Sergio Mendes (1983 Album)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Sergio Mendes'' is an album by Brazilian keyboardist
Sérgio Mendes Sérgio Santos Mendes (; 11 February 1941 – 5 September 2024) was a Brazilian musician. His career took off with worldwide hits by his band Brasil '66. He released 35 albums and was known for playing bossa nova, often mixed with funk. He ...
, released in 1983 on
A&M Records A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and functions as a branch of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Established in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the label initially operated independent ...
. It was his first top 40 album in nearly a decade and a half, his second self-titled album, and was accompanied by his biggest chart single ever, " Never Gonna Let You Go", a song written by
Barry Mann Barry Mann (born Barry Imberman; February 9, 1939) is an American songwriter and musician, and was part of a successful songwriting partnership with his wife, Cynthia Weil. He has written or co-written 53 hits in the UK and 98 in the US. Early ...
and
Cynthia Weil Cynthia Weil (October 18, 1940 – June 1, 2023) was an American songwriter who wrote many songs together with her husband Barry Mann. Weil and Mann were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987, and in 2011, they jointly received the ...
and with a lead vocal performed by
Joe Pizzulo Joe Pizzulo (born June 15, 1951) is an American vocalist best known as one of the lead singers on 1980s hit singles credited to Sérgio Mendes, including " Never Gonna Let You Go" (from Mendes' self-titled 1983 album) and "Alibis" (from the 1984 ...
and Leeza Miller that reached No. 4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The album was released with Spanish-language versions of the songs as ''Picardía''.


Reception

In his retrospective review of the album,
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
’s Richard S. Ginell gave it two stars (of a possible five). He took aim at the hit "Never Gonna Let You Go", calling it "a saccharine ballad, where Joe Pizzulo and Leza Miller sing their banalities while Sergio strums and comps on
synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...
s". He was critical of the album as a whole too, saying "To say that anyone could have made this record may be overstating the case, but the fact is that there is no way of knowing that this is a Sergio Mendes record without looking at the jacket." While not reviewing the whole album, record producer and YouTube personality
Rick Beato Richard John Beato ( ; born April 24, 1962) is an American YouTube personality, multi-instrumentalist, music producer, and educator. Since the early 1980s, he has worked variously as a musician, songwriter, audio engineer, and record producer ...
declared "Never Gonna Let You Go" "the most complicated hit song of all time".


Track listing

#"Voo Doo" (Douglas Brayfield, Ronaldo Monteiro De Souza,
Ivan Lins Ivan Guimarães Lins (born 16 June 1945) is a Latin Grammy-winning Brazilian musician. He has been an active performer and songwriter of Brazilian popular music (MPB) and jazz for over fifty years. His first hit, "Madalena", was recorded by ...
,
Vítor Martins Vítor Martins (born October 22, 1944) is a Brazilian songwriter, known for several hits in Brazil and internationally. Most of these were composed with Ivan Lins (born 1945), with whom Martins began working in the early 1970s. Together, they foun ...
) – 3:55 #" Never Gonna Let You Go" (
Barry Mann Barry Mann (born Barry Imberman; February 9, 1939) is an American songwriter and musician, and was part of a successful songwriting partnership with his wife, Cynthia Weil. He has written or co-written 53 hits in the UK and 98 in the US. Early ...
,
Cynthia Weil Cynthia Weil (October 18, 1940 – June 1, 2023) was an American songwriter who wrote many songs together with her husband Barry Mann. Weil and Mann were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987, and in 2011, they jointly received the ...
) – 4:15 #"My Summer Love" (
Adrienne Anderson Adrienne Anderson is an American songwriter, most notable for being the co-writer of "Could It Be Magic", among other Barry Manilow songs, as well as being the co-writer of signature songs for Dionne Warwick ("Déjà Vu") and Peter Allen (" I Go t ...
,
Serge Gainsbourg Serge Gainsbourg (; born Lucien Ginsburg; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French singer-songwriter, actor, composer, and director. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provocative rel ...
,
Alain Chamfort Alain Chamfort (; born Alain Joseph Yves Le Govic; 2 March 1949) is a French singer of Breton origin. Life and career Chamfort was a promising pianist in his youth, and the piano became his instrument of choice. His first band The Dreamers h ...
) – 4:00 #"Carnaval Festa Do Interior" (Mary Ekler, Moraes Moreira, Abel Silva) – 3:50 #"Rainbow's End" (Don Freeman,
David Batteau David Hurst Batteau (born June 25, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter. Batteau is the son of Blanca Batteau and Dr. Dwight Wayne Batteau, of Harvard University and Tufts University. He is the brother of singer-songwriters Robin Batteau an ...
) – 4:03 #"Love Is Waiting" (David & Jenny Batteau, Don Freeman) – 3:47 #"Dream Hunter" (
Danny Sembello Daniel Bud Sembello (January 15, 1963 – August 15, 2015) was an American songwriter, record producer and multi-instrumentalist. He produced recordings by artists including George Benson and Pebbles, and he had his compositions recorded by Cha ...
,
Michael Sembello Michael Andrew Sembello (born April 17, 1954) is an American singer, guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, composer and producer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sembello was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his 1983 song " ...
) – 3:02 #"Life in the Movies" (Michael Sembello, Dennis Matkosky) – 3:52 #"Sí Señor" (
Juan Carlos Calderón Juan Carlos Calderón López de Arróyabe (7 July 1938 – 25 November 2012) was a Spanish singer-songwriter and musician. Born in Santander, he was the author of "Eres tú", which, performed by Mocedades, came second in the Eurovision Song ...
) – 3:46


