Customer Reviews

Tide

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I originally bought this CD on a Japanese import about a year ago after despairing of ever finding it on a domestic label. Now we have it! Though its been more than 30 years since its original release, Tide is just as delightful today as it ever was. There are those who would despise this as elevator music-those with a tin ear who know not the difference between mellow and schlock.Jobim, one of the founding fathers of the bossa nova sound, is nothing if not the King of Mellow and the apex of his creativity is to be heard on a trio of CTI/A&M albums released in the late 60s. Tide is one of these. (Wave and Stoneflower are the others.) The album opens with a familiar and overplayed, yet enjoyable rendition of Girl from Ipanema. Then the album becomes a nice mix between the laid-back and the up-tempo but always MELLOW.My favorites on the album are Tema Jazz (featuring an Ian Anderson-like flute solo by Hermeto Pascoal) and Rockanalia which features an understated but powerful show of Jobim's famous "one-note" piano style. On the more relaxed side, my favorites are the title cut, again featuring an excellent restrained Jobim piano interlude, and the romantic Carinhoso. There is not a bad song on the album. Tide surely deserves a place in the collection of every jazz and bossa nova enthusiast. The title of this review describes Tide perfectly.

The title track was built on the same chord structure as "Wave." If you can play or hum the melody of "Wave" while playing "Tide," you'll have fun juxtaposing the two tunes. [Listen to how arranger-pianist-guitarist Eumir Deodato melded the sibling tunes seamlessly on the "Sinatra and Co." album.] "Tide" is abundant with rich melodies, not the least of which is Jobim's most famous work, "The Girl From Ipanema." Jobim showcases his lyrical side in "Sue Ann," and "Caribe." In "Remember," he plays beautiful block chords backed by a strong rhythm section. In "Tema Jazz," he proves that he and company can swing hard.

The remastered version has a clearer sound and a stronger presence than the original CD reissue. However, I find Verve's technical efforts on this CD a bit overdone. The result compromises the album's musical quality. Take the bass flute parts by Joe Farrell on "Carinhoso," for instance. The flute doesn't sound as warm and dreamy as it does on the LP and original CD reissue.

On "Takatanga," the trombone sounds harsh and a bit too loud, unlike on the LP and original CD reissue. I also note, with a bit of curiosity, the omission of the bass flute solo on "Takatanga" that was on the original release. [Technical note: That's the part where the chords go like this: Amsus, Abm7, G6, Gm, etc. Or simply, scan forward until the elapsed time reads 2:26]. It's an obvious remastering error by Verve that up to this day, they have neither acknowledged nor rectified. It's unfortunate that Jobim is no longer around to raise his objections.

On the alternate take of "Tide," Jobim plays electric piano sans strings and horns. Get your guitar and play along.

Overall, the album is another Jobim tour de force. Applause for Eumir Deodato for his magnificent arrangements. "Tide" couldn't have been commissioned to a better arranger than him. Jobim is no longer with us, but his rich musical legacy lives on with this album.

At long last, "Tide", the sequel to the 1967 classic "Wave"(see review) is finally available to American Jobim lovers on CD! Released in late 1970 "Tide" is a continuation of that masterwork, but features more of Jobim's great grand and electric piano playing. Jobim is supported by great players like Ron Carter, Hubert Laws, Hermeto Pascoal, Joe Farrell, Airto Moreira, and features arrangements by Eumir Deodato, rather than by Claus Ogerman this time. Stand out tracks on this album include the title track, "Remember", and "Tema Jazz". As an added bonus, there are three additional versions of "Tema Jazz" including two alternate takes, and the complete unedited master take of the song, as well as a wonderful alternate version of "Tide" without orchestration and Jobims' electric piano taking the place of the flutes. Nicely repackaged in a digipak and beautifully remastered(not to mention the great price! ), this gem of an album shines even brighter than before. Thank you Verve and all I can say is MORE PLEASE! MORE!

