Sergio Mendes Music

In my opinion this is a great 2 for 1 CD. These are two of my personal favorite Sergio Mendes albums.

Anyone interested in hearing the original versions of "Lonely Woman" and "You Get Your Love From Me" can do so at www.myspace.com/unknownhitsvol1

This re-issue is a compilation of two distinct albums of Mendes's releases from the 1970's. The first ten songs come from the musician/arranger's self-titled album, an homage to songs made famous by others. Three songs written by Stevie Wonder ("All in Love is Fair," "I Believe When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever," and "Lookin' for Another Pure Love") are featured, along with George Harrison's "Here Comes the Sun". The compositions of Thom Bell and Linda Creed (of Philadelphia sound fame) are reflected in the cover of "Let Them Work it Out".

The best cuts are the remake of Donnie Hathaway's classic "Someday We'll All Be Free" and "The Trouble With Hello is Goodbye," a song reminiscent of Mendes's earlier "When Summer Turns to Snow" from the 60's.

Five stars are given to this release.

1979's "Magic Lady" was Mendes's attempt to get on the "disco bandwagon". "I'll Tell You," the first track on the initial release (#11 here), was a minor dance hit and it is symbolic of the sound of the era: throbbing bass lines, kinky percussion accompaniments, and monotonous "chants" from the background singers. Though the album features a powerhouse of talented musicians (Tom Scott, Michael Sembello, Oscar Neves, and the Tower of Power Horn Section), it never ascends beyond the average.

And for that it only gets three stars.

The best cut is "A Dream Come True (Can't Hardly Wait)".

These two albums, originally released on Elektra in 1975 and 1979, are not for those looking for the classic Brasil '66 sound that introduced most people to the genius of Sergio Mendes.

By the time Mendes joined Elektra in 1975 and released his self-titled album (the first 10 tracks on this CD), he had long ago kissed the classic Brasil '66 sound goodbye. But this first Elektra album was a big surprise to a lot of people--it was really Sergio's first all out foray into soul territory, something he would continue to develop for his entire 70s Elektra output, probably not solely because of the use of his first African American vocalist, Sondra Catton (the incredible Carol Rogers would soon join him and become his longest-serving vocalist). Sergio obviously saw the handwriting on the wall--the Bossa Nova years were over and he needed to find new directions to stay alive in the ever-changing pop music marketplace. "Sergio Mendes" was actually Sergio's biggest hit, album wise, in years, though it failed to produce a hit single. However, there are some standout tunes, notably "Davy" and "The Trouble With Hello is Goodbye."

"Magic Lady" is, to most long-time Mendes fans, the nadir of his career, an obvious attempt to blend the patented Mendes rhythm section with disco music. While there are, again, some great tunes--"I'll Tell You," "Lonely Woman" and "A Dream Come True"--there are also songs that many find cringe-worthy. The sad part is, the album is Sergio's only collaboration with Tower of Power, and the horn charts are amazing. The material, sadly, is not up to the players and singers (including the aforementioned Carol Rogers). The CD mastering of "Magic Lady" unfortunately does not repair the hideous original LP mastering, which makes the entire album sound like it is emanating from a small cardboard box.

For those who are interested in seeing how Sergio adapted his trademark sound to a new audience, these two albums will prove instructive and enjoyable. If you're looking for the smooth, sophisticated sound of Brasil '66, you'd better keep looking.

This is the only one of the Brasil 66 records that was not on CD. "Sometimes in Winter" is one of their most haunting songs. This album has always been under appreciated and I am glad to see it on CD at last!!

In my mind this album is one Sergio Mendes' best works. It is moody, happy, light and airy. It's rhythm changes keep the listener interested. After all these years it is still fresh sound and moves me as much as the first time I heard it...It's oh so nice to listen to in the car or at home... I'm joyful it is now available on CD.....

By the time this LP was released, Sergio had lost Janis Hansen and replaced her with Karen Philipp. This also was Lani Hall's last album with the group. So what you have here is a transitional album, with Lani Hall and Karen Philipp doing things together ("Chelsea Morning", "Righteous Life"), Lani doing solo on "Stillness", Grancinha Laporace singing in a very thick accent her verion of "Lost in Paradise", and Karen Philipp doing "For What its Worth". Karen and Lani sound very much alike so the differnce is subtle there. Sergio brought in Gracinha as Lani left, and also married her. (Lani marrried Herb Alpert). Gracinha had come from the group Bossa Rio who used to open for the Brazil '66 concerts. While Gracinha has a vocal style all her own, she could not replace Lani and Karen in concert with the earlier hits such as "Look of Love", and hearing her on those songs 'live' in concerts, TV etc. was disappointing. However, I am a true fan and was able to get through this transition and the others that followed. All that being said, I am still entertained by this album. "Sometimes in Winter" is gorgeous as is Sergio's vocal on "Cancao do mosso amor".

I know everyone expects something else from Sergio, after all he has been so many things to so many over the years. Yet, to hear this stunningly beautiful sound again, after so many years is heartwarming and to know this release has stood the test of time. The girls voices as usual are spine-tingling. I know everyone has an opinion and all I am giving you is mine. The last time I listened to this I was in my teens in the seventies and it had such an effect on me and not really to my surprise it does the same to me now all these years later. Yes you can probably buy better overall cds of the group but I will guarantee there will be a song on this Stillness cd that will strike you at your very core. I understand that the words (lyrics) are somewhat confusing but these voices could sing the label off a milk carton and make it sound luscious.Great, great music and songs.

OK, here's the deal: you've already conquered America, Europe and Japan with your genre-busting sound; you've had 4 years of constant touring and airplay, including 3 monster singles and several more that made the Top 100; and you are arguably the biggest music star your country has ever exported. So what to do next? Sergio Mendes was always a subtle innovator from his earliest recordings. He became more blatant as his success grew, especially around the time of "Fool on the Hill" and "Crystal Illusions." Then, some would say, success got the better of him, and he cooled his creative jets a bit with "Ye Me Le." But "Stillness" was definitely something new, even for such a unique sound as Brasil '66. From the opening bass flute and guitar of "Stillness," you know you're in for something very unusual, and maybe something that you're not going to love right away. Take it from this lifelong Brasil '66 fan, who admits he (albeit as a kid) had a little trouble adjusting to the sound of "Stillness", there's a classic album here that I for one believe has never been fully appreciated. Sergio knew he was saying goodbye to longtime vocalist Lani Hall with this release (despite what a reviewer wrote below, she is indeed on this album, in abundant full force and sounding great), and she shines exquisitely throughout, as does Karen Philipp. The two "hits" off the album (minor on the pop charts, pretty big on adult contemporary), "Chelsea Morning" and "For What It's Worth," show how much power and artistry Brasil '66 was still conjuring at this late date in its pop music superstar shelf-life. Add to that tremendous reworkings of Caetano Veloso's "Lost in Paradise" and Blood, Sweat and Tears' "Sometimes in Winter" (easily one of the most gorgeous arrangements Mendes has recorded in his entire career) and you have the ingredients for a very special listening experience. The album was released in the winter and it has a certain spare bleakness to it, but if you're in a receptive frame of mind, it can be very appealing. It's not the froth of the first three Brasil '66 albums, but, it might be argued, it's a more nourishing brew that is concocted on this album.