Saved by Bell?

[Trevor]

After Primal Roots (Raizes), Sergio left A&M and went to Bell Records who had such artists as: Tony Orlando and Dawn, Fifth Dimension, Terry Jacks, Vickie Lawrence…
The first Bell Record for Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’77 was “Love Music”.

Brasil ’77 now consisted of:

Bass: Sebastian Neto
Drums: Claudio Slon
Guitar: Oscar Neves
Percussion: Paulinho da Costa
Congas: Laudir Oliveira
Vocals: Gracinha Leporace and Bonnie Bowden

Paulinho takes over for Rubens Bassini.
And Brasil ’77 has a new singer: Bonnie Bowden who is heavily featured on this album.

The album’s song list is:
1. Where is the Love
2. Put a Little Love Away
3. Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight
4. Killing Me Softly with Song
5. Love Music

1. You Can’t Dress Up a Broken Heart
2. Hey, Look at the Sun
3. Walk the Way You Talk
4. I Won’t Last a Day without You
5. I Can See Clearly Now

How would you rate the album Love Music and why?

 

[Trevor]

I guess I should respond to my own poll.

I gave this album a 6...

I really do like Love Music and Killing me softly and...
I really adore Bonnie!!!! *and of course Gracinha*

The song selection for this album seems a bit tame, almost lame.

But for me, The Live Album (Carnaval?) that follows this album has better live versions of these songs. I can remember finding this album in Japan some years ago while I was on a trip for work. I was so excited!

I am glad that Vintage'74 came next. That album is a classic!!

 

[Steven J. Gross]

It was such a cheesy album, but had some undeniable high points. Very strange album for Sergio.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

That album was a clear attempt by Bones Howe, Bob Alcivar and probably a bunch of other label "suits" to get Sergio back on the charts by converting the band into a kind of "Fifth Dimension Lite." I like Bonnie Bowden's voice, but she is no Lani Hall, and Gracinha sounds kind of uncomfortable on this album, in my opinion.

It has its moments, especially the Lambert/Potter tunes, but to me it's a severe letdown after Stillness, Pais and Primal.

The Vintage '74 album is miles better.

Who the heck was the Bell art director, anyway? These are probably the worst-looking Sergio album covers ever, excepting Magic Lady, which is in a class by itself.

 

[Steven J. Gross]

Man, I agree Mike. That person at Bell had a talent for making the worst cover art I can recall, look at the Baja Marimba Band's Bell album. Same type of junk.

 

[Rudy]

That BMB album cover wasn't the worst, but it just looked like Julius and a bunch of Mexican-attired stand-ins. But I also think it was a play on words: the Baja Marimba Band's "Backs", so to speak. It's not as clever as their best A&M albums, for sure, especially without the running gag.

 

[Brasil_Nut]

I gave Love Music an 8...

Love Music, Hey Look At The Sun, Walk The Way You Talk (which received pretty good airplay in our area) and You Can't Dress Up A Broken Heart were standouts for me. Agreed all the way across the board on Gracinha...she's incredible!

The song selection--quite middle of the road--was, for the most part, tame in comparison to Sergio's A&M albums. I think a couple of things contributed to this. For one, Bell wanted to present a new image of Brasil '77. For another, Bonnie's sweet vocals didn't have the "bite" that Geri and Karen had when matched with Gracinha--a softer, sweeter sound than we were used to. Brasil '77 had changed in more ways than one.

Agreed on the live album. I remember seeing Bonnie sing live on many occasions, and the girl had soul! Just listen to her on Something...wow!! Also, Sergio's band (at the time) was incredible on stage, very tight. This, combined with Gracinha & Bonnie on vocals, made for a sensational ensemble. I loved the early to mid Brasil '77 years.

Now, Vintage '74 presented a fresh perspective on Sergio's trademark sound. I agree with you entirely...it is a classic. Such a different sound from Love Music. However, each album has it's own sound, a different approach. If rating Vintage '74 as well, I'd give it a definite "10".

Jon...the "Brasil Nut"

 

[musiclover2]

I voted a 10 on this LP-I love the blending of Grachina's and Bonnie's voices. What a lovely and nice album this was. My favorites on the LP are: "Put A Little Love Away", "Hey Look At the Sun", "I Won't Last a Day Without You", "Love Music", to name a few. The album was quite good, I think. I rated it a 10 beacause of the great vocals and great musicians who played on the song. Sergio sure did find some great musicians to plays on his LPs. Although, I admit it, the girls vocals are, to me, in my opinion are the best part of this LP. I only wished that Bonnie and Grachina recorded more songs together. These ladies could sing!-this LP is what musci should be all about-happiness, feel good music!-I was born when this Lp first came out, so this give away my age, but I still love the "older"
music though, some of the best recordings I have ever heard were from the 60's and 70's!

