Looks like Magic Lady is a 2-fer

[JMK]

According to the Collectables website, the upcoming reissue of Magic Lady is actually a 2-fer and includes the 1975 debut on Elektra. Here's the URL:

http://www.oldies.com/product/view.cfm/id/76702.html

This would make sense, since most of Collectables' releases tend to combine 2 (and sometimes 3) LPs on one or two CDs. They've been doing some really great Percy Faith reissues (don't laugh--Percy did some killer latin arrangements throughout his entire career) for years, and although they have made occasional production errors in that series, they have been very responsive and offered free replacements.

 

[Mike]

JMK, thanks for the great info. That track list is making this new CD look very interesting to me.

Davy
I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever)
All In Love Is Fair
Let Them Work It Out
Here Comes The Sun
If I Ever Lose This Heaven
Lookin' For Another Pure Love
Someday We'Ll All Be Free
You Been Away Too Long
The Trouble With Hello Is Goodbye
I'Ll Tell You
Lonely Woman
You Get Your Love From Me
Magic Lady
Yes I Love You
A Dream Come True (Can't Hardly Wait)
Let It Go
Summer Dream

 

[Mike]

Sergio’s self-titled 1975 Elektra album was also put out as a Japanese reissue on CD. It’s out of stock now; and usually fetches a pretty high price on eBay. I have the vinyl, but have always been outbid in my attempts to get the Japanese CD version. So having it included on this 2-fer is very welcome news for me.

Leave it to Sergio to have two self-titled albums.

 

[JMK]

I have *all* the Japanese imports and have just had to grin and bear it as Collectables has slowly released cheapo domestic 2-fers (Great Arrival, Beat of Brazil, etc., not to mention the Paul Winter bossa albums from the early 60s). Oh, well--that's what money's for, I guess.

 

[Mike]

I have quite a few of the Sergio Mendes Japanese imports, but the Elektra 1975 has eluded me so far; but I’m always on the hunt.

 

[Dave]

Eh, ... (Grumble, Grumble) ...leave it up to Collectibles to put a Sergio Mendes LP that I like, with one that I don't...!

...Who, sadly has seen Ray Conniff reissued that way, or to be reissued that way, and who is back to looking for Andy Williams on good vinyl, because, it has been reissued the same way on CD, and besides most of the CD's lacked the "details" the original LP's got...!


Dave

 

[JMK]

I'm curious what you mean by missing "details." On the Percy Faith reissues, they have been scrupulous in not only putting in the complete liner notes from the original LPs (with one exception), they've also gone to my friend Alan Bunting and gotten session musician credits that were never on the original LPs to begin with. I've been really happy with the Collectables reissues for the most part.

 

[Dave]

I'm curious what you mean by missing "details". On the Percy Faith reissues, they have been scrupulous in not only putting in the complete liner notes from the original LPs (with one exception), they've also gone to my friend Alan Bunting and gotten session musician credits that were never on the original LPs to begin with.

Well, that's something the reissued Andy Williams albums have never got...! Except one that was done individualy with bonus tracks (Andy--1976) and one on one of the two (the liner notes by Mason Williams from Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head), reissued as "two-fers"... That's what I meant... I improvised my own 12" LP covers (with "back-cover info" of each album) and just put the CD in a "thin case" inside...


Dave

 

[JMK]

Interesting that this is streeting at several sites though the official release date is a ways off. I've seen it in stock at a couple of odd sites, but Amazon is still showing it as a pre-order.

 

[Dave]

I wonder if there's any possibility of Sergio's other Elektra albums getting reissued on CD: Sergio Mendes & The New Brasil '77 and my favorite, Homecooking??

I think they would make a good two-fer, but Homecooking had some real neat artwork I would hate to see get left-out iin the process...


Dave

 

[Brasil_Nut]

I wonder if there's any possibility of Herb's other Elektra albums getting reissued on CD: Sergio Mendes & The New Brasil '77 and my favorite, Homecooking??

You mean Sergio?

think they would make a good two-fer, but Homecooking had some real neat artwork I would hate to see get left-out iin the process...

Both Sergio Mendes & The New Brasil '77 and Homecooking have been released on CD. New Brasil '77 was released as a Japanese import, with Homecooking coming out of Brasil along with the Brasil '88 album.

Jon

 

[Dave]

I wonder if there's any possibility of Herb's...

You mean Sergio?

Oops! YES, I did mean Sergio...! (Fixed it, of course!)

Both Sergio Mendes & The New Brasil '77 and Homecooking have been released on CD. New Brasil '77 was released as a Japanese import, with Homecooking coming out of Brasil along with the Brasil '88 album.

Jon

Well, thanks for the info!


