Tim Maia - Undercover - Barquinho / I'm Rational (7")

Scant evidence suggested the existence of this rare Tim Maia recording, until now. The Brazilian brocante hardly broke international waters outisde his native Rio, but within its borders he was a larger-than-life figure, helping mould the country's soul, funk and MPB (musica popular brasileira) styles. Born Sebastiao Rodrigues Maia in Rio de Janeiro, he started singing in vocal groups as a teenager and spent a few years in the US in the late 1950s and early 60s, where he picked up rhythm & blues and soul firsthand. A wild, unpredictable, and unstable life fuelled by heavy drug use and a brief but notorious embroilment in the mystery cult Universo em Descencanto only add to the man's historic draw. 'O Barquinho' aka 'The Little Boat' was written by Menescal & Ronaldo Boscoli and made famous by Joao Gilberto, but this rarer Maia version is made all the more charming by its fleeting rarity, only now partly addressed by Vishnu.