Friday 4 October 2013

AGNALDO TIMOTEO 1965 - 1970

AgnaldoTimoteo came out of thin air! 

One Sunday afternoon in late 1965, I was watching 'Jovem Guarda', Roberto Carlos' top-rating Sunday afternoon TV show when he introduced a Black fellow from Minas Gerais who gave a heart-rendering rendition of The Animals' 'The house of the rising sun' that left the audience and the TV watchers in awe!

Before 1965 was through EMI's Odeon had released an album called 'Surge um astro' (A star is born) with that guy who had belted out The Animals' hit in English at 'Jovem Guarda'.

EMI-Odeon did what others had been doing for years: got someone to 'translate' a foreign hit into Portuguese - 'adapt' would actually be a better word - got a musician to copy the original arrangements listening closely to the original singles, then got hold of a sound-engineer to record 12 tracks in a few days. Being a powerful multi-national, Odeon could get it all done in a couple of weeks and sooner than later they would have a Number One album.

Agnaldo Timoteo's album climbed up the charts and got rave reviews from radio DJs and fans alike. Copacabana Discos and its roster of similar acts like Moacyr Franco, Agnaldo Rayol etc. were the big losers.

As of 1966, we had two kinds of 'easy-listeningmarkets. Odeon's Altemar Dutra and CBS's Carlos Alberto were part of the 'bolero set'. Odeon's Agnaldo Timoteo and Copacabana's Agnaldo Rayol and Moacyr Franco were the 'balladeer set'; acts who sang translated songs that had been European hits.

Odeon was so sure of Timoteo's selling power that it didn't even bother to release singles off the first two albums which were like 'greatest hits-albums' with no particular song getting special air-play. 

From the 1st album 'Surge um astroone could pick 'A casa do sol nascente' (The house of the rising sun) as the most popular. From the 2nd album 'O astro do sucessoone could say 'Aline' was the most played. 

When it came to the 3rd album Odeon made sure that Timoteo would have an original song to open it: 'Quem será?' written by Evaldo Gouveia & Jair Amorim was an instant hit and was Timoteo's first #1 in the singles' chart.

On his 4th album Agnaldo Timoteo had an ace up his sleeve: Roberto Carlos gave him 'Meu grito' (My cry) a song he had written as an anthem to 'secret love' - Roberto's not being able to divulge the name of the woman he secretly loved.The reason for such a secret was that the lady (Nice) was married and Brazilians were not allowed to divorce due to Brazil's being a Catholic country. 'Meu grito' went straight to #1 and was the best selling single of 1967.  

In late 1968, Roberto Carlos was game enough to give Agnaldo Timoteo another of his songs: 'Deixe me outro dia, menos hoje' which was a big hit in 1969.

Before 1969 was over, Odeon released Timoteo's 6th album featuring 'Eu vou sair para buscar você' an original written by Nelson Ned & Claudio Fontana.

1965's 'Surge um astro' - MOFB-3442 (first) 

 Timoteo's 1st album 'Surge um astro' (A star is born) was released in November 1965.

1. Walk away (Siga em paz) - Udo Jurgens-Black; v.: Fred Jorge
2. A casa d'Irene (A casa de Irene) - Maresca-Pagani; v.: Julio Nagib
3. Ma vie (O princípio e o fim) - Alain Barrière; v.: Nazareno de Brito 
4. Que c'est triste Venice (É tão triste Veneza) - Charles Aznavour-F.Dorin; v.: Maria Isabel 
5. Se piangi, se ridi (Se choras, se ris) - Satti-Marchetti-Mogol; v.: Paulo Queiroz
6. Cominciamo ad amarci (Começamos a amar) - Pallavicini-Mescoli; v.: Maria Isabel 

1. La mamma (Mamãe) - Charles Aznavour-Robert Gall-Black; v.: Nazareno de Brito
2. The house of the rising sun (A casa do sol nascente) - Alan Price; v.: Fred Jorge
3. From Russia with love (Em busca do amor) - John Barry-Lionel Bart; v.: Nazareno de Brito
4. Io che non vivo senza te (Eu que não vivo sem você) - Donaggio-Pallavicini; v.: J.K.Filho
5. Non son degno di te (Não mereço você) - Zabrini-Migliacci; v.: Paulo Queiroz
6. Amore scusami (Amor, perdôa-me) - Pallavicini-Mescoli;  v.: Julio Nagib

artistic direction (producer): Milton Miranda
musical director: Lyrio Panicalli
orchestral conductors: Edmundo Peruzzi e Nelsinho
artistic coordination (co-producer): Jorge dos Santos
Even though Agnaldo Timoteo came to prominince on Sunday afternoon's 'Jovem Guarda' giving a heart-rendering rendition of The Animals's 'The house of the rising sun' sung in the English language EMI-Odeon was very conservative in its recording of the new talent. All 12 foreign hits were duly translated into Portuguese including 'A casa do sol nascente' (The house of the rising sun).

