Brazil 45, number 34.
A: Luiz Carlos Vinhas - Ye Mele / AA. Golden Boys - Berimbau
'Ye Mele' is another very firm Mr Bongo favourite, and always a contender for end/start of the night track. A true classic. Opens with a distinctive vocal harmony/chant and claps before dropping into bossa piano, organ and drums, which calms for a moment before reaching the chorus… and then building more into a horn section, that plays until the end. Immense. Taken from Vinhas’ now relatively expensive and very excellent ‘O Som Psicodelico’ LP from 1968.
Berimbau' - yet another favourite. Awe inspiring arrangement, of the highest order. Opens with what is very reminiscent of a Brazilian Western soundtrack, before soaring into vocals, strings and horns. And then THAT end section…! Golden Boys were a male vocal group, of brothers. ‘Berimbau’ is taken from their self-titled 1969 LP.