Favorite Non Single Cuts from 1966-1972

rockdoctor

Well-Known Member
There has been talk of the Brasil'66/77 singles but I'd like to know everyone's favorite deep cuts from each album through Primal Roots. If some of them have been on singles that I do not know about, my apologies.
These are in release order
Berimbau and Agua De Beber
Triste and Wave
Roda and Batucada
Casa Forte and Laia LaDaia
Viola and Dois Dias
Some Time Ago and Look Who's Mine
Sometimes In Winter and Celebration Of The Sunrise
Morro Velho and Gone Forever
The Circle Game and Canto De Ubiritan

There were tough choices from Fool On The Hill and Crystal Illusions as these are my two favorite Brasil'66 albums
 
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Similar list here, although I'm not all that familiar with the albums after Crystal Illusions.

"Tim Dom Dom" and "Berimbau" from the first album.

"Chove Chuva" and "Triste" from Equinox.

"Roda", "The Frog" and "Batucada" from Look Around.

"Casa Forte" and "Lapinha" from Fool. (Note--both tracks have no strings. Wish the whole album were that way.)

"Salt Sea" and "Song of No Regrets" from Crystal Illusions (despite the strings and sounding almost nothing like a proper Brasil 66 album).
 
There has been talk of the Brasil'66/77 singles but I'd like to know everyone's favorite deep cuts from each album through Primal Roots. If some of them have been on singles that I do not know about, my apologies.
These are in release order
Berimbau and Agua De Beber
Triste and Wave
Roda and Batucada
Casa Forte and Laia LaDaia
Viola and Dois Dias
Some Time Ago and Look Who's Mine
Sometimes In Winter and Celebration Of The Sunrise
Morro Velho and Gone Forever
The Circle Game and Canto De Ubiritan

There were tough choices from Fool On The Hill and Crystal Illusions as these are my two favorite Brasil'66 albums

Incredibly, I'd probably pick EXACTLY the ones you've listed.
 
Berimbau / Agua De Beber

Cinnamon & Clove / Watch What Happens

The Frog

Casa Forte / Upa Neguinho

Viola
 
"Casa Forte" and "Lapinha" from Fool. (Note--both tracks have no strings. Wish the whole album were that way.)

"Salt Sea" and "Song of No Regrets" from Crystal Illusions (despite the strings and sounding almost nothing like a proper Brasil 66 album).
Touche`!
  • Debut LP - Berimbau
  • Equinox - For Me
  • Look Around - Like A Lover; So Many Stars
  • Fool On The Hill - Casa Forte
  • Crystal Illusions - Salt Sea
  • Ye-Me-La - (none; not a very enjoyable LP)
  • Stillness - Sometimes In Winter
  • Pais Tropical - Zanzibar; Asa Branca
  • Primal Roots - Everything (their best LP)
 
Ye-Me-La - (none; not a very enjoyable LP)

We had the first four albums in the house when I was growing up, so I was used to how they sounded. I had gotten Crystal Illusions on cassette as a gift and rarely played it, largely because A&M's early cassettes weren't all that great, and all I had to play it on was a portable GE tape recorder. Even when the LP came out, I was not completely sold on it, but found a few favorites.

The two tracks on Ye-Me-Le that I connect with are "Norwegian Wood" and "Masquerade," both of which (far as I remember) don't have any strings intruding. But it's not an album I'd choose to pull out and listen to in its entirety, and I've never connected with any of the albums past this point, not even up to the present. For a while I liked the Brasil '86 album but now it just sounds like a wall of synthesizers.

The irony of the strings never made sense. Sergio reworked the band with Fool On The Hill and got a more authentic Brazilian sound, yet some of it was buried under strings, and Crystal Illusions just took that to ridiculousness. I'd love to hear these records "unplugged" without the strings. 😉

And if I had any request to make of Sergio--make a jazz piano trio album. That's where he got his start, and those are the recordings I've returned to the most.
 
We had the first four albums in the house when I was growing up, so I was used to how they sounded. I had gotten Crystal Illusions on cassette as a gift and rarely played it, largely because A&M's early cassettes weren't all that great, and all I had to play it on was a portable GE tape recorder. Even when the LP came out, I was not completely sold on it, but found a few favorites.

The two tracks on Ye-Me-Le that I connect with are "Norwegian Wood" and "Masquerade," both of which (far as I remember) don't have any strings intruding. But it's not an album I'd choose to pull out and listen to in its entirety, and I've never connected with any of the albums past this point, not even up to the present. For a while I liked the Brasil '86 album but now it just sounds like a wall of synthesizers.

The irony of the strings never made sense. Sergio reworked the band with Fool On The Hill and got a more authentic Brazilian sound, yet some of it was buried under strings, and Crystal Illusions just took that to ridiculousness. I'd love to hear these records "unplugged" without the strings. 😉

And if I had any request to make of Sergio--make a jazz piano trio album. That's where he got his start, and those are the recordings I've returned to the most.
I can agree with Norwegian Wood and Masquerade as great selections. Masquerade is my favorite by far on that album but as both were released in single form, I did not include them on my list.
 
This is my list of A&M Brasil 66/77 singles:

1625174945119.png

So, by the confines of the OP, none of these tracks should be included.
 