 

[JMK]

For some reason the "buttons" to vote in the poll didn't come up on the page for me (tried refreshing several times), but I'd probably give this one a 7. By coincidence, I've been listening a lot to this for the last couple of days, especially "Love Music", the single.

There's absolutely no doubt this was an attempt to get Sergio much needed airplay and chart action. Though I'm sure the Bell "suits" had something to do with this, I also think Sergio wanted hits, especially at this point of his career. Remember he states quite clearly in the 4 disc interview that he was never dictated to by any label, and also remember Claudio's comments on the old Board about Sergio's desire for commercial success after Lani left.

There's no doubt a lot of this material is substandard, at least when measured by the heights Sergio hit with his best A&M material. But, as the All Music Guide reviewer notes, it is pleasant (at least). I've commented on other threads that I think some of the anemia of these sessions can be tied to Tom Scott's orchestrations. I think Alcivar's vocal arrangements are quite excellent--as I've also stated before, listen to how well and frequently he incorporates usually relatively dissonant major seconds into the "Where is the Love" arrangement, for example.

I think the bottom line is, Sergio wanted a change. I remember quite well being in a music store in a mall in 1973 when a young woman came in and, as I was standing right next to the Sergio rack, asked an employee if he knew where to find "Love Music." The guy showed her and I of course started giving her the entire Sergio story (which probably scared her, come to think of it ). While I told her "Love Music" was a "nice" album, she should try out the earlier A&M stuff. Her response was "I've never bought a Sergio Mendes album before, and I heard this one on the radio, so I'll start here." I think that's exactly what Sergio was attempting at this point in his career--giving enough of the classic Brasil '66 sound (especially in the rhythm arrangements which on the Bell albums are mixed much further forward than on a lot of the A&M LPs) while reaching out to new fans.[/i]

 

[Dave]

***** Five Stars -- Seems to be more EZ Listening-Mood Music than anything Brasilian of the early years. Quite a hint that something like "Never Gonna Let You Go" would be in the group's future--more "Big Hit Pop Song Quality" than anything like a PRIMAL ROOTS, STILLNESS or those guys and gals on HERB ALPERT PRESENTS and EQUINOX.

Someone must have been listening to that Carnival Album and trying to get in touch with Bones Howe and Bob Alcivar for years.

"Love Music", "Put A Little Love Away" and "You Can't Dress Up A Broken Heart" and "Funny You Should Say That", that actually went on VINTAGE '74, sounded like an attempt to have Dennis Lambert & Brian Potter produce. And somehow everything they produced always sounded, well, rather depressing... :|

I like LOVE MUSIC and a lot better than VINTAGE '74, so I figured "5" is at least a good half-way between "0" and '10". But, "Walk The Way You Talk", "Hey Look At The Sun" and "I Can See Clearly Now", no matter how optimistic the group wants to sound, can't quite shake off that melancholy feeling projected from "Where Is The Love?", onward.

The Elektra material, at least on Sergio Mendes and HOME COOKING seem to be a bit of a continuation of groping for a more "Pop" style than building on their once trademarked Brasilian Signature Sound. I briefly had that third Elektra album, I think it was just called Sergio Mendes & Brasil '77. And never went beyond that except for briefly owning MAGIC LADY around the same time.

The years at A&M just seemed to be more of what the group was about and they should have learned from PAIS TROPICAL not to go too "commercial".

Dave

 

[Harry]

Interesting how a thread from almost a year ago, once revived, can garner more interest - and I seemed to have missed replying back then.

I like LOVE MUSIC, particularly the title track, one of the best tunes from the Bell era. My disappointment in the album came from the fact that it WASN'T on A&M - a surprise when I went to the record store to buy it. Back in those days, without info and updates from the Internet, I pretty much relied on what I heard on radio to clue me in on new releases. After skipping PRIMAL ROOTS (no radio hits!), I remember being happy to hear Sergio on the air again with "Love Music" and a few other tracks that my radio station featured, and knew I had to get to a record store to find this new album. But as I said, disappointment set in when I saw the Bell logo and realized that Sergio had left A&M. I bought the album anyway, and grew to like a few of the tracks.

For me, side one always played better than side two. And to this day, I seem to lose interest after hearing the title track, the last one on the old side one.

Harry
...finally replying to an old thread, online...