The album is actually tread-of-the-mill-covers with sanitized arrangements - mostly inferior to their originals - of 6 Italian hits, 3 French and 3 English songs including a far-from-inspiring 'adaptation' of 'From Russia with love' which became 'Em busca do amor' (Searching for love).
Fred Jorge adapted a lot of foreign hits into the Portuguese language; Julio Nagib was Odeon's 'versionist' of the hour. 
5 September 1965 - on the 3rd Sunday programme Roberto Carlos 'Jovem Guarda' introduced a new act called Agnaldo Timoteo who belted out The Animals's 'The house of the rising sun' in English and made quite a good impression on the audience. Within 4 weeks Odeon-EMI would release 'Surge um astro' with 12 covers of European hits including 'The house of the rising sun' but this time sung in Portuguese. 
19 September 1965 - on the 5th Sunday 'Jovem Guarda' TV show Roberto Carlos introduced Conjunto Lancaster, a dancing group attached to s rock night-club on Rua Augusta. Agnaldo Timoteo was back by popular demand a few weeks before Odeon rushed his album on to the record shops. 

1966's 'O astro do sucesso' - MOFB 3462 (second)

1966's 'O astro do sucesso' Agnaldo Timóteo

1. L'ultima telefonata (Ultimo telefonema) - Pino Donaggio-Pallavicini; v.: N.Bourget 
2. Je ne t'aime plus (Não te amo mais) - Christophe; v.: Nazareno de Brito 
3. Yesterday (Ontem) - John Lennon-Paul McCartney; v.: Rossini Pinto 
4. Aria di neve (Frio de neve) - Sergio Endrigo; v.: Othon Russo  
5. Michelle - John Lennon-Paul McCartney; v.: Rossini Pinto 
6. La playa (A praia) - Jovan Wetter-Pierre Elie Barouth; v.: Bruno Silva 

1. Io ti darò di più (Eu te darei bem mais) - Memo Remigi-Alberto Testa; v.: Nazareno de Brito 
2. Aline - Christophe; v.: Nazareno de Brito 
3. Thunderball (Furacão) - John Barry-Don Black; v.: N. Bourget 
4. J'aime (Eu amo) - Adamo; v.: Nazareno de Brito 
5. Tombe la neige (Cai a neve) - Adamo; v.: Romeu Nunes 
6. Come sinfonia (Como sinfonia) - Pino Donaggio; v.: Romeu Nunes  

producer: Milton Miranda
musical director: Lyrio Panicalli
orchestration & conductor: Edmundo Peruzzi
co-producer: Jorge dos Santos

'O astro do sucesso' (Hits' star) was Timoteo's 2nd album... and it was more of the same. This time there were 4 Italian and 4 French hits (two by Belgium's Adamo); 3 British titles including 2 by Lennon & McCartney ('Yesterday' and 'Michelle') plus the James Bond's 'Thunderball' theme (Furacão); and a single Spanish song 'La playa' which had been the 'other' Agnaldo... Agnaldo Rayol's greatest hit to date. 

1967's 'Obrigado, querida' - MOFB-3488 (third) 

1. Meu grito (Roberto Carlos) 
2. Born free (Livre) - John Barry-Don Black; v.: N.Bourget 
3. Non pensare a me (Não pensa em mim) - Scicrilli-Testa; v.: Nazareno de Brito 
4. Se tu non fossi bella come sei (Se tu não fosses bela como és) - G.Locatelli-Mogol-Pallavicini; v.: Lilian Knapp
5. Non credo (Creio sim) - Pascal-Mauriat; v.: Geraldo Figueiredo
6. Fais-la rire (Junto a ti eu terei paz) - Gérald-Bernet; v.: Bruno Silva 

