lockdown : vinyl find #31.

Madeira, Portugal, was absolutely not a digging destination. It served another purpose. Far from the continent, green, salty, possibly windy, hilly... 

Anyway, I tried my luck while walking through the city of Funchal. It was kind of a challenge, especially around Christmas with possibly a lot of closed shops. 

I didn't find much but I found something. A clothes stores that also sold a few vinyl records, both new and used. I had a pretty good chat with the employee there, who, because of the lack of a turntable, offered to make me listen to the records as much as possible through internet. It helped. To satisfy my curiosity and to reward his kindness (though, I learned after I paid that he was actually selling his friend's records) I ended up with a few new releases in undefined genres, navigating between rock and ambient. And I bought what seemed to be a local relative rarity. Indeed Sergio Borges e Conjunto Joao Paulo were a band from Funchal, who gained, just fresh out of high school, some fame during the 1960-1970's with their local pop style. 

Despite the price, I decided to go for it, as it would probably be one of the only second-hand vintage record I would find this time. 

Expect pop songs with this typical Portuguese melancoly, saudade, and obvious dominant vocals. The singer, Sergio Borges, even tries foreign languages, like French (it wasn't unusual for Portuguese bands to sing in French from to time back then) and English. It's pretty clean, almost too clean, but it sounds like a travel back to those shores...

Sérgio Borges e o Conjunto João Paulo - Sérgio Borges e o Conjunto João Paulo.

A few tracks for your listening pleasure.