'Home Cooking' on CD

[Rocketman]

I went to Tower Records in Shibuya, Tokyo last Saturday and found a CD release of 'Home Cooking' looking at me from the shelves. It appears to be a BMG import from Brazil. Number is 74321949862 and all the booklet notes are in what looks to me like Portuguese. No apparent bonus tracks, just a straight reissue. Thought I should give everyone a heads up on this one. I searched Amazon, Tower and Tower.co.jp, but have found no listing of it.

I really liked the Brasil '77 releases of 'Pais Tropical' and 'Primal Roots', so I picked it up hoping for more of the same. Must say I was disappointed-sounds more like a mediocre American pop album than Brasil '77 or '66.

 

[Harry]

Homecooking was never a favorite of mine, but I suppose I'll need to find the CD of it while its out, just for completeness. Both it and Brasil '88 were just re-released by BMG/RCA in Brazil. It's just been within the past week that I finally managed to get my copy of Brasil '88.

Harry
NP: 20th Century Millennium Collection - Phil Ochs

 

[Rocketman]

Checked Dusty Groove, and sure enough, they have it listed.

Any thoughts on the quality of other Brasil '77 releases that haven't made it to CD? I am thinking of 'Love Music', 'Vintage '74', 'If I Ever Lose This Heaven, and 'Live in Japan'. I have never heard any of these and am wondering if they are worth tracking down on LP. I really enjoyed the vocals by Gracinha Lepocace on Pais Tropical and Stillness.

 

[Harry]

The 70s era Sergio Mendes efforts are pretty much a hit-and-miss proposition, but nearly every album has something worthwhile on it, even if it's only a track or two. Those that are not on CD:

In Concert - recorded live at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. The last of the A&M discs, though not released in the States like most of A&M's live albums. Features Gracinha and Geri Stevens, fresh off of the Primal Roots album.

Love Music - a straight-ahead, all-out pop effort. Songs by Lambert and Potter and other popular American composers of the day fill up this album. If you like Sergio's pop stuff, this one's pretty good. Grancinha and Bonnie Bowden share vocal duties. A good number of Asian bootleg CDs are out there, so be advised, but it's never officially made it to CD.

Vintage '74 - a little more in the Brazilian vein with Sergio's first rendition of Jobim's "Waters Of March". Three other great Brazilian tracks are "Você Abusou", "Lonely Sailor" and "Double Rainbow." The remainder of the album leans toward the pop-of-the-day Stevie Wonder tunes and one more Lambert-Potter song. Vocals by Gracinha and Bonnie Bowden.

Gold Disc, Carnival: Live In Japan, etc - another live set released in Japan under several different titles, with varying track lists. Sounds more polished than the Expo album. Gracinha and Bonnie Bowden handle the vocals.

Magic Lady - if you read the credits, you'd think this would be a great album - and if you like 'disco', you might like this one too. Made in 1979 when everybody and their uncle was churning out the disco stuff. Best tracks are "Magic Lady" and "Summer Dream" which at least have a hint of a Brazilian flare to them. Otherwise, pretty forgettable. Vocals by Bonnie Bowden (now) Amaro, Carol Rogers and Marietta Waters. Not too common in the marketplace, perhaps for good reason

The other three '70s Elektra albums have all been released on CD in Japan and continue with the hit-and-miss style.

One other album that should be mentioned here is the great Horizonte Aberto. Curiously also recorded in 1979, it's the polar opposite of Magic Lady, perhaps because it marked a return not only to Brazilian music, but was recorded in Brazil as well. Gracinha makes a welcome return to the group after sitting out the prior few albums, and the whole album is magical -- like a return to the great, old Brasil '66 days. The album made a brief appearance on CD in 1994 and can be tough to track down, with well-worn LPs being more common in the used marketplace. Even Sergio sings well on this one!

Happy hunting!

Harry
NP: Horizonte Aberto - Sergio Mendes

 

[Rocketman]

Thank you very much Harry for your reviews. The hunt has already begun.

 

[JMK]

As someone who was "there" buying all of Sergio's albums as they originally were released, I have to say Homecooking holds a special place in my memories of Sergio. I had been disappointed by the all-out pop of both the first albums on Bell and Elektra, and was really excited to hear the rhythmic complexities of the tunes on Homecooking. Sergio had also obviously absorbed some of the celestial harmonies of Brasilian groups like Quarteto em Cy, which he adapted to his sound brilliantly, IMHO. "Where to Now, St. Peter?" and "Sunny Day" are up there with any in Sergio's canon. I just had a kind of funny synchronicity recently--I had the Homecooking CD on at my house when world-class saxman Gary Harris dropped by, and said, "Wow! I haven't heard that one since my days at Berklee." It turns out Homecooking was a "dorm" favorite at Berklee back in those days due to the great participation of players like Hank Redd.

 

[Rudy]

Shoot...I remember that very vehemently anti-non-A&M in my Sergio listening in my earlier days. (And even today, I'm not totally warm to the non-A&M's, but at least willing to listen. ) But for some reason, our jazz station WJZZ was playing a selection from Homecooking regularly, which prompted me to pick up a used copy of it. Thing is, I haven't heard the album in so long, I don't remember which selection is was! Always liked the cover on that one, with Sergio "Emeril" Mendes doing his cookin' on the front.

-= N =-
...BAM!...

 

[JMK]

"Emorio," another great one by Joao Donato, got quite a bit of airplay--in fact, I think it may have been the biggest single airplay-wise from Homecooking. Maybe it was that one. Another one I'd put up there in the top tunes from Sergio's non-A&M career.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I can't be positive, but I "think" I remember this album first being listed with the title EMORIO in a new release listing back in the day. Maybe that was a working title that got changed.

I was VERY excited upon first getting and opening up the album back in the day, because it had some of the Brasil '77 players from the A&M era back on board; and it had more Brazilian material in the mix. But the music was pretty disappointing...too Pop, not enough Brasil. Some of the lyrics are pretty lame, as well.

But, I still think "Sunny Day" and "Homecooking" are terrific catchy tunes, and the version of "Where To Now St. Peter" is great.