1. Mamma (Mamãe, estou tão feliz) - C.A. Bixio-B. Cherubini; v.: Geraldo Figueiredo
2. Não me deixe mais (Evaldo Gouveia-Jair Amorim)
3. Green green grass of home (Os verdes campos da minha terra) - Putman; v.: Geraldo Figueiredo
4. L'amour toujours l'amour, eterno amor - Guy Mardel-Fauré; v.: Romeu Nunes
5. Merci cherie (Obrigado, querida) - Udo Jurgens-Thomas Horbiger; v.: Nazareno de Brito
6. Quando vedrò (Quando não me quiseres mais) - Terzi-Rossi; v.: Nazareno de Brito 

Even though 'Obrigado querida' (Merci cherie) was Austria's Udo Jürgens' 1966 Eurovision winner, the real winner in Timoteo's fourth album was undoubtedly Roberto Carlos's 'Meu grito' which opened the LP and went to #1 almost instantly becoming the biggest selling single of 1967. Agnaldo had reached the top of the heap in barely 2 years. 

Apart from 'Não me deixes mais' penned by Evaldo Gouveia & Jair Amorim, the other 10 tracks are covers of European hits: 5 Italian covers including the old Cherubini & Bixio's 'Mamma' plus 'Se tu non fossi bella come sei' from 'Un dollaro buccato' (Um dolar furado) the most popular of all 'spaghetti-westerns' translated by Jovem Guarda-singer Lilian Knapp. 

2 British hits including 'Born free' and Tom Jones's 'Green green grass of home' that played a lot on radio too for it had been the flip side of 'Quem será?'.

2 French covers and a single Austrian hit written by Udo Jürgens that gave the title to the album: 'Obrigado, querida' (Merci chérie). 
'Meu grito' b/w 'Se não estivesse aqui' (Se tu non fossi qui) penned by Carlo Alberto Rossi & Marisa Terzi, translated by Angarano Filho - that for some mysterious reason never made it to the album. It went to Number One straight away and ended up being the best-selling single of 1967.

1967's 'O sucesso é o astro' - MOFB-3505 (fourth) 

1. Yo soy aquel (Eu sou aquele) - Manuel Alejandro; v.: Romeu Nunes
2. No (Não) - Armando Manzanero-Canché; v.: Clovis Mello
3. Per una donna (Por uma mulher) - Martino-Perretta-Mantoni; v.: Romeu Nunes  
4. Love letters (Cartas de amor) - Victor Young-Edward Heyman; v.: Oswaldo Santiago
5. This is my song (Meu amor é uma canção) - Charles Chaplin; v.: Nazareno de Brito 
6. C'est ne pas mervellieux? (Não é maravilhoso?) - Adamo; v.: Geraldo Figueiredo

1. Quem será? (Evaldo Gouveia-Jair Amorim)
2. En bandouliere (Longe de você) - Adamo; v.: Rossini Pinto 
3. Foi Deus (Alberto Janes) 
4. I love you, you love me (Eu te amo, tu me amas) - Haroldo Spina; v.: Geraldo Figueiredo
5. L'amore se ne va (Na noite que se vai) - Melfa-Atmo-Morina-D'Ercole; v.: Hamilton Di Giorgio
6. A whiter shade of pale (Êsse amor que eu não queria) - Reid-Brooker; v.: Geraldo Figueiredo 

producer: Milton Miranda
musical director: Lyrio Panicalli 
orchestra conductors: Carlos Monteiro de Souza, Orlando Silveira & Peruzzi. 

'O sucesso é o astro' (The hits are the star) was Timoteo's 4th album. It was his 3rd album containing the word 'star' in its title. This time EMI-Odeon really meant business having commissioned successful song-writers Evaldo Gouveia & Jair Amorim to write 'Quem será?' (Who could it be?) that became Timoteo's first single and immediately went up to Number One at the singles' chart. Portuguese ever-green 'Foi Deus' first recorded by Amalia Rodrigues in 1952 made a difference too. 

The rest of the tracks were the same mish-mash as usual: 3 English-language titles, being 2 from movie sound-tracks like Charles Chaplin's 1966's 'This is my song' and Victor Young's 1945's 'Love letters'; 3 Spanish-language hits, including a Mexican hit by Armando Manzanero; 2 Italian hits and 2 French hits. 

