Customer Reviews

Classics Volume 18

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am by no means a longtime fan of Sergio Mendes. The only reason I bought this CD was to get hold of the superb song Never Gonna Let You Go which has nostalgic and sentimental value to me. That said, anyone who owns this CD will not be surprised that it is now one of my absolute favorites in my fairly extensive CD collection. The song I had bought it for - a ballad - is of course so unlike the rest of the CD that I was initially disappointed. After a few listens though, the light jazzy latin concoctions began to grow on me. Having got my fill of repeat plays of Never Gonna Let You Go - arguably the BEST duet ballad of the 1980s, I discovered the danceable pleasures of Mas Que Nada, Going out of My Head and infectiously original interpretations of Scarborough Fair and With a Little Help from My Friends. The distinctly eightyish dance number Alibis only reinforced the pleasurable experience of this versatile combo, making this pretty much a multi-function CD. For partying; mellowing; dancing; loving - this CD's the ticket for anyone looking for some jazzy, sophisticated stylings with eminently danceable groove. A perfectly credible addition to your collection and, probably - from what more knowledgable friends have told me - the most accessible way to first discover the thinly-hidden pleasures of Sergio Mendes. I'm a convert - and that's saying a lot for someone who more often than not buys gangster rap, rock and hip-hop. Open your mind and make space for these guys - it's worth it.

In these "tune-less" times, I'm re-discovering exquisite melodies and arrangements from the sixties. If you're on a similar sojourn, please get this album if you haven't already. "Fool on the Hill," "Look Around," it's all there. Every song grows on you-- and the album leaves you wanting more! I was only about four or five when these songs flooded the airwaves, but each still strikes a sweet spot in my soul. "The Look of Love" just can't be beat-- it's perfect. Even less-familiar ones, like "Like A Lover," are so beautiful that you'll be hearing its refrain in your head throughout the day. Mendes is a uniquely skillful arranger, and lead singer Lani Hall is exquisite-- a world-class voice, she clearly deserves more acclaim. Soon you'll want to hear EVERY song by Brasil '66. It'll be a joyful alternative to the over-played "oldies station" originals. Brasil '66 is a fantastic group that should get together again and tour, if they aren't already.

In my humble opinion, the 1960's were categorized musically by three distinctive sounds: the sophisticated sound of Motown, the British invasion begun by the Beatles, and the soothing and seductive South American influences of musicians like Herb Alpert and Sergio Mendes.

Two of the first albums by the latter that I bought with my well-deserved 1960's allowance were "Fool on the Hill" and "Ye-Me-Le". Although I couldn't speak a word of Spanish, the music and the vocals were so engaging that it didn't matter if I didn't know what some of the lyrics actually said. It also didn't hurt that Mendes and company included familiar pop tunes, performed with their trademark bossa nova/Caribbean/Latin beats and arrangements.

The 25th Anniversary compilation covers the hit-making years from 1966 - 1986, including some familiar A-sides along with their equally entrancing B-sides. Three songs hail from 1966 ("Mais Que Nada," "Going Out of My Head," "One Note Samba/Spanish Flea"; Seven are from 1968 ("Scarborough Fair," "With a Little Help From My Friends," "The Look of Love," "Fool on the Hill," "Look Around," "Like a Lover," and "So Many Stars"; 1969 is represented by the songs "Pretty World" and "Song of No Regrets". The sole song from 1967 is "Bim Bom."

The 70's is represented by "Pais Tropical" (1971) and "Promise of a Fisherman" (1972).

Mendes's biggest hit came in 1983 with the multi-platinum, cross-musical-genres "Never Gonna Let You Go," the second of two songs from the 80's, the other being "Alibis".

Clocking in slightly over firty-four minutes, this greatest hits package is a must-have for those with diverse musical palettes.

Sergio Mendes 40th Anniversary concert at the Hollywood Bowl last Sunday, June 25, 2006 was a blast! To put a few words in a capsule that would describe that memorable evening, here goes . . .

Full-packed venue.
Tickets sold out.
Wonderful, alive and responsive audience.
Great performances of Sergio Mendes and his guests.
A night to remember.

It was a very memorable concert for I have met in person a musical legend while he was signing my CD booklets I brought with me. He's such an exceptional pianist, composer and a Bossa Nova icon as well. I've followed his musical career since Day One spanning four decades and have collected a good number of his most notable recordings of all-time. To me, the best part of the concert was the appearances of the equally talented husband and wife team of trumpeter, Herb Alpert, and the original Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66 vocalist, Lani Hall. To the delight of the audience, they did a medley of my all-time favorites from this impressive collection "The Look of Love" (my friend and I as well as the audience were singing along) and "Fool On The Hill." Ditto with the performance by Joe Pizzulo of one of his hit songs "Never Gonna Let You Go." On this performance the audience started waving their cell phones (some with small flashlights) and you could see the lights illuminated from the phones - it was a beautiful sight - it's almost like seeing sparkling beads all over the place. The performances on "Mas Que Nada" and my very favorite song "Pretty World" were so nice, these are two of the seventeen tracks from this timeless and classic collection.

"Why don't we take a little piece of summer sky
Hang it on a tree
For that's the way to start to make a pretty world
For you and for me

And for the sun we'll take a lemon bright balloon
You can hold the string
Oh can't you see that little world of ours will be
The prettiest thing

We can gather rain enough for the stream
To hold our happy faces
When we want a breeze, I'll blow you a kiss or two
Take me in your arms and our little world
Will be the place of places..."

Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66 "Classics, Volume 18" is an absolute representation of typical Sergio Mendes music from the initial track "Mas Que Nada" to the final cut, "Alibis." This is the kind of music you have enjoyed yesterday and will enjoy today, tomorrow and forever.

Timeless music.

This cd is incredible, it has definitely earned it's rightful place in my cd collections. Actually, I was quite surprised to discovered that the recordings in this disc was done exceptionally well. (I was reluctance to buy the cd version because I thought the cd's 16 bit sampling format could not beat my vinyls which is analog. This disc proved me wrong!). Anyhow, I have all the Brasil 66 and 77 vinyls in my collection, some bought new and some bought used; and this cd could give those 180 gram vinyls a run for the money. Some of my used Brasil 66 vinyls had been played so many times that Lani Hall's voice lost its central images. This cd put her voice dead centre again right between my two speakers as if she is standing in front singing for me. Also, the cymbals and high hat notes came through crisp and clean. This is quite evidence in the track "one note Samba" where the tempo picks up a bit.
I cannot give you my favorite tracks in this cd because I love all the tracks. Its that good! My only regret is that I could not find Sergio's Brasil 77 tracks on cd anywhere: you know, those one with Gracinha Leporace (now his wife) and Bonnie Bowden singing together. Now these two girls can sing and they were hot on those tracks. Thankfully I have the vinyl version.
The unbelievable part of this all is that the music were created in the 60's. Now this is timeless classics....

If you longed to be the Girl From Ipanema (or wanted to date her), this CD must be in your collection. I've got every Sergio Mendes album (true vinyl) and if I had to choose my favorites from each one, this CD would be the result. From the sensuous "Like a Lover" and "So Many Stars" to the good feel producing "Pretty World" and "Pais Tropical", there's not a cut on this CD that won't leave you wanting to fly to Rio. The true Brazilian flavor of "Mais Que Nada" and "Bim Bom" is what started my love of Brazilian Jazz. Don't miss out on this one. If you just want a compilation of your favorites or if you're new to the whole experience, this CD is just about as good as it gets. Lani Hall's gorgeous voice is enough to keep you coming back for more and more. Sergio Mendes' arrangements were ahead of their time and now are timeless. Let this CD lead to adventures in other Latin Jazz. The only negative I can find is that the song "Slow Hot Wind" is not included - but, you can't have everything. You can, however, have most of it with this CD. Bravo Senor Mendes!

This is an excellent compilation and contains most of the major efforts of Sergio and his Brasil '66 and a spattering of 80s tracks. However, it misses his entire 1970s career. If you want some of his 70s music, check out the imports: specifically - "Sergio Mendes" (a 70s compilation) and "Sergio Mendes & the New Brazil '77." Basically, this is a good starter set for those who just want a bit of Sergio in their collection or for those who are trying to get educated on the brilliant arrangements of this incredibly talented musician and the vocal elegance of singers such as Lani Hall. However, it even misses a few Brasil '66 numbers that should have been included such as the song "Night & Day" (available on their Greatest Hits album) and some of their other Beatles covers (available on various other CDs). Another major disappointment is the omission of the 45 entitled "Real Life" from the 1984 LP "Confetti." Sadly, "Confetti" is no longer available on CD and because it has been deleted, the song "Real Life" is difficult to find. You can get it but be willing to pay up to $50.00 or more for the CD version of "Confetti." The music gets five stars all the way on this CD compilation. But the CD, itself, gets only 4 stars because it could have contained more songs. A two-cd set would have been the solution.

I first heard Brazil 66 on a Florida radio station in the early 90's when i was a teenager, the songs i heard were "Pretty World" and "Fool On The Hill" I was in love with their music from then but I never heard their music again until i bought this cd over 10 years later and i cannot stop listening to it. Their versions of the Beatles "With A Little Help From My Friedns", "The Fool On the Hill" and Burt Bacharach's, "The Look of Love" are wonderful and their own songs "Look Around" and "Like a Lover" are breathtaking. The lead singer Lani Hall's voice is so beautiful the way she could interpret a lyric in Portguese and Spanish for an English speaking woman is unbelieveable. My only regret is that there are only 16 songs. I really didn't want the cd to end. Like the other reviewers a box set is needed so fans could enjoy other hits such as "Day Tripper", "The Frog","Gente" and many others. I suggest everybody should buy this cd and play it especially when they come home from a hard day's work, turn down the lights, sit in your favourite chair, slip in the cd and just let the Brazillian beat relax you.

I grew up in the sixties in NYC with many of these songs. Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66 introduced me to another world back then musically, guiding me to many other types of international music, many years later. These are happy, heart fulfilling melodies, superbly crafted by Sergio Mendes and beautifully rendered by his musicians and singers. Recently, while on vacation at the home of some very savvy music loving friends, I had the good fortune to re-discover Sergio and his band through this CD, which is an exceptional collection, as it has all the best songs from most of their works, over a 20 year period. In any event, it has everything I love - and for that reason, it's gold mine. But hey! Don't take my word for it; get a copy and see for yourself.

I researched and this one contains most of the songs I love. Bought it and sounds great! Everyone that hears it loves it as well.