Personnel

* Sérgio Mendes – keyboards (1, 4–6, 8), percussion (2–4, 6, 7, 9), acoustic piano (3, 7, 9),
Fender Rhodes The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, t ...
(3, 7, 9), synthesizers (3, 7, 9), arrangements (3, 7, 8), rhythm arrangements (4–6) *
Michael Boddicker Michael Lehmann Boddicker (born January 19, 1953) is an American film composer and session musician, specializing in electronic music. He is a three times National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (N.A.R.A.S.) Most Valuable Player "Synthes ...
– synthesizers (1, 8) * Robbie Buchanan – acoustic piano (2, 5, 6), Fender Rhodes (2, 5, 6), synthesizers (2, 5, 6), arrangements (2), synthesizer horns and string arrangements (5, 6) * Don Freeman – vocals (4), acoustic piano (5, 6),
clavinet The Clavinet is an electric clavichord invented by Ernst Zacharias and manufactured by the Hohner company of Trossingen, West Germany, from 1964 to 1982. The instrument produces sounds with rubber pads, each matching one of the keys and respond ...
(5, 6), rhythm arrangements (5, 6) * Ben Bridges – guitars (1, 4), rhythm arrangements (1) *
Michael Sembello Michael Andrew Sembello (born April 17, 1954) is an American singer, guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, composer and producer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sembello was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his 1983 song " ...
– guitars (1, 4, 5–8), vocals, arrangements (3, 7, 8), rhythm arrangements (5, 6) *
Paul Jackson Jr. Paul Milton Jackson Jr. (born December 30, 1959) is an American Jazz fusion, fusion/urban jazz composer, arranger, producer and guitarist. In addition to being a recording artist in his own right, Jackson is also a session player, with a career ...
– guitars (2, 9) *
Michael Landau Michael Christopher Landau (born June 1, 1958) is an American musician, audio engineer, and record-producer. He is a session musician and guitarist who has played on many albums since the early 1980s with Boz Scaggs, Minoru Niihara, Joni Mitchel ...
– guitar solo (2) *
John Pisano John Pisano (February 6, 1931 – May 2, 2024) was an American jazz guitarist. Biography John Pisano was born in Staten Island, New York, on February 6, 1931. Pisano worked with Herb Alpert, Billy Bean, Chico Hamilton, Peggy Lee, and Joe Pass. ...
– guitars (9) *
Nathan Watts Nathan Lamar Watts (born March 25, 1954, in Detroit, Michigan.) is an American session bassist, best known for his work with Stevie Wonder from the 1970s to the present. He has served as Stevie Wonder's musical director since 1994. Biography ...
– bass (1, 3, 4, 9), rhythm arrangements (1) *
Nathan East Nathan Harrell East (born December 8, 1955) is an American jazz, R&B, and rock bass guitarist and vocalist. With more than 2,000 recordings, East is one of the most recorded bass players in the history of music. East holds a Bachelor of Arts ...
– bass (2, 5, 6, 9) * Louis Johnson – bass (7) * Teo Lima – drums (1, 4, 7), percussion (7) * John Robinson – drums (2, 3) * Raymond Pounds – drums (5) *
Vinnie Colaiuta Vincent Peter Colaiuta (born February 5, 1956) is an American drummer known for his technical mastery who has worked as a session musician in many genres. He was inducted into the ''Modern Drummer'' Hall of Fame in 1996 and the ''Classic Drumme ...
– drums (6) *
Carlos Vega Carlos Vega (December 7, 1956 – April 7, 1998) was a Cuban-born Los Angeles-based session drummer best known for his performances with James Taylor. As a part of the L.A. studio scene from the late 1970s through the 1990s, Vega contributed to ...
– drums (8) *
Ed Greene Ed Greene is an American drummer and session musician. In 1971 he recorded with Donald Byrd ('' Ethiopian Knights'', 1972), together with Thurman Green, Harold Land, Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Sample, Bobbye Porter Hall, David T. Walker, and Wi ...
– drums (9) * Steve Forman – percussion (1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9) * Sebastiao Neto – percussion (1, 3, 4, 6, 7), "voo doo" man (1) * Ron Powell – percussion (3) * Edson Aparecido da Silva (AKA
Cafe A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café (), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, americano and cappuccino, among other hot beverages. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer ''shisha'' (actually called ''nargil ...
