least know what it sounds like.
 
I have a pretty good needle-drop of it. My recollection is that Paula sent me her ultra-clean copy to be transferred to CD-R. My own album is a bit more noisy. So with the clean LP version, I wasn't in a rush to spend 30+ dollars on a Japanese CD. These days, it seems like the Japanese themselves are sourcing more and more stuff from cleaned-up LPs when they put out this music that's more obscure.

Harry
 
That makes me a bit wary of ordering one. The Manfredo Fest album Brazilian Dorian Dream was just released on CD, and now you have me wondering if it's a needle drop or not. I can do my own needle drops (provided I could ever find the album). If I buy a CD, I might still prefer LP, but I do expect the CDs to be from a master tape and be free of all the groove wear and grunge in the grooves!
 
Of course I have no idea where they sourced this particular album, but we've heard other examples of the Japanese putting needle drops on CDs. It goes way back to those Roger Nichols singles tracks, and then there are the few Carpenters rarities in the Single Box that came from vinyl. Both of those examples had to do with singles, and we know that those masters were stored differently and could be hard to find. Full album master tapes should be easier to locate.

Harry
 
I have the CD, it reproduces the original gatefold cover. I haven't listened to it recently, but my recollection is it's most definitely not a needle drop. For some reason I want so say it's BMG, but I could be misremembering and I'm not at home to check.
 
I just ordered all of those older Fest albums on CD. Have loved them for years.
 
I have the CD, it reproduces the original gatefold cover. I haven't listened to it recently, but my recollection is it's most definitely not a needle drop.

That's good to know. Thanks.

Harry
 
I went w/ "Spinning Wheel", although it is hard to really pick a favorite... The tunes are good, well-chosen, intricately-arranged...

Just that the offering would be more for a small-label aficionado or Blue Thumb :afro: fanatic like me... (That is, I have the three albums Gabor Szabo made for the label, among some oddball Pointer Sisters, Arthur Adams, Freddie Hubbard and Phil Upchurch discs, more for my fondness for what these artists could do, in such an "underground" setting, as opposed to something more 'mainstream'...)

Surprising how A&M wasn't supportive of this, other than at least it offering it's studio & engineer... Maybe it's just hard to compete w/ its 'other leading Brasian act', of which its days on the label were also numbered... (Yeh, I know, 'the leader of it' pro-duced...!!!!) :badteeth:

Still, I find this group pleasant to listen to and am glad that they were given another try, though at this point, it was hit-or-miss for anyone 'South of Rio' who wasn't Milton Nascimento or Antonio Carlos Jobim...


-- Dave
 
I just ordered all of those older Fest albums on CD. Have loved them for years.

Do you have the albums he cut for dmp Records? They're good demo material in addition to being great music. Braziliana is my favorite of those.
 
Yes, Braziliana is fantastic. I just looked through and it seems the only other DMP release of his I have is Just Jobim.
 
If you're not familiar with it, there's also a nice album out called OS SAMBEATLES that Manfredo's on and did the arrangements for, from the mid-60's with Bossa versions of Beatles tunes.
 
Yes, Braziliana is fantastic. I just looked through and it seems the only other DMP release of his I have is Just Jobim.

Jungle Cat features the title cut as another remake from his Brazilian Dorian Dream album, and some other gems. Good discs if you can still find them! He also did a couple on Concord, IIRC. His son Phil (?) Fest makes an appearance on one or more of these discs also.

Outside of that, I really don't know many of his recordings. The Os Sambeatles album does sound interesting! It's probably not as nod-inducing as that Gary McFarland album Soft Samba... :wink:
 
I like Soft Samba, even if it is a little, well, soft sometimes. I do like Manfredo's organ playing with Bossa Rio. I'd read that he was blind; he was a great musician and made it clear that you can overcome such conditions!
 
I've listened a lot to the CD over the past couple of days and if it is a needle drop, it's the best one I've ever heard. (I don't think it is). :wink:

Can anyone understand the first line Gracinha sings on "With Your Love Now"? This has confounded me since I was a kid. (Something) last day and last night? To a (whirl?) life is right? I'm confused. :)
 
You know, I never really understood those lines either, but your question got me listening again, and I think I've got it. Try these:

"Endless day, endless night
Things not so bad, you are here. life is right."

Harry
 
I think we're on the right track. Norman Gimbel wasn't the type to use sentence fragments, though (he did a ton of the English versions of Bossa tunes). I think it's:

Endless day, endless night
Hangs up the past, to a (girl?), life is right

(Past also rhymes with the next couplet's "sunshine at last", Gimbel wouldn't have done a "false" rhyme, as they say).

Thanks for that "endless", though, that puts an end to 40 years of wondering what the frell was being sung. :)
 
The really funny thing about all of this is the original Valle Brothers tune is about a red Mustang! (No joke).
 
I think we're on the right track. Norman Gimbel wasn't the type to use sentence fragments, though (he did a ton of the English versions of Bossa tunes). I think it's:

Endless day, endless night
Hangs up the past, to a (girl?), life is right

(Past also rhymes with the next couplet's "sunshine at last", Gimbel wouldn't have done a "false" rhyme, as they say).

Thanks for that "endless", though, that puts an end to 40 years of wondering what the frell was being sung. :)

I've used a little audio trick to perhaps bring out the vocal just a tad more. By collapsing the stereo tracks down to mono, theoretically the vocal track in the center is increased by 6 DB in this "fold-down" technique, giving you just a bit more Gracinha, and a little less musical accompaniment from the stereo channels. It's a quicky mp3 excerpt of just that first line:

http://min.us/mbbT9qY980

I really think it's

Endless day, endless night
Things not so bad, you are here, life is right

(Shades of a former "Lost In Paradise" thread?)

Harry
 
I think I agree on the "you are here" part, I still clearly hear her say "hangs up the past." Knowing Gimbel's work, I just don't think he would ever rhyme "bad" with "last," he'd be drummed out of the lyricist's union. :wink:

But what about later in the song, at this point?:

With your love now
I can be what I want to be
I can see there's a chance for me
I can be (the me)? that's deep inside
I can (free)? the high time is to (____)?

Re: Lost in Paradise. As I recall, I provided documentary evidence of the sheet music and people still didn't believe me LOL. Much like the word "sleigh" in Festa, which I still remember scanning and sending to you or Rudy as proof. :)
 
That section's another jumble - you're right. And I agree with most of your suggestions.

I'm getting something like:

With your love now
I can be what I want to be
I can see there's a chance for me
I can be (the me)? that's deep inside
I can (free)? the hearts I used to (lied)? (love)? Except that doesn't rhyme at all.

Mono excerpt: http://min.us/m7zL9upZM

Harry
 
L.A.'s legendary MOR station, KMPC, played "Blackbird" and I thought (at age 13) that it was Brasil '66. Given that the first Bossa Rio LP was on A&M, it's a surprise this wasn't also. Could this have been the first brick to crumble in the Sergio/Herb relationship?
 
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