Customer Reviews

Look Around

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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This album starts off with a cover of The Beatles' "With A Little Help From My Friends". Like Brasil '66's cover of "Day Tripper" this track is nice, but not essential. If the whole album were covers like this, it would be easy to dismiss this disc. But as an introduction, "Little Help" actually works just fine. It's the fanfare that announces all that is to come on this album. The rest of the disc is track after track of brilliant arrangements, impeccable musicianship and beautiful vocals. "Pradizer Adeus", "So Many Stars" and "Like A Lover" are timeless classics. And enough can't be said about what a landmark recording their version of Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "The Look of Love" is. The whole album speaks volumes about the time period in which it was created but at the same time, has retained it's freshness and vitality. A masterpiece! All of the original artwork, liner notes and even the classic brown A&M label have been faithfully reproduced.

LOOK AROUND, the third album from Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66, was released in early 1968 on vinyl as A&M SP 4137. Up until now it could only be obtained on CD as an expensive import. Verve by Request deserves a Grammy Award ... in the service to humanity category, if such exists ... for bringing back this lovely combination of Brasilian sounds and popular music of the U.S. Hard to pick a favorite tune, although "Like a Lover," "The Frog" and "So Many Stars" are contenders. The sound is so new and fresh it's hard to believe the recording is over 30 years old. Hearing Verve's excellent remaster makes me think it could be a hit all over again. Verve also deserves much credit for retaining the original album art and, on the disc, the A&M logo as it appeared on the original LP.

After settling for a variety of greatest hits compilations from Brasil '66 (The best of which is "The Very Best of Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66" - A&M 540 752-2 from the UK) because the original albums were unavailable on CD, I have just acquired this reissue of "Look Around" and also their second album, "Equinox". I have had the seven original Brasil '66 LPs since they were issued, but rarely play vinyl these days. I played the vinyl LP a zillion times back in 1968, but I had forgotten just how great "Look Around" is. Hearing these songs again in their original sequence took me back 35 years. Hearing them scrambled up on a "Best of" anthology is just not the same. If you have even a tiny taste for the bossa nova and samba music of the '60s, you will probably love this CD. If you were in high school or college back then, I can almost guarantee this disc will bring back pleasant memories of a time which seems idyllic now, although it was tumultuous back then. Maybe Brasil '66 was one of the things that helped us through the late '60s. Now if they would just reissue that first Brasil '66 album, I'd be really happy!

Sergio and Brasil '66 were a super nova. Jazz and Latin have always looked for a vector to identify as a point of merger. With all due respect, THIS IS IT! Jazz is about interpretation. Latin music is about emotion. So let us call the work of Senor Mendez and Brasil 66 an emotional interpretation of how we should (or rather, can)feel about all things. Music is in the soul. The music should help us find what is in our soul. This music does just that. Rhythym and melody have always been an intoxicating combination. When you listen to this music, get ready to get drunk. Need i go on. I can! For a long while. As for you, the reader, get this one and recommend it to a friend. Give it as a gift. You won't regret it. Jeff

I was initially puzzled as to why Verve reissued "Look Around" as opposed to their debut record. While this album doesn't include their famous version of "Mais Que Nada"-- it is more consistently strong than their earlier, Herb-Alpert-sponsored effort.

"Roda" is Brasil '66 at their best, and songs such as "The Frog," "Tristeza," and "Batucada" aren't far behind. Their version of "With a Little Help from my Friends" is surprisingly good-- as is the Bacharach-penned "The Look of Love." Sergio Mendes has two of his own songs included here-- but aside from moments during "Look Around," I found them of little interest when compared to the albums strengths: The Brazilian songs earlier mentioned.

Whereas you could always go and get a "Greatest Hits" CD or some such garbage-- this album gives an example of how versatile Brasil '66 could be-- and they're at their best.

This is excellent music. The popularity of bossa nova waned in the late sixties (as did almost every type of music aimed at adults), but in this 1968 album, Brasil '66 took the bossa nova, jazzed it up, gave it a slight pop twist and created one of the most infectious albums I've ever heard. There's not a weak track on the album, with the possible exception of Tristeza, which "la la las" get a little monotonous after awhile. There's an interesting mix of Brazilian tunes in Portugese and English language tunes. Sergio Mendes himself wrote several terrific songs for the album which became standards I especially like the tune, "So Many Stars." The crown jewel of the album is the Bacharach/David song "The Look of Love" with its exciting horn driven arrangement and Lani Hall's crystalline vocals, one of the few example of a Bacharach tune in which another artist and arranger actually improved the song.

If you like jazzy latin pop, you simply cannot do any better than this.

Definitely one of the finest moments for latin jazz, Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66's third album "Look Around". Besides containing their biggest hit, a cover of "The Look of Love", literally every track on the album is great, including their version of Gilberto Gil's "Roda", "Like A Lover", and "The Frog". This music is so infectious, I dare you to stand still while listening to it. Brilliantly remastered, and nicely repackaged, down to using the original 60's era A&M logo on the disc. This makes me eager to see the rest of their great '60's albums reissued. Another first rate reissue from the folks at Verve.

Wow...this CD is great! What a treat to listen again to tunes that I heard as a kid in the late '60's and into the 70's. I can remember older siblings playing the original vinyl Lp of this album. And Lani Hall...one of the best-quality(and sexiest) female voices I've ever heard! Her rendition of So Many Stars on this CD is without equal. They don't make albums like this one anymore...what a shame. I would recommend this CD to anybody that enjoys brasilian-flavored music with just a touch of jazz/pop thrown in for good measure. You wouldn't regret the purchase.

I remember listening to this album as I was graduating from high school when the Brazilian thing was really happening and you could always look to A&M Records for these great releases. Now that I have the CD version I play it all the time. I forgot how timeless this album is and it does withstand the test of time....or am I stuck in the 60's. If you agree grab this album as this Verve series has a habit of being discontinuing without anybody knowing eg Lalo Schifrin's Marat Sade masterpiece. Hopefully we can look forward to more of these classic recording my Mendes, Claudine Longet, Seawind, and others from Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss's great A&M.

I first heard this music in the '60's when it came out. I loved it then, and I love it now. I am so happy to have this music back in my life.