Gostosa . . . It's Only the Beginning

I'm thrilled to have a good buddy Freddy Anzures of P-R-O-P-S.com working with Jacob (aka DJ Guillermo) and yours truly on our new look for the monthly Brazilian affair at Casanova in the Mission. If it's not already crystal claro . . .

Gostosa = Hot or if you want a more prosaic answer, read this.

So, for each monthly party we're gonna feature a different Artista Brasileira (Brazilian artist of the musical variety) on our flyer, eventually culminating in a calendar. It'll be way classier and collectible than a Snap-On Tools cheesecake/soft-porn affair - we're talking only the best of the best from classic Brazilian album covers, back covers, wherever we can find images that cry out "Gostosa".

For our first month we have the lovely and criminally underated Astrud Gilberto. She may have started her career on a fluke: she just happened to be in the recording studio with her then-husband Joao Gilberto during the recording of the classic Getz/Gilberto album and at Creed Taylor's suggesting she sang the English version of "The Girl from Ipanema" lyrics because Joao refused, but she has proven herself to be a classy interpreter of Brazilian and American/Anglo pop songs as well. Her first solo album is a real treat with both Jobim and Donato providing arrangements and she was also responsible for being the first to release many classic Brazilian songs in the US.


Astrud Gilberto - Beginnings
DJ Guillermo hipped me to this tune after wrongly thinking there was nothing worth hearing on some of these late 60s Verve albums. Damn, was I wrong. This, the opening cut off her "September 17, 1969" album is a surprisingly good Brazilian-style cover of the Chicago Transit Authority tune. I was sure Airto was in on this, especially given the percussion breakdown, but its some unknown Italian producer who put this together.

Ode to Bobbie Gentry: Delta Sweetie (Part 2)

If you're wondering where part one of this Bobbie Gentry tribute is, check out the more twang-ified side of Bobbie on my sister blog "Weed, Whites & Wine". I've been curious about Bobbie Gentry for awhile now, since I heard her stomping "Mississippi Delta" (below) on a Blue Note rare groove comp (Blue Juice Vol. 1) so whenever I found a record of hers cheap, I'd snag it. I've got most of them now and recently ripped some of my favorite tunes.

Bobbie pretty much defined pop country alongside Glen Campbell, with whom she did a duet album in her peak year (this one is by far the easiest to fine, but not the best example of her stuff). But unlike Glen, Bobbie took a funkier approach, often using drums way out in front and her guitar strumming style had a really rhythmic feel. She claims that she produced all of her records and that she wasn't credited on the LP back covers because it was just unheard of for a woman to be a producer in the mid-to-late sixties. Below I've collected some of the funkier tracks from Bobbie's albums.

Bobbie Gentry - Mississippi Delta
Ironically, this was the A-side to Bobbie's iconic hit song "Ode to Billy Joe". It's a slamming tune and very different than the haunting B-side. This goes to show that Bobbie came out of the gates firing off funky country pop.



Bobbie Gentry - Son of a Preacher Man
Sure, it's no Dusty, but I would say it K.O.'s Aretha's version. Unlike either Aretha or Dusty, Bobbie actually grew up in the South.


Bobbie Gentry - Find 'em, Fool 'em and Forget 'em
An interesting song selection, but checking out the steamy cover painting, you get she's going for a seductive almost pop-feminist theme. In this tune she learns the hard way the downside to being a player and getting played.

Bobbie Gentry - He Made a Woman Out of Me
This is kinda like flip perspective from the last song. You should check out the Weed, Whites & Wine post to hear the title track from this album, which explores similar territory.


Bobbie Gentry - Rainmaker
A nice version of this semi-funky Nilsson tune.

This is a great single-only tune from 1970. I gotta get this one.


and this really great clip of Donovan on Bobbie's show singing a duet on Donovan's Zen Pop song "There is a Mountain":


and one more very groovy version of the classic bayou blue-eyed soul "Niki Hoeky":

Intergalactic Space Funk: Phase I: Launch

The Ambassador - Intergalactic Space Funk: Phase I: Launch
As promised a few months ago, here's the newest installment of the SPACE FUNK. This is part one of several future chapters of Space Funk. To be honest, I messed up the mix shortly after this section was completed and that seemed like a good enough reason to break these up into sections and thematically it works too. This first "Phase" is about leaving earth and journeying into space. The mix starts off with some general funkiness with plenty of spacy keyboards and then slowly builds until you are blasting off into space. The next phase will find our intrepid space funkateers on the Moon and beyond.