 

[JMK]

Harry, I had EXACTLY the same reaction when this album came out--I can still remember driving home one night (I think I may have even still had my learner's permit at this point) and "Love Music" came on the radio without a pre-announce, and I thought, wow this sounds like Sergio, but who's that singer? At the end, they back announced it and, again, I remember as if it were today, the DJ saying "That's Sergio Mendes & Brasil '77. They're lookin' to the future, aren't they?" And I was SO excited that Sergio was on the radio again! About a day later, the group appeared on the Merv Griffin Show in the afternoon and did Love Music and I Can See Clearly Now. Merv held up the album cover but I couldn't tell what it said, and they didn't announce the title. On the tiny tv screen I literally thought the album was called "Live Plastic" (which, come to think of it....nah) and called the big record store (remember those?) in downtown SLC the next day to see if they had the new Sergio in. When the guy told me it was called Love Music I kind of did a "duh" and ran down and bought it. When I saw it wasn't A&M, I was really shocked--Sergio and A&M seemed inseparable to me.

And I also agree with you about Side 2, with the exception of Hey Look at the Sun which in some ways is my favorite track on the album. Angelo (the composer/lyricist) was a good friend of a flutist/sax guy I used to gig with here a lot and Claudio emailed me years ago that Angelo was one of his favorite guys from the old LA scene.

 

[Brasil_Nut]

I remember seeing LOVE MUSIC for the first time and thinking, 'Hey! This is the Partridge Family and Fifth Dimension label!' I was intriqued and bought the album. Glad I did.

Although I've mentioned this before, I remember the first time we listened to LOVE MUSIC. I put it on the stereo in the Family Room. Half way through the opening track, Mom walked into the room and said, "It's there. The sound is there, but it's different. Who is singing here?" "A girl named Bonnie Bowden and Gracinha," I replied. "Aha!" she smiled, "No more Geri Stevens...there's the difference!" Indeed, she was right. LOVE MUSIC (as Jeff said) had enough of the Brasil '66 influence to give way to a fresher sound.

Then again, if I had to choose a favorite of the two Bell albums, I'd still have to go with VINTAGE '74. LOVE MUSIC didn't have Brasilian material (song-wise). However, the sound and rhythm were there. VINTAGE '74 was an equal mix of Brasilian and Pop material -- exactly what one would expect of a Mendes release.

Jon

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I like LOVE MUSIC, particularly the title track, one of the best tunes from the Bell era. My disappointment in the album came from the fact that it WASN'T on A&M - a surprise when I went to the record store

Agreed on this whole sentence. I remember hearing the title tune for the first time on KGHL Radio, a station in Billings (100 miles away from here!) and I wrote them a postcard saying I loved the song and to please keep playing it. They responded by sending me a 45 of the song. I was shocked -- SHOCKED when I opened it up and saw it wasn't on A&M. I loved that title song though, and still do. For me, it's probably the best thing Sergio did in the 70s, post A&M that is.

 

[TulitaPepsi]

Remember 'Julia', the TV show that had Diahann Carroll trying to be Doris Day? Thats what I think of when I hear LOVE MUSIC. Sergio & Co. were trying to be smoothly fun and agreeably peppy without being TOO ethnic (what a turnabout from PRIMAL ROOTS!!!) Its a fun, rather innocent sounding album, but it lacks the Sergioness of Brasil '66 at its best. For one thing, its sexless. Nothing like Lani's breathlessness a la 'Like A Lover' or Karen's deep blues on 'Moanin''. The one funny sexy thing I remember well were in the pix of the group on the back of the album (whch I liked a LOT. I loved seeing pics othe whole group with everybody identified)...Bonnie very poised and ladylike while Gracinha at her back, was shakin' her groove thang! "Whoo! Girl-friend!"

I remember seeing the group perform the title track 'live' on Mike Douglas or Merv Griffin when the record first came out, (it sounded very muffled...and had a cassette tape of it that disintegrated over time) and finding Bonnies recorded' version much more powerful by comparison. Love the title track, 'Put A Little Love Away' and 'Don't let me be lonely tonight' (a great cute, and it is kinda sexy...but come on...if Karen or Lani had sung that the vinyl would have melted)

I'm with Dave on the strangely melancholic aspect of much of the cuts. Side 2 is almost mournful, with a haunting 'I Won't Last A Day Without You'. "Even I Can See Clearly Now' can't shak the slighty down feeling.

 

[JMK]

I also hear the melancholic aspect, which, frankly (at least for me) is also evident on Vintage '74. I think Sergio was depressed at this point, as his massive weight gain (in evidence somewhat on the back of Vintage '74) shows (he was downright hefty when I saw him during this period).

That's why "Homecooking" has always been such a favorite of mine--it was like Sergio got his groove back. He had lost weight, the new singers and backup players were superb, and the whole sound was reinvigorated. Compare the funkalicious grooves of "Homecooking" to either of the Bell Albums or even the first Elektra album and it's hard to believe it's the same band.