Customer Reviews

Shadow of Your Smile (Spec Packaging)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

With this re-issue, Verve has provided fans of Astrud Gilberto with the definitive version of this wonderful album. The 1987 'Silver Collection' which contained the complete 'Astrud Gilberto Album' and 'The Shadow of Your Smile' as well a few bonus tracks, suffered from minimal packaging and poor sound, the result of less-than-desirable source tapes. This CD, a 96kHz, 24 bit transfer, contains the original liner notes, as well as additional location information. The sound is much improved, although the tapes are showing their age. These recordings are, after all, nearly 40 years old. However, in tunes such as 'Manha de Carnaval', 'The Gentle Rain', and 'Funny World' with their soft guitar intros and subtle arrangements, the hiss which plagued the earlier CD is noticeably absent, resulting in a more intimate feeling. The stereo separation, a trademark of the 60s-era production, is still there, but the definition is better, adding to the impact of songs like "Non-Stop to Brazil' with its reverb-ed flutes on the right and beautifully lush strings to the left. Over-all, a welcome improvement to an album which I find enjoyable and relaxing, even after all these years.

This is as good a classic Bossa Nova CD as I've heard.

The delivery is so low key and understated that it blends in with any activity, reading, having a nice cup of tea, or writing.

Gilberto's voice is so cool and collected that it's hard to believe that she basically walked into the studio and cut these and her other classic tracks without any formal training.

Her voice reminds me loosely of Swing Out Sister's Corrine Drewery, another so called "untrained" pop-jazz vocalist with a cult following.

All the tracks here are worth listening. My only complaint is that there weren't more of them, and that most of them don't run a little longer.

Great stuff!

what a beautiful voice this lady has..this was one of my first Astrud lp's..of course like everyone else i heard 'The Girl From Ipanema' as a child and fell in love with her voice..! this cd 'The Shadow Of Your Smile' has been re-mastered with great sound and i like the mini lp cover, this a half-hour of some great music.

Great easy listening with soothing and pretty female vocals.The songs are quite emotional,with a beautiful sadness to them that only the mid to late 60's can bring.Just fantastic.I also recommend "A Certain Smile,A Certain Sadness" and "A Look To the Rainbow" from Austrud Gilberto.......and Carlos Jobim's "The Composer Of Desafinado Plays" and "Wave",all of these recordings are from the mid to late 60's and are very similar.

I bought this music on vinyl when it first came out, and I've been listening to it for over forty years (where did the time go?) As has been said about other achievements, this is (to paraphrase) a musical experience that is appropriate for all times and places. Of course I can name other music of all styles that touch my heart, but I defy anyone to find anything more intensely "human" than these few songs. If you are human, you will never want to part with the sound, the emotions, the simple perfection of these works of art.

to all the other five star reviews, I can say Amen!
However, there is one thing I noticed about Astrud Gilberto's
voice I hadn't recognized before. Notice her transition from
either the low or middle register to a hign note. It's smoothness
is unimaginable. Truly the best CD of hers of all that I own.

Astrud was first heard by fans on Getz/Gilberto and was not even credited originally on the LP. The track "The Girl From Ipanema" became a number five hit in mid-1964 and the Getz/Gilberto album became the best-selling jazz album then making Astrud a phenomena.

This 1964 album for verve has some of her finest and most beautiful songs - namely the title track, Aruanda, Manhã de Carnival and Fly me to the moon.

This release improves the sonics and packaging - 24 bit remastering and a mini LP format packaging. I was really lucky to get an autographed copy of this album from Astrud. Fans should check out her personal website / store-front where one can buy autogrpahed copies of her albums and prints of her paintings.

This is a great album from a truly unique jazz voice!

That is a bold statement to make, that Astrud's versio nis the ebst ever of "Fly Me To The Moon" however almost every other singer who does it, is copying Sinatra's version, and Sinatra's is snappy. However Astrud scats in the into and makes it a tender yet swinging samba nova! The whole album flows with romance tenderness, and it gently swings. The highlights are a bouncy Take Me To Aruanda, Fly Me To The moon, and a gorgeous rendition of The Gentle Rain. A beautiful album.

.....and still do. This is a remake of an LP from back in '64....very early Astrud. There's always been a certain charm about her...maybe a "little girl" quality...hard to define. The story is that she only got onto the legendary Getz/Gilberto album in the first place because she could sing in English. Not sure if this was her first solo effort...

This is an album of pop music of the day, English and Portugese...probably the best known cuts would be the title song, "Fly Me To The Moon", and "Who Can I Turn To". One can say that Astrud has an accent, BUT, one can understand every word, which is more than can be said for some who grew up speaking English.

As I said, this is a reissue of an LP...and there's the one drawback; oh, the sound is fantastic, as we expect from Verve. But, 25' 34" is kind of short for a CD that goes for above-market price. Still, I like it, and I bet you will, too....

This is a charming album. The sound is dated, yes, but the remastered edition is luscious. The instrumental and vocal timbres are very warm and sweet.

The only caveat I have is that the vocals are not as solid as The Astrud Gilberto Album. That one sounds very confident throughout. Here, some of the singing sounds tentative. Maybe that by itself may be appealing to some listeners. I do not have that reaction. It sounds like Astrud was not entirely comfortable with the some of the songs or wasn't thoroughly familiar with them.

Also, on Fly Me To The Moon Astrud never sounds exactly on-key, which is a bit disconcerting. Who Can I Turn To is similarly afflicted. It makes me wonder if she was unable to hear the orchestral playback properly. I don't know the cause, but it should have been corrected before release.

Still, some of the songs here are utterly confident and among the best Astrud ever recorded. Manha De Carnaval floors me with its beautiful guitar arrangement and simply wonderful unadorned vocals. The title track and Aruanda are complete successes. I have always loved The Gentle Rain -- I even own the original soundtrack LP. Astrud's version is a worthy variation on the song.

For me this is a worthwhile CD, one that I come back to repeatedly, in spite of its objective flaws. I only wish Verve would release a reasonably priced remaster of Astrud's first album that equals the sonic authority and beauty of Shadow Of Your Smile. Review Update July 2009: Last year, Verve did just that -- remaster The Astrud Gilberto Album. High time they did. The Astrud Gilberto Album