Both shocking and extremely cool, this has to be heard to be believed - a 'rock' adapation of Rachmanninov's Prelude in C# minor which really does rock. Cy Coleman lays a huge funky breakbeat and a heavy bassline on top of the beautifully dark, doomy theme. A jazzy guitar comes in and out as the track builds. I've never heard anything quite like it (I mean that in a good way). I am now unable to hear the original piece without Cy Coleman's breakbeat!
A great example of a classical-pop arrangement where a pop song gets a pseudo-classical treatment. Here, this Bacharach classic is rendered with harpsichord and wordless scat vocals, and the result is kitschy but also stunningly beautiful.
11 Jun 05 ·scrubbles: That's a delightful little sample. I've also heard their wonderful rendition of "Always Something There to Remind Me" -- somebody's gotta put that album out on CD!
A storming upbeat bossa on the A & M label, produced by Sergio Mendes. It's a short track which sounds essentially like Mendes's Brasil '66 only better. Walter Wanderley or someone who sounds very like him adds some great touches on the organ, and the singers steal a refrain from Bacharach's then-current 'Casino Royale' movie theme 'Bond Street' and work it into the chorus. Really great stuff, written by a genius: Jorge Ben.
08 May 01 ·tinks: hey, bossa rio!! i have their "alegria!" lp on blue thumb, which was also produced by sergio mendes. really great covers of "spinning wheel", "blackbird", "girl talk", and a few more jorge ben tunes. 08 May 01 ·tinks: ...including the ben song "zazueira", which, coincidentally, i have recommended astrud gilberto & stanley turrentine's version of! 19 May 04 ·cambo: I was interested to note that the bass line from Jorge Ben's Saiupa as played by Bossa Rio (1969)(listen for break after long chorus) sounds remarkably like Gordon Gano's "Gone Daddy Gone" (1980). Is there any aknowledgement from GG on the Violent Femmes album?
An absolutely storming upbeat funky Brazilan pop/bossa track. I've never found anything else in the same vein by Leny Andrade, but this one is truly incredible. From the very beginning, this song is quite relentlessly uplifting. It manages to be very hip and funky, yet emotional and warm at the same time. Far more percussive than most Brazilian stuff I've recommended, this is nevertheless one of my absolute favorites.
A very catchy and percussive hard funk track by Nico Gomez. Electric guitars, a chanting vocal chorus, and an enormous beat. It's wild and relentless and utterly seductive.
from Nico Gomez and His Afro Percussion Inc (Omega)
