Don't let me be misunderstood by Santa Esmeralda
1977
The original version is 14 min 20 sec. There is also a mix of 6 min 40 sec.
Original label Evasion Music S.a. Try this CD The best of Santa Esmeralda (Dig it
International S.r.l., an Italian label). But you should find also under Sony label 1993.
A studio group performing in the disco-style of the late 70s,
Santa Esmeralda made the US charts in 1977-78 with dance-oriented remakes of two songs
originally popularized by the British group the Animals in the 60s. Santa Esmeralda
featured vocalist Leroy Gomez (b. Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA), a
multi-instrumentalist who had played with Elton John, Tavares and others before taking the
Santa Esmeralda position. The group recorded two of Gomez's songs, a cover of Van Morrison
's 'Gloria' and the Animals hit 'Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood'. An album was built around
those songs and itself reached number 25 on Casablanca Records in the US in late 1977,
while 'Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood' made it to number 15. For the follow-up, the
Animals' 'House Of The Rising Sun', Gomez was not involved, and the single peaked
at number 78. No other singles charted, but a final album charted in late 1978
before the group's name was retired.
SUGGESTED DISCOGRAPHY
