Jorge Ben (album)

musician Gilberto Gil (pictured in 1960) vouched for Ben to be re-signed by Philips Records. Jorge Ben began his professional recording career with Philips Records in 1963, when they released his debut album Samba Esquema Novo to immediate fan frenzy. In an effort to capitalize on the success, the label pressured Ben to hastily record follow-up albums of music in the same vein and cover songs as filler. The result was three albums within the span of 18 months and a strain on his relationship with Philips, which ended after the last of these albums (1965's Big Ben) was finished. == Recording and production ==

Jorge Ben was recorded at C.B.D. in Rio de Janeiro and Scatena in São Paulo. a vocal/percussion group he had met while touring São Paulo's nightclub circuit in the late 1960s. == Music ==

The album's music is defined by what Brazilian music aficionado Greg Caz called a "patented hard-strummed 4/4 samba groove" that soon "inspired a whole underground movement known as samba-rock" and characterized Ben's recordings for the next decade. According to AllMusic's Thom Jurek, Briamonte and Duprat's arrangements on the album are essential to Ben's fusion of American soul music with the samba and Brazilian folk song structures from his past work. Lyrics Thematically, the album explores romances with women and everyday Brazilian life, including football fandom. His lyrics are often characterized by zany reflections, repetition, and nonsense words. As Caz described, "for Jorge, it's not so much about the meaning of the words as it is about their sound. Instead of writing 20 lines, Jorge often preferred to write two that sound very cool and repeat them ten times." Ben offers partly English-language words of caution to his "brother of color" in the song, In the song, he is depicted as an underworld criminal figure from a Rio favela ("Robin Hood of the ghetto"). The narrative follows his melancholic departure for prison and his celebrated return to the neighborhood. == Packaging ==

logo affixed to Ben's guitar on the album cover The album cover was designed by Brazilian artist Guido Alberi. It is a cartoon illustration of Ben surrounded by a psychedelic collage of tropical plants, samba musicians, superhuman women, and the flag of Brazil. Ben is pictured with broken manacles around his wrists, a toucan resting on his bare shoulder, and an acoustic guitar in hand. The guitar is decorated with the logo of Clube de Regatas do Flamengo, Ben's favorite football team. For the back cover, liner notes expressing approval of Ben were written by Philips producer Armando Pittigliani. Pittigliani had signed and later dropped Ben during the singer's first stint with the label. == Release and reception ==

Jorge Ben was released on LP in November 1969 by Philips Records, and became Ben's commercial comeback. In the months leading up to the album's release, several of its songs had become hit songs for other recording artists, including Wilson Simonal ("País Tropical"), Os Originais do Samba ("Cadê Tereza"), and, as a duo, Caetano Veloso and Gal Costa ("Que Pena"). According to Leaver, Jorge Ben became Ben's "most significant and commercially successful album to date". The album was reissued on CD in Brazil during the 1990s, but eventually went out of print. In 2008, Dusty Groove America released a remastered CD in the United States. A vinyl edition was issued for the first time in the U.S. in 2018, when Verve and Universal Music Enterprises remastered the album in anticipation of its 50th anniversary. ==Track listing==

All songs were written by Jorge Ben. == Personnel ==

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. Production • Manoel Barenbein – production • Stelio Carlini – engineering • Ary Carvalhaes – engineering • Didi – engineering • João Kibelestis – engineering • Célio Martins – engineering Packaging • Alberi – artwork • Lincoln – layout • Armando Pittigliani – liner notes • Johnny Salles – photography == Charts ==