This mix was re-inspired by my Friday night activities at San Francisco's "Ghetto Futuristic Psychedelic Funkadelic Electronic Erotic Dance Party happening" aka "Future Shock". Big ups to Freddy, Marky, Jason & Stefan for throwing a great party and inspiring me to complete phase I and beyond . . .

T.G.I. Mutha Funkin' Friday!

It's about time we leave Brazil and get back to home turf for some smokin' tunes perfect for getting ready for the weekend. I'm still neck-deep in Tim Maiania, but everyone needs a break sometimes. I'm sure he'll be making another appearance here in not too long. Today's post has been in the procrastinating for months, if not years. A while back I chance upon two excellent disco 12"s that had a theme in common - Friday Night! And then I remembered another great Friday song that couldn't be more different in style than disco, but that's why this blog is called "Soul Spectrum", because I don't keep to one genre, but just play what I want, when I want and today its kick-ass Friday tunes!

Black Oak Arkansas - Hot Rod (live)
I got this record back in the glory days of 50 cent records at Everyday Music in Portland, OR. My brother and Mr. Morgan turned me on to this digging "technique" back in the summer of 2001 as I was just beginning to fill out my crates with everything from disco to rock. I found this album and quickly realized that this group was on a whole nother level. If Lynyrd Skynyrd is the poor-man's Allman Brothers' Band, then Black Oak Arkansas is the illiterate, inbred-man's Lynyrd Skynyrd. Fronted by a long-haired hillbilly by the name of "Big" Jim Dandy (who plays electrified washboard), these guys have no shame about their Southern pastimes (Hot Rod) or the Arkansas weather forecast (Hot & Nasty) or their dystopic visions of the future (Mutants of the Monster). I also liked that this live album was recorded in Seattle and Portland, confirming that the pasty-white Pacific Northwest is a not-too-distant cousin of the southern poor-white-trash. This song is all about the opening monologue and is specifically why its starts off today's Friday playlist.

Bell & James - Livin' It Up (Friday Nite)
And now we make the not-so-subtle transition to our disco double-whammy. This one I came across on some "Paradise Garage Classics" mix and managed to score the 12" at a flea market in Brooklyn. Pretty straight-ahead late 70s disco just the way I like it. The instrumental break-down is particularly nice.

The Fantastic Aleems featuring Leroy Burgess - Get Down Friday Nite
I snagged this one for a pretty penny from a friend, DJ Gerald McBoing Boing and though I rarely spend more than a couple bucks on a 12", this one was well worth it. Here we have the identical twins, the Aleem brothers, with some help from boogie-king Leroy Burgess getting us ready for the weekend. I absolutely love the use of the keyboards on this to create a kind of dissonant effect which makes the production stand out all the more.

Freeez - Southern Freeez (LP version)
OK, so this song has nothing explicitly to do with Friday, but I chanced upon it while reorganizing and remembered that I had wanted to blog about it. I have listened to it at least a half dozen times in the past 24 hours and need to share it with the rest of you. Josh Nice bought this for me on eBay and it just arrived unannounced in my mailbox. Many thanks, JC! I was also reminded of this song because I came across this album on the ever-great "My Jazz World" blog. This song is one of those "Greatest Feeling" kinda jams. And I guess that's what makes it a great Friday song. Just get in that ecstatic weekend mind state and rock to this.

If You Think ... Roberto Carlos Is Just a Douche

. . . then you haven't been checking the song-writing credits on your favorite artists' best songs. Roberto is the better-known half of one of Brazil's best known and loved songwriting teams. Along with brother - from - another - mother Erasmo, Roberto wrote some classic pop tunes that were covered by a broad spectrum of MPB artists. Today, we're just gonna take one of his songs more popular songs from the late 60s and show you how a wide variety of Brazilian musicians from across the musical spectrum covered this classic jam.

Roberto Carlos - Se Você Pensa
"Se Você Pensa" was originally recorded for Roberto's 1967 album "O Inimitavel". The groove and hook are clearly in place on the original version and both of these elements are experimented with on the subsequent covers. The song is basically an ultimatum to a selfish lover, but I could have the lyrics wrong. For Roberto it's got the best of both worlds: love and anger, both of which he emotes pretty convincingly.

Gal Costa - Se Você Pensa
One of the next cover versions came from the queen of Tropicalia, Gal Costa. You can hear the fuzz quotient getting increased significantly and the aggressive lyrics getting more snarl and bite from the young and adventurous Gal on her first solo album.

Wilson das Neves - Se Você Pensa
Funky drummer Wilson das Neves takes on this classic on his 1969 album and really speeds up the tempo. This is the first of three instrumental covers of this song and you can hear that even in an instrumental the song has legs and can really run!