Dave

 

[JMK]

My "insider" at Collectables indicates that the other Elektras may very well make out on a new 2-fer.

 

[Mike]

The mention here of the Percy Faith reissues on the Collectable label perked my interest and I ordered a few. As a teenager, I listened to Grand Funk, Humble Pie, Edgar Winter and The Beatles; I could have never in a million years conceived of the idea that I’d be listening to Percy Faith someday, but… I have to admit that he’s very enjoyable to listen to; so much so that I now have 7 of his two-fers.

Also: While I was at the Collectables web site, on a whim, I picked up Trini Lopez’s “The Latin Album”. What a treat to listen to, this CD is great. I had vaguely remembered Trini singing “If I had a hammer” when I was a kid, but this guy is talented. By the time I finished listening to him sing “Besame Mucho” I was ready to gulp down a shot of tequila and dance with the first girl I met. Really good stuff!

 

[JMK]

Mike, if you don't have it already, get the Faith two-fer that includes "Black Magic Woman." It's one of Percy's best, and contains some knockout arrangements of latin material, including Percy's second recording of "Reza." Plus it has one of Percy's most elegant jazz-inflected originals, "Tres."

 

[Mike]

JMK, I've got it, and you're right!

 

[JMK]

Interestingly, Percy himself didn't like this release. He had pop producer Richard Perry foisted on him, and Perry insisted that he place the brass center in the stereo mix (usually strings were the centerpiece of Faith arrangements). But I personally think it's a dynamite album. I'm good friends with the behind-the-scenes guy who does all the master searches and restoration for these Faith reissues, and there are several more coming out in the next few months. Percy was an unheralded champion of latin rhythms his whole career--in fact, his first million selling single was "Delicado," by Brasilian composer Walter Azevedo. There's usually at least one latin-tinged track on every Faith record, and there are several albums completely devoted to latin rhythms. And BTW, Percy was a big fan of Sergio's. They lived not far from each other in Encino back in the 60s and 70s.

 

[Mike]

JMK,

Thanks for the background info. I feel like I've stumbled onto a time capsule filled with wonderful music. I just ordered 3 more Percy Faith 2-fers a couple days ago. They're all very enjoyable, I think the only one that is taking a little time for me to warm up to is "Shangri-La".

 

[JMK]

You're welcome. Percy's been one of my "guilty pleasures" (actually, not guilty at all) since I was a kid. Imagine what my buddies thought, coming over to my house and seeing nothing but Sergio Mendes & Percy Faith records, LOL. If you're around my age range (40s), "Shangri-La" may sound more dated (it was released in 1962). I recommend sticking to his instrumental albums from the mid-60s on and then branching out from there. Some of the earlier stuff is less immediately enjoyable, though the arrangements are always lush. And remember that Faith was the first instrumental artist to popularize rock and roll and pop hits--"Themes for Young Lovers" was the first ever instrumental album of Top 40 hits arranged for large orchestra, and it was one of Percy's biggest hits. I should probably stop going on about Percy, or else Neil's going to have to create a whole new Forum.

 

[Mike]

JMK, It’s always refreshing to hear positive enthusiasm for an artist. BTW: I’m 49, and I’m having the time of my life discovering and rediscovering music that was considered un-cool by me and my friends when I was a teenager. I’ve been listening to a lot of the Sammy Davis Jr. reissues lately too… what a talent he was.

 

[Mr Bill]

JMK,

Is Viva! available as one of these 2fers? Or will it be soon? That was one of my favorites growing up, played almost as much as my TJB LPs.

--Mr Bill

 

[JMK]

Bill, I'm not sure what the licensing issue was, but Viva's been released twice on 2-fers, but never on Collectables. It's out on a UK Columbia 2-fer with "Brazil", and also on a more recent Taragon 2-fer with "The Exotic Strings of Percy Faith."

 

[Mr Bill]

Does Collectibles have a website? Apparently I've been getting them and Collector's Choice mixed up in my web efforts...

--Mr Bill

 

[JMK]

Oldies.com

 

[jimac51]

That confusion about Collectors Choice and Collectables is borderline intentional and I suspect that both companies benefit from the mixups. Collectables is the retail arm of Gotham Distributors,a record distributor based in Philly that deals with lots of domestic vinyl(they still are a primary source for vinyl 45s for many)and have benefited from the doowop revival started by PBS and Rhino(and carried on by Shout! Factory)since doowop and pre-Beatle rock seem to be their passion. Besides music,they produce a lot of public domain material on budget DVD via Alpha Video. Collector's Choice used to be part of the Playboy empire but I think since CC moved from Chicago they spun themselves off from that relationship. CC seems to feature a decent amount of Collectables merchandise on sale but I don't think Collectables carries any of the CC catalog. Mac