I can agree with Norwegian Wood and Masquerade as great selections. Masquerade is my favorite by far on that album but as both were released in single form, I did not include them on my list.
Good point. I'm not a singles collector or buyer, and don't follow the charts, so I have to rely on everyone else to inform me otherwise. 😁

Although I'd never have guessed "Masquerade" was ever a single.
 
This is my list of A&M Brasil 66/77 singles:

1625174945119.png

So, by the confines of the OP, none of these tracks should be included.
Harry, thank you for posting the list. I thought that So Many People was a single as it got a lot of airplay here but maybe it was a promo single. Also it is interesting that the record number for Pretty World is lower than Dock of The Bay. Here, the latter got the airplay before Pretty World.
 
When I think of singles, I don't consider the B-sides as being the "single" or in other words, the "hit" that the label is trying to promote. (Especially since singles are sometimes album tracks that otherwise wouldn't have gotten much attention.) Although as we know, sometimes the DJs play the B-side and it becomes the hit (like the TJB's "Third Man Theme" single, which had "Taste of Honey" as the B-side).
 
When I think of singles, I don't consider the B-sides as being the "single" or in other words, the "hit" that the label is trying to promote. (Especially since singles are sometimes album tracks that otherwise wouldn't have gotten much attention.) Although as we know, sometimes the DJs play the B-side and it becomes the hit (like the TJB's "Third Man Theme" single, which had "Taste of Honey" as the B-side).
Rudy, in my area Wichita Lineman and Ye Me Le both got airplay. Then Norwegian Wood started getting played along with Easy To Be Hard. Later on Masquerade started getting the airplay and I though that was an A side as often as I was hearing it. A number of Brasil'66 singles got flipped over in this area on the AM stations and album cuts fared well too.. Roda got a lot of airplay and it never was on a single.
 
Odd that "Chelsea Morning," "So Many People" and "After Sunrise" aren't listed.... the first time I heard all three of those songs was on an AM radio station from Billings Montana that was not known for playing "album cuts."

I also find it strange that "Righteous Life" isn't on the list, because that song, with its Wrecking Crew backing band instead of the actual Brasil '66, was obviously crafted for single release. It would have been way better suited for the 1970 "singer songwriter" style of music that was all the rage then. Much more so than "Viramundo," for sure.

Besides the tunes mentioned from Ye-Me-Le, I always thought the title song was a great track. The bass line on it is killer, the way it just rambles all over the place but always finds its way "home" on the downbeat.
 
Odd that "Chelsea Morning," "So Many People" and "After Sunrise" aren't listed.... the first time I heard all three of those songs was on an AM radio station from Billings Montana that was not known for playing "album cuts."

I also find it strange that "Righteous Life" isn't on the list, because that song, with its Wrecking Crew backing band instead of the actual Brasil '66, was obviously crafted for single release. It would have been way better suited for the 1970 "singer songwriter" style of music that was all the rage then. Much more so than "Viramundo," for sure.

Besides the tunes mentioned from Ye-Me-Le, I always thought the title song was a great track. The bass line on it is killer, the way it just rambles all over the place but always finds its way "home" on the downbeat.
Mike,
Righteous Life never got airplay in this area but Chelsea Morning did and So Many People did before After Midnight. After Sunrise did not get any airtime on local radio.
 
Likely, the first version of "Chelsea Morning" that I heard was by a group called Green Lyte Sunday. This got some airplay on the station I listened to.



When Sergio's version was released, that station played their version during the week that the album was the featured Album Of The Week.
 
Likely, the first version of "Chelsea Morning" that I heard was by a group called Green Lyte Sunday. This got some airplay on the station I listened to.



When Sergio's version was released, that station played their version during the week that the album was the featured Album Of The Week.

We had one radio station that was very adult oriented middle of the road, easy listening, light rock and they would sometimes play entire albums but usually it was a late night programming. I never heard any Brasil'66 albums in full. The couple of AM stations from back in the day would play some of the album cuts and b sides from Brasil'66. The Joker got a lot of play in 1968 as well as Roda. Like a Lover got play now and then but The Look Of Love I did not hear on the radio until later on. In all from the 66-72 period, I probably heard about 30 Brasil'66/77 songs played on the radio on many stations. I would listen to late night AM during the summer and would record the station with the song on a sheet of paper. Pretty World was the big winner of my list which is now long gone.
 
  • Debut LP - Slow Hot Wind
  • Equinox - For Me
  • Look Around - Like A Lover
  • Fool On The Hill - Upa Neguinho
  • Crystal Illusions - Salt Sea
  • Ye-Me-La - Masquerade
  • Stillness - Righteous Life, Chelsea Morning
  • Pais Tropical - None
  • Primal Roots - Nothing really
 
  • Debut LP - Slow Hot Wind
  • Equinox - For Me
  • Look Around - Like A Lover
  • Fool On The Hill - Upa Neguinho
  • Crystal Illusions - Salt Sea
  • Ye-Me-La - Masquerade
  • Stillness - Righteous Life, Chelsea Morning
  • Pais Tropical - None
  • Primal Roots - Nothing really
Mike, thanks for the response. It has been a while since anyone replied.
There is an earlier response with the singles a and b sides listed and some of them are on your list but I like your choices overall.
 
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