Arnold Bean – I Can See Through You

Trying to come up with just seven of the hundreds of songs that I’ve shared over the past seven years here on this site was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be. While there are many songs that I really love (almost all of them showed up on the anniversary mix), there are only a handful of songs that I simply couldn’t do without. The kind of songs that I’ve listened to countless times over the years. There may be deeper, more psychedelic or more soulful songs I’ve shared over the years, but there are few that have given as much joy as this song. Hearing it once is never enough. Sometimes hearing it ten times in a row is not enough. Everything I said about it all the way back in 2010 still hold true:

“I Can See Through You” showcases the best aspects of the band, really easy style to the vocals, nice rolling guitar lines and extra crisp drum work. It’s the combination of these elements, especially during the chorus, that makes this song my favorite on the record and one that I find myself returning the needle to the grooves again and again since I picked this one up.

Quite possibly the single best “free” record I’ve ever gotten in my entire life…

Los Van Van – Llegue Llegue
Los Van Van – A Ver Que Sale
Los Van Van – Mi Ritmo Caliente
Los Van Van – Solo Soy Un Van Van

Today is known as the “Day Of Rebellion” in Cuba. The 26th of July effectively marks the beginning of the revolution led by Fidel Castro, with the attack on the Moncada barracks in Santiago De Cuba in 1953. On this day, it made sense to share a record that I picked up on my most recent trip to Cuba. Los Van Van, along with Irakere, are perhaps the most well known Cuban band of the 1970s. They created a dynamite fusion of styles, a ritmo called “Songo” that is mixes elements of Afro-cuban music with some deep and heavy funk. This was a record I was really hoping to find, and though this copy isn’t exactly pristine (Cuban vinyl tends to have been well loved, either by previous owners or by the sunshine and heat of the island), it showcases that monster sound of these early days of Los Van Van and the revolutionary rhythms of Cuba.

Leigh Stephens – Another Dose Of Life

Gonna take a little break from the DJ equivalent of writer’s block to highlight one of my absolute favorite Psychedelic songs. As I mentioned, all the way back in 2010, this was a record that I literally walked into, on a trip to the short lived, but much beloved Records LA store. Scott Craig had just started playing a reissue of this album when I walked in, and coming into “Another Dose Of Life” provided exactly what the title promised. I’d loved the Leigh Stephens’ era of Blue Cheer, but had never heard his solo work. It was then, and remains a complete revelation. One of my absolute favorite listening experiences, seemingly better every single time I listen to it.

Eduardo Araújo e Silvinha – Opanige
Eduardo Araújo e Silvinha – Manda Embora Tristeza
Eduardo Araújo e Silvinha – Capoeira
Eduardo Araújo e Silvinha – O Tempo Que Esse Tempo Tem

Still haven’t made much progress in getting together my promised Brazilian mix, and it’s all because of records like this. Eduardo and Silvinha Araujo were initially connected to the pre-Tropicália Jovem Guarda rock movement. Even as their sounds got increasingly funky as the 60s moved into the 70s, there was always a bit of the rock edge to them. This album first found it’s way on my radar due to the inclusion of “Opanige” in one of Madlib’s Medicine Shows. Though that song is a monster, the whole album is pretty dope, as you can tell from the other tracks above.

Strangely enough (well, strange to me at least) in more recent years, Eduardo Araujo made a switch to Country music…maybe it was just too difficult to top just how funky things got here in 1976.

Jards Macalé – Let’s Play That
Jards Macalé – 78 Rotacoes
Jards Macalé – Revendo Amigos

I’m thinking that Brazilian mix probably won’t be ready to go until Monday, as I keep finding it difficult to stop listening to records and actually think about mixing them together in some form or fashion. Latest to stop me from getting things done the way I want to is this album from Jards Macalé. Macalé was a pivotal figure in the Tropicália movement, though he didn’t record much under his own name, you can find his fingerprints all over albums from Gal Costa, Caetano Veloso and his sister Maria Bethania.

This album was recorded with just a trio, but a mighty one, with Macalé on vocals and guitar, Tuti Moreno on the drums and the golden child of Tropicálismo, Lanny Gordin on guitar and bass. It’s Gordin’s guitar playing that is featured on just about every major record from this period, almost always instantly recognizable because of it’s heavy fuzz and almost avant-garde jazz sensibilities. Lanny could play real sweet and sweaty too, as he does here (and also on a record I shared long away, Gal’s 1970 album Le Gal) as the trio mostly lays down a very mellow groove. I can’t tell you how much more I wish these three boys had recorded during these years.

Eduardo Conde – De Onde Vens
Eduardo Conde – A Volta
Eduardo Conde – De Manhã

I’ve been working on getting together a mix of Brazilian music over the last few days, but a major problem I’ve been having as I get tracks together is that I find myself getting stuck on particular records. Instead of dropping the needle on a few tracks, as soon as I hit a REALLY good song, I end up listening to it over and over again or the whole album or both! So, a mix I thought I’d be done with on Wednesday “might” get done on Sunday, if I’m lucky.

This album from Eduardo Conde is one of the ones that I got stuck on my turntable for an hour or so. Conde didn’t record too much, he’s mainly known as an actor (including a turn as Jesus Christ in Jesus Christ Superstar!), but this album provides evidence that perhaps he should have recorded more. What drew me to the record was the gorgeous sound of it. It was described to me as a “Verocai” record, as in Arthur Verocai, but he only has a few writing credits here. Instead, Nelson Motta, as the producer, is the one most responsible for the sound of the album. His work is greatly enhanced by the 5 separate arrangers, most notably Dori Caymmi, whose fingerprints are all over the two best songs to my ears, “De Onde Vens” and “De Manhã.”

Like a lot of Brazilian records in my collection, this was one that I first discovered via Joel Stones, who used to run the legendary Tropicalia in Furs story in NYC. I got horribly outbid for Joel’s copy, but a while after that I was able to track one down via another NYC dealer, Cecil “Pretovelho” Hopkinson. Hopefully I’ll be able to pry it off of my turntable long enough to get back to the business of getting this mix together before this month is over.

Toni Tornado – Me Libertei

My fifth favorite song from the first seven years of Melting Pot is a heavy one for multiple reasons. Most obviously, musically…”Me Libertei” hits bonecrushingly hard. That minute long introduction is one of the longest and hardest hitting ones of all-time…not just from Brazil, but ever. From there it stays deep in the pocket as Tornado raps about how he’s freed himself through his music.

Todo o meu canto sai do meu coração / Everything I sing comes from my heart

“Me Libertei” is also a heavy choice because it’s a song that I never would have tracked down without Matthew Africa’s help. As I detailed in the original post, I only had the song with no artist info, but even still “…eventually, as is often the case since he has a copy of every record in creation, Matthew Africa was able to identify that it was indeed Toni Tornado and that it came from this record, released originally in 1971.” Matthew responded thusly:

I’d have no idea of it at the time, but exchanges like these were fated to be finite. Matthew’s passing in 2012 is still felt deeply by those who were touched by him. But I like to think it’s through music like this that Matthew’s legacy lives on forever.