1968's 'O sucesso é Agnaldo Timóteo' - MOFB-3556 (fifth) 

1. Deixe-me outro dia, menos hoje - Roberto Carlos-Erasmo Carlos  
2. Adoração (Evaldo Gouveia-Jair Amorim)
3. La voce del silenzio (A voz do silêncio) - Paolo Limiti-Mogol-Elio Isola; v.: Nazareno de Brito
4. Quando m'innamoro (Quando me enamoro) - Pace-Panzeri-Livraghi; v.: Nazareno de Brito
5. Seul sur son étoile (Tem que ser ela) - Gilbert Becaud-Maurice Vidalin; v.: Nazareno de Brito
6. Theme from The Valley of the Dolls (O vale dos sonhos) - Dori Previ-Andre Pevin; v.: Nazareno de Brito

1. Piedade, amor (Jair Amorim-Evaldo Gouveia) 
2. Homburg (L'ora dell'amore) (A hora do amor) - Keith Reed-Gary Brooker; v.: Pace; v.: Geraldo Figueiredo
3. Il posto mio (O meu lugar) - Tony Renis-Alberto Testa; v.: Geraldo Figueiredo
4. Cent fois ma vie (Cem vezes mais) - J.Broussolie-H.Giraud; v.: Silvino Neto
5. La musica è finita (A musica chega ao fim) - Umberto Bindi-Franco Califano; v.: Geraldo Figueiredo 
6. Canzone (Canção) - Don Backy-Detto; v.: Fred Jorge

producer: Milton Miranda
musical director: Lyrio Panicalli
arrangers and conductors: Orlando Silveira & Edmundo Peruzzi
co-producer: Jorge Santos

After such a smash hit as 'Meu grito', Roberto Carlos and his partner Erasmo Carlos offered Timoteo 'Deixe-me outro dia, menos hoje' (Leave me any other time but today) another powerful ballad that had a lot of air-play. 

Evaldo Gouveia & Jair Amorim came up with two original songs but the rest of the album was the same concoction of European-hits covers: 5 Italian songs including Umberto Bindi's 'La musica è finita' (A musica chega ao fim) and Don Backy's 'Canzone' his San Remo entry for 1968. 

2 French hits including Gilbert Becaud's 'Seul sur son étoile' (Tem que ser ela) that Vikki Carr took to #3 in November 1967 in the USA as 'It must be him'. 

2 Anglo hits: the 'Theme from 'Valley of the dolls' from the sound-track of the 1967 movie based on the 1966 best seller by Jacqueline Susan; finally Procol Harum's cryptic 'Homburg' became 'A hora do amor' (Love's hour) through a sleight-of-hand of Geraldo Figueiredo who went first to Italy and translated 'L'ora dell'amore', Daniele Pace's translation of Gary Brooker & Keith Reed's original English words. As one can see Brazilian cover-translators sometimes took mysterious and winding ways to get to their point.  


1969's 'Agnaldo Timóteo comanda o sucesso' - MOFB-3603 (sixth) 

1. The world I threw away (O mundo me esqueceu) - Sedaka-Greenfield; v.: Geraldo Figueiredo
2. Comme d'habitudine (My way) Eu já me habituei - Claude François-Jacques Revaux-Thibault; v.: Pedro Lopes
3. Love is all (O amor é tudo) - Les Reed-Barry Mason; v.: Romeu Nunes
4. Un jour, un enfant (Um dia, uma criança) - E. Stern-Ed Manay; v.: B. Filho
5. Escuta, meu amor (Evaldo Gouveia-Jair Amorim)
6. Words (Palavras) - Robin, Barry & Maurice Gibb; v.: Eduardo Luiz 

1. Eu vou sair para buscar você (Nelson Ned-Claudio Fontana)
2. As emoções (Santos Dumont)
3. A time for us (Um momento para nós) - Nino Rota-Larry Kusiky-Ed Snyder: v.: Alf Soares
4. Quem sabe (Antonio Carlos Gomes)
5. First of May (O dia que eu chegar) - Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb; v.: Tom Gomes
6. A caravana (Evaldo Gouveia-Jair Amorim)


Times were changing and the 1960s were coming to a close. December 1969's 'Comanda o sucesso' was Timoteo's last album produced in the same format as the previous 5 releases. Copacabana Record's singer-song-writers Nelson Ned and Claudio Fontana came up with 'Eu vou sair para buscar você' (I'm going out and search for you) a compelling ballad that hit the air-waves good and proper. 