Eliana Pittman - Se Você Pensa
I had the great pleasure of catching Ms. Pittman perform at a small restaurant / bar in downtown São Paulo back in the summer of 2004. She's a marvelous vocalist that has excelled in the jazz field as well as the samba scene and even doing funkier material. This album from 1969 has her stretching out on her own following the passing of her father, the famous American horn player Booker Pittman, who she recorded with prior to this album. I'm not sure who's playing behind her, but whoever it is THEY SMOKE! Just check out her immaculate phrasing on her cover of today's tune.

Som Tres - Se Você Pensa
Another instrumental groover from the always excellent Som Tres. From the same year as the Eliana and Wilson versions, but with a unique approach nonetheless.

Luiz Eça - Se Você Pensa
There were two versions of this tune by Luiz Eça to choose from, this one and the one from his super-rare Luiz Eça y La Sagrada Familia, which has vocals and was recorded in Mexico. This version opens with a huge drum break and proceeds to jazz it up a bit.

Moraes Moreira - Se Você Pensa
The final version is from several years later, 1975, and was recorded by one of Novos Baianos' frontmen, Moraes Moreira, for his first solo album. He only recorded one cover song on this album and he choose to take on Roberto's iconic tune with a proto-punk high-speed guitar onslaught. This track was also featured on the Brazilian soap opera soundtrack for the show "Pecado Capital."

All I'm Saying is . . . Give Cheese a Chance!

Thanks to DJ Sean Marquand of Brazilian Beat Brooklyn flashed this James Last Orchestra album cover one late night at Black Betty and then months later (two weeks ago) I chanced upon this record for $0.20 at the annual Housing Works vinyl & paperback sale in New York City.















The track of note on this album is the surprisingly authentic Batucada cut called "Happy Brasilia". It kinda blows my mind that this troupe of marginally funky and rhythmically challenged Germans could deliver such a stomping and percussive homage to the Brazilian Samba. But, evidently I've been sleeping on the wonders of James Last as you can see here from the Wax Poetics online content - not funky enough to make the print issue, but funky enough for the internets.

James Last Orchestra - Give Peace a Chance
The other track of note is their sing-along romp through John & Yoko's "Give Peace a Chance." I haven't listened to the original in ages, but I love the funky intro to this chant-along and maybe because I haven't heard this song a million times, this version doesn't offend so much.

James Last Orchestra - Happy Brasilia
Teutonic Samba - dig it!

Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass - Summertime
And now on to the king of Cheese. It's hard to completely hate Herb because he gave us three great things: 1) A&M records, 2) The song "Rise" which most of you will recognize from the samplage in the Biggie tune "Hypnotize", and 3) Lani Hall, his wife the solo artist and former singer in Sergio Mendes & Brazil '66.

This version of "Summertime" has an arrangement that is just different enough that I can get down to it. The credits from the back of the record suggests that Herb was inspired by Ahmad Jamal's version of the song.

If You Haven't Noticed It Yet . . .

I started a new audio blog dedicated to a slightly different genre of music. It's called "Weed, Whites & Wine". The Format is similar to Soul Spectrum, but the content is of the twangy, strumming variety. I felt that this other passion of mine didn't really have a home on Soul Spectrum and so it deserved its own venue.

It's a bit of a "soft-launch" as I'm about a half-dozen posts into WW&W already, but my most recent post might hold a bit of interest for Soul Spectrum followers because of the funky drum-break cut "Super Soul Theme" from the soundtrack to the film "Vanishing Point" as performed by the J.B. Pickers. Check it out here: Weed, Whites & Wine.

Os Mutantes Record Rundown

So one of the most interesting parts of my discussions with Sergio Dias of Os Mutantes was a record-rundown of the most influential records that informed Os Mutantes distinctive sound. For the super-fans out there Sergio's selections make some obvious sense but I dare you to come up with a list of 15 records before clicking the link and see if you can guess them. If you get more than 4 albums or artists I'll be impressed. After reading his selections I find it makes perfect sense why each of these records were picked. Anyways, I hope you enjoy.

Check Your Magazine

The latest issue of Wax Poetics has not one, but TWO contributions from yours truly. The subject of today's post is my first attempt at writing a "Re:Discovered" column where a lesser known or misunderstood song or album gets highlighted in (hopefully) an amusing or interesting manner by the column's author. I won't copy the text here as I'd like to support the magazine and encourage you to pick up a copy here. But what I can is showcase the inspiration for the column with the MP3 that inspired my prose as well as the even rarer original version of the song from the bootleg album "The Lost Paul McCartney Album."