) – percussion (4) *
Ernie Watts Ernest James Watts (born October 23, 1945) is an American jazz and R&B saxophonist who plays soprano, alto, and tenor saxophone. He has worked with Charlie Haden's Quartet West and toured with the Rolling Stones. On Frank Zappa's album '' ...
– horns (1, 4), saxophone solo (1) * Bill Reichenbach Jr. – horns (1, 4),
tuba The tuba (; ) is the largest and lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece (brass), mouthpiece. It first appeared in th ...
solo (4) * Gary Grant – horns (1, 4) *
Jerry Hey Jerry Hey (born 1950) is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, horn arranger, string arranger, orchestrator and session musician who has played on hundreds of commercial recordings, including Michael Jackson's '' Thriller'', '' Rock with Y ...
– horns (1, 4), horn arrangements (1, 4) *
Juan Carlos Calderón Juan Carlos Calderón López de Arróyabe (7 July 1938 – 25 November 2012) was a Spanish singer-songwriter and musician. Born in Santander, he was the author of "Eres tú", which, performed by Mocedades, came second in the Eurovision Song ...
– string arrangements (9) Vocals * Leza Miller – vocal solo (1), vocals (1, 2, 4, 6, 8), backing vocals (5, 8) * Carol Rogers – vocal solo (1), vocals (1, 4), backing vocals (5, 8) *
Gracinha Leporace Gracinha Leporace (born Maria da Graça Leporace; 20 January 1950) is a Brazilian singer who worked extensively with her late husband Sérgio Mendes and his band. Leporace was born in Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro. She has a sister, Marianna Leporac ...
– vocals (1, 3), backing vocals (5, 8) * Geoff Lieb – vocals (1, 4) * Bill Martin – vocals (1, 4) * Robert Martin – vocals (1, 4) * Suzanne Wallach – vocals (1, 4), backing vocals (5) *
Joe Pizzulo Joe Pizzulo (born June 15, 1951) is an American vocalist best known as one of the lead singers on 1980s hit singles credited to Sérgio Mendes, including " Never Gonna Let You Go" (from Mendes' self-titled 1983 album) and "Alibis" (from the 1984 ...
– vocals (2) *
Michael Sembello Michael Andrew Sembello (born April 17, 1954) is an American singer, guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, composer and producer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sembello was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his 1983 song " ...
- vocals (3) *
Danny Sembello Daniel Bud Sembello (January 15, 1963 – August 15, 2015) was an American songwriter, record producer and multi-instrumentalist. He produced recordings by artists including George Benson and Pebbles, and he had his compositions recorded by Cha ...
– vocals (5) * Cruz Baca – backing vocals (8) Production * Sérgio Mendes – producer * José Quintana – producer (9) * Geoff Gillette – recording (1, 2, 4–7, 9) * Larry Hinds – recording (3, 8) * Tim Dennen – assistant engineer *
Benny Faccone Benny Faccone is a recording engineer, mixing engineer, and record producer known for his work with Ricky Martin, Santana, Luis Miguel, Maná and Marco Antonio Solís. He has won 5 Grammy Awards and 12 Latin Grammy Awards. Biography Faccone was b ...
– assistant engineer * Bob Winard – assistant engineer *
Bruce Swedien Bruce Swedien ( ) (April 19, 1934 – November 16, 2020) was an American recording engineer, mixing engineer and record producer. He was widely known for his work with Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Paul McCartney and Barbra Streisand. Swedie ...
– mixing *
Bernie Grundman Bernie Grundman (born 16 December 1943, Minneapolis) is an American audio engineer. He is most known for his mastering work and his studio, Bernie Grundman Mastering, which he opened in 1984 in Hollywood. The studio, which includes engineers Chr ...
– mastering at
A&M Studios The Jim Henson Company Lot, formerly A&M Studios, is a studio property located just south of the southeast corner of La Brea Avenue and Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Originally established by film star Charlie Chaplin, the property served as C ...
(Hollywood, California) * Chuck Beeson – art direction * Melanie Nissen – design * Otto Stupakoff – photography


Charts


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sergio Mendes (Album) Sérgio Mendes albums 1983 albums Albums produced by Sérgio Mendes Albums produced by Dave Grusin A&M Records albums