This time there were 5 Brazilian-made songs: 2 by Evaldo Gouveia & Jair Amorim, 1 - 'Quem sabe' written in 1953 by classical composer Antonio Carlos Gomes and 'As emoçoes' written by someone called Santos Dumont who is not, mind you, Alberto Santos-Dumond the famous Brazilian aviation pioneer who flew a heavier-than-air aircraft in Paris in 1906.  

5 British hits: 2 songs by the Gibb Brothers - Bee Gees: 'Words' (Palavras) and 'First of May' (O dia que eu chegar); Les Reed & Barry Mason's 'Love is all' that had been England's entry to the Brazilian International Song Festival held in September 1969 at Rio de Janeiro's sports-arena Maracanãzinho in which British tenor Malcolm Roberts held 40,000 people spell-bound by his vigorous rendition that's become here 'O amor é tudo' in a translation by Romeu Nunes. 'The world I threw away' (O mundo me esqueceu) is a Neil Sedaka & Howard Greenfield later composition; 'A time for us' (Um momento para nós) a tune Nino Rota wrote to be the main theme of Franco Zeffirelli's 'Romeo & Juliet'. 

And finally, 2 French hits: 'Un jour, un enfant' (Um dia, uma criança) which won the 1969 Eurovision contest sung by Frida Boccara and Claude François's 'Comme d'habitudine' (Eu já me habituei) that became world famous by Frank Sinatra as 'My way' with English lyrics done by Paul Anka.

1970's 'O intérprete' - MOFB-3652 (seventh) 

1. Chega (Paulo Diniz-Odibar)
2. Minha casa (Joubert de Carvalho)
3. Once there was a love (Era uma vez) (José Feliciano-R.Jarrard; v.: Nazareno de Brito)
4. Que bom seria (Antonio Marcos-Mario Marcos)
5. Onde andará você? (Luiz Ayrão)
6. Bianca (Ângelo Antonio)

1. Eu te amo cada vez mais (adapt.: 'Sonata ao Luar' de Beethoven) - Edmundo Peruzzi; letra: Ernani Campos 
2. La lontananza (Simplesmente adeus) - Modugno-Bonaccorti; v.: Geraldo Figueiredo
3. Adieu jolie Candy (Adeus meu grande amor) - N.Hursel-F.Herval-R.Jeannot; v.: Sebastião Ferreira da Silva
4. Manhã de primavera - José Thimoteo
5. El dia que me quieras (O dia que me queiras) - Carlos Gardel-Alfredo Le Pera; v.: Haroldo Lobo.


Timoteo's 7th album is an anti-climax. There was no hit coming out of it. It seemed like as the 1960s faded away so were Timoteo's chances of keeping himself on top of the heap. He may have had other hits in the future but his successful string of hits had been broken. 

Half the album was made up of Brazilian original songs; none of them really outstanding. One adaptation of Beethoven's 'Moonlight Sonata' done by conductor Edmundo Peruzzi; Argentina's Carlos Gardel's own 'El dia que me quieras'; Italy's Domenico Modugno's 'La lontananza' (Simplesmente adeus); José Feliciano's 'Once there was a love' (Era uma vez) and finally 'Adieu jolie Candy' (Adeus meu grande amor) a French hit by Jean François Michael.
Timoteo showing off his sturdy legs.
Agnaldo Timóteo had a major health scare in May 2019. He was touring the Northeast of Brazil when he had a stroke and went into hospital where he stayed between life and death. He came out of it in the end... here's a little note former President Lula wrote him on 28 May 2019
Timóteo is honoured at Caratinga in 2010

2 comments:

  1. Great tribute to a great artist - and, better still, done when he was still alive to enjoy it.

    Just a remark: this Santos Dumont songwriter was an Uruguayan songwriter who moved to Rio de Janeiro in the late 1960s and had a few songs recorded by some Brazilian artistes; he managed to score a big hit in 1970, "Hello Mona Lisa", whose arrangement was done by his compatriot Pelin, formerly of Los Shakers, one of the best beat bands ever.

    Cheerio,

    Ayrton

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the comment, Ayrton... pardon my belatedly acknowledgement... all info is pertinent... I used to like Los Shakers... at least 'Never never never'... Cheers!!!

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