I first heard of this track on a bootleg dance music compilation in Brazil that masked the original artists in an attempt to avoid lawsuits. Its a cool comp with a Tim Maia jam, some 80s funk and then this Paul McCartney track. I would have had no idea it was the "cute beatle" but the notation next to the track read "PMC" and this sherlock pieced it together!

Paul McCartney - Check My Machine (single version)
This one is not too tricky to find out in the field. The A-side, "Waterfalls", was a pretty popular track so it can be found here and there. I even noticed that there is a Brazilian 12" with this track on the flip, presumably in it 5+ minute "single" version.

Paul McCartney - Check My Machine (original version)
This came from a double-LP bootleg of the sessions that resulted in the "McCartney II" album. I apologize for the crappy quality of the MP3, but I'm pretty sure its a result of the crappy bootleg, not my recording technique or equipment. (UPDATE: thanks to Brion, we have a CD quality version now uploaded - thanks, Brion!)

I think most of you will agree that the single version is superior to this one, but for completists like myself, this is illuminating. Listening to this one after the released version you get to see the benefits of judicious editing. Also, note that the computer voice that opens the track "Hi George . . . Morning Terry" is omitted as it goes right into the Flintstones' dialog "Sticks & stones . . ."

California Dreaming

Only two days left on the job, an apartment to pack and a wedding to go to and then we're off . . . California bound!

The Four Tops - California Dreaming
I know this is an obvious song for this moment, but this Four Tops version takes it in new directions with a kinda somber dirge-like plodding pace. The more I listen to this version, the more I love it. Especially the intro . . . I wonder which "top" sings those first lines, "All the leaves are brown . . ."


Eyes on the Prize - The Holland Tunnel

Holland Tunnel - John Phillips
This has become Jamie and my theme song as of late as we think about finishing everything: wrapping up our jobs, packing up the apartment, saying goodbye to friends and finally hitting the road.
You can tell that John Phillips was trying to tap into a bit of that magic that made California Dreaming such a monstrous hit and while this song falls short of that original ode to westward travel, it is a marvelous song that kinda tells anothe side of the story that you hear in "Dreaming." With two days left on the job and the apartment to pack on Wednesday, for Jamie and I , all we need to do is "drive through that Holland Tunnel . . ."

Introducing . . . Erasmo Carlos!

When talking about a musician from another country (excepting the U.K.) it is common to refer to them as the French/Japanese/Russian version of some famous anglo-american musician. Therefore, Caetano Veloso is the Brazilian Bob Dylan and Roberto Carlos is the Brazilian Elvis and so on. Using that recipe, I'm trying to think of how to describe Erasmo Carlos. He's of the same vintage as Roberto Carlos (unrelated), but his output has always been more daring, more creative and more consistently listenable, especially his golden era spanning the entire decade of the 1970s.

Erasmo was one of three pop idols that dominated the Jovem Guarda scene. Roberto was the King and Wanderlea, the queen, but where did that leave Erasmo? He didn't have the heartthrob looks of his songwriting partner Roberto, but he did have the rock credentials and when the poppy Jovem Guarda scene of the mid-to-late sixties gave way to the experimental styles of Tropicalia and roots-based MPB he was better suited than either of his pop-idols companions to whether the storm with his dignity and reputation intact. I think it was his position in the heart of the pop world, but slightly in the shadow of Roberto that allowed him the freedom to be a pioneer in Brazilian rock.

I'm not sure who I would compare Erasmo to from the available universe of Ango-American pop stars. He rocked as hard as the Stones, but had pop-chops as infectious as the Beatles. He was as Brazilian as the Kinks were British. He was as groovy as Sly Stone and with his song-writing partnership with his brother-from-another-mother, Roberto, he was as prolific and as oft-covered as Lennon & McCartney. Here it is: Erasmo Carlos is the Brazilian Erasmo Carlos.

The following song are by no means Erasmo's only songs or even his best ones. I actually didn't include some of my favorites of his as I wanted to save some goodies for later. I did try to diplay a wide ranging selection that gives you all a understanding of Erasmo's depth and breadth during his "golden era."


Download: Coqueiro Verde
His open ears took him a variety of directions beginning with his 1970 album, "Erasmo Carlos e Os Tremendoes" from 1970 where he pioneered the "Samba Rock" sound with the groundbreaking hit "Coquiero Verde". I believe it is the legendary Samba Rock group Trio Mocoto backing him up on this genre-defining tune. Anyone out there know if this is the first recording or if that honor belongs to Trio Mocoto?.

