''Big Ben'' is the fourth album by Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist

Jorge Ben Jorge Duílio Lima Menezes (born March 22, 1939) is a Brazilian popular musician, performing under the stage name Jorge Ben Jor since the 1980s, though commonly known by his former stage name Jorge Ben (). His characteristic style fuses samba, ...

. It was released in 1965 by

Philips Records Philips Records is a record label founded by the Dutch electronics company Philips. It was founded as Philips Phonographische Industrie in 1950. In 1946, Philips acquired the company which pressed records for British Decca's Dutch outlet in A ...

, his last for the label until ''

'' in 1969.

Background

The album was the last in a series of LPs recorded by Ben, under pressure from Philips to reproduce his widely successful 1963 debut '' Samba Esquema Novo''. According to Brazilian music aficionado Greg Caz, "Jorge was hustled into the studio and obliged to crank out lesser versions of his debut classic, padded out with sometimes-questionable covers of tunes by other writers." The

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desce ...

for the album's 2008 reissue describe it as "a careful mix of originals and covers", abandoning the "groovy" and eclectic music of his live performances in favor of "nightclub-style arrangements" catering to

samba Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havin ...

and

bossa nova Bossa nova () is a style of samba developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is mainly characterized by a "different beat" that altered the harmonies with the introduction of unconventional chords and an innovativ ...

audiences.

Release and aftermath

''Big Ben'' was released by Philips in 1965. In the April 3 issue of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' that year, it was listed in the "international" category of four-star albums, indicating "new albums with sufficient commercial potential in their respective categories to merit being stocked by most dealers". Meanwhile, Ben's relationship with Philips reached a breaking point and the label terminated his contract, leaving him to work as an independent artist for the next few years. He was eventually re-signed by new management at Philips and released his self-titled sixth album for the label in 1969. Years later, music critic Rodney Taylor reflected on ''Big Ben'', saying it "sees him experimenting with more straightforward rock rhythms, while continuing the success of the previous album. If he'd stopped recording here, Ben would be a minor artist of note. Instead he became something much bigger."

Track listing

All tracks written by Jorge Ben, except where noted # "Na Bahia Tem" (Nestor Nascimento) - 3:15 # "Patapatapata" - 2:45 # "Bom Mesmo é Amar" - 3:05 # "Deixa o Menino Brincar" (Babu) - 2:17 # "Lalari - Olalá" (Gaya) - 2:53 # "Jorge Well" - 3:30 # "O Homem, Que Matou o Homem Que Matou o Homem Mau" - 2:47 # "Quase Colorida (Veruschka)" - 3:09 # "Maria Conga" (Hélio da Silva) - 2:07 # "Acende o Fogo" (Ivan Elias) - 2:07 # "Telefone de Brotinho" (J.R. Kelly/Max Nunes/M. Scherman) - 2:28 # "Agora Ninguém Chora Mais" - 3:15

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1965 albums Jorge Ben albums Philips Records albums