When I had the chance to interview Sergio Dias of Os Mutantes I asked him about Erasmo as I knew he had recorded with him on Erasmo's following record, "carlos, erasmo." This is what Sergio had to say:

"Erasmo is a hell of a guy. He is the rocker behind Roberto. He is the real spirit of rock and roll. He was the guy who always has been the rocker. He is a real icon. He had so many hits, and he was responsible for so many of Roberto’s hits also, because he shared the composition. And he is great. With Erasmo, what you see is what you get, which is just fantastic. A lovely guy, full of heart, like his music."



Download: Cica, Cecilia
The following song, "Cica, Cecilia" is from Erasmo's next album, "carlos, erasmo" from 1971. This along with his following album, "Sonhos e Memorias 1941-1972" are his truly great albums, both nearly flawless. This is the rockier of the two and features guests like Arthur Verocai, Sergio Dias, Lanny Gordin among others. I'm pretty sure the arrangement on this song is by Verocai.



Download: Mundo Cao
And here is the true masterpiece of Brazilian Rock, "Sonhos e Memorias 1941-1972" from 1972. This album rivals anything released anywhere else in the world during the 1970s, therefore of ALL TIME! I admit, I'm a bit biased, but for this kind of melodic pop music, Erasmo Carlos is untouchable. Get the album. You can find it here on J Thyme . . . . Kind
. Scroll down to find both classic Erasmo LPs as ripped by our dear friend Gregzinho.



Download: Dietar e Rolar
Next up we have my all-time favorite song of Erasmo's from his 1974 LP "1990 Projeto Salva Terra." The album is a step down from his previous two, but is still quite good and includes this beautiful song with some excellent jazzy chord changes and transitions: "Deitar e Rolar"





Download: Triângulo dos Biquinis
And finally we skip one album "Banda Dos Contentes" for his excellent 1978 album "Pelas Esquinas da Ipanema" with this jazzy-funk nugget: "Triângulo dos Biquinis" which I'm sure all of you can translate without any help. I just love the horn-driven outro.


I love the picture below of Erasmo and Roberto on a break from shooting a movie, chilling in Japan. If I'm not mistaken that looks like Shibuya.

El Año Pasado en México

Download: Gloria
It was this time last year that I had the good fortune to travel to Mexico. The trip was for my job (Fair Trade handcrafts, etc), but I managed to sneak in some leisure time as well and even got to dig for a little south-of-the-border vinyl. The one Mexican record that I was pleased to get was a 4-song EP from Los Rockin' Devils which featured a couple covers and some originals (I think). Actually the only passable song on the EP is their cover of the Them's "Gloria" which we have here. Sadly, my copy is pretty beat up and the only song that cannot play through is this one.
Los Rockin' Devils



Download: Cambia, Cambia
The band I was desperately hoping to track down was Los Dug Dug's. I got pretty damn close, but the one day I was searching for records in Mexico City was a national holiday (the inauguration of the new president of Mexico, Felipe Calderon. In addition to getting to know the netherworlds of Mexico City by way of the used junk stalls, I got to witness the tail end of some massive protests opposing President Calderon's ascension to power. Some of you might remember, there was a very populist candidate who still claims that the election was his. Another souvenir from this trip was a T-shirt with Obredor's charicature on it saying "Presidente Legítimo."
Back to the records . . . the only stores I could find during my day of digging were all closed so I settled for some Mexican pressings of New York Salsa and the aforementioned Los Rockin' Devils EP. This is what I wanted to find though. Read more about Los Dug Dug's here.



Download: Amor
While, we're diverging slightly from typically "soulful" sounds here, I thought I'd throw in some Brazilian glam. Secos & Molhados are the kiss of Brazil, before there was a Kiss . . . ponder that. Actually, they're more like the inheritors of Os Mutantes' freak-rock crown. When the Mutants lost some steam around 1972 or so when lead singer Rita Lee went solo, the Mutants moved into a very proggy direction. They very well may have been forging new ground in Brazilian prog, but to be honest I don't care that much. Secos & Molhados, meaning "Dry & Wet" as in wet and dry goods for sale, picked up where Os Mutantes left off and in place of a female lead singer, they had Ney Matogrosso, who just sounded like a girl. S&M, no coincidence I'm sure, lasted two studio albums and one live album before Ney went solo and became a gay diva, not that he wasn't one already . . . think "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" in Portuguese. Their first two albums are superb Brazilian rock with no small share of funky moments like the "Assim Assado" which translates to "Thus Baked" according to Babel Fish . . . so I think you get my drift.