This album, along with the "Stone Flower" album are in my opinion the 2 finest albums Jobim ever did. The melodies are beautiful, as always. But the real rewards here are Eumir Deodato's arrangements. Every track has that perfect balance of the familiar and the surprising. The way Deodato mixes the horns with flutes, electric piano with acoustic guitar, Brazilian percussion with traditional trap drums- is amazing. You'll be engaged by some great arranging technique on one track, and then the next track is yet another brilliant arrangement, totally different from the previous one yet still perfectly in the spirit of Jobim's "sound". This goes on through about dozen tracks- all of which are great. The "updated" arrangement of The Girl From Ipanema is a great example of this in the way that it takes a very familiar composition and re-tools it to be more complex, interesting, and hypnotic than the earlier recordings- no small task for a classic song that one would think could hardly be improved upon. The alternate take of "Tide" is also a real treat, featuring great Fender-Rhodes electric piano work in a totally stripped-down non-orchestral arrangement. I cannot compare the CD mix to the LP releases as others have, but I can say the CD sound quality overall is excellent. Verve really should re-issue more A&M/CTI dates like this. Kudos to Jobim and Deodato for really delivering the goods here and proving they are both absolute masters of their craft.

I must confess. I have not heard the CD version of this album but I do own the vinyl version which was re-issued back in 1984. Nevertheless, I feel compelled to share my thoughts about this album and again, it's only based on my listening experience with the A&M Audio Masters version.

The vinyl version of this album is truly outstanding. "Tide" was a good follow-up to "Wave" and it is every bit as enjoyable in its own way as "Wave" is in its.

Although "Tide" doesn't have the consistency that "Wave" does, it is a well-produced album that has some first-rate performances by Jobim. "Sue Ann", "Tide", "Remember" and "Caribe" are among the finer cuts on this album and they are ones you will definitely want your CD player to play over and over again.

In reading some of the other reviews on this site, several people have expressed their displeasure with the way Verve remastered this album. Being a purist, I too would be dissatisfied with any re-issued recording that was not faithful to the original performance. Nevertheless, I still think this reconstituted CD would be worth buying; likewise, I plan to add this CD to my collection as it is truly a Jobim classic.

To me this doesn't sound too inspired, more like something Jobim was contracted to do. This is underlined by the fact that he's reusing his old, often played standard 'Girl Of Ipanema'. Likewise the title track 'Tide' is a recycling of the chords to 'Wave', with a melody, that most of all sounds like a pale echo of 'Wave'. This seems, apart from the brazilian classic 'Carinhoso' to be symptomatic for the rest of the songs on the album. Songs Like 'Tema Jazz', 'Remember'(which again alternately sounds like it was built on the chords to either 'One Note Samba' and Wave') and 'Takatanga' are nice enough and has a lot of little creative details in the melody and arrangements, still it isn't as 'mindblowing', as some of the other stuff Jobim has done. So I don't think this is one of the better Jobim albums, it sounds more like a workout for Jobim and his then new arranger Deodato, before they went on to create 'Stone Flower, the follow up to this one, and a great deal better.

I prefer the subtle and melancholy magic of "Wave," but "Tide" is pure and essential Jobim. Every track is outstanding, but the album as a whole lacks the underlying melancholic beauty of "Wave." It occasionally swings (i.e. sections of "Garota de Ipanema") and I think that this detracts from the laid-back flavour that I've come to know and love from Jobim.

Still, make no mistake-- this is an incredible album (a classy reissue as well!), and belongs in the collection of anyone interested in bossa-nova.

Although the "Wave" album may be a tad superior to this effort, this is extremely enjoyable nonetheless. The variations of "Girl From Ipanema" are very unusual. The beginning and ending piano chord progressions herald that this is not the dreamy version of old but a new exciting journey to that famed beach. The other tracks, especially the different versions of "Tema Jazz", are the icing on the cake.

Those who may dismiss this as a tepid effort (even I have to admit that "Tide" is just a variation of "Wave"; it's just too obvious.) should just listen rather than judge. No matter what, this is still a gorgeous album with beautiful music and worth listening to over and over again.

This is a great album for fans of bossa nova, fans of Jobim, or music that puts you in a good mood and relaxes you. A true classic and definitely one of my favorites. It's also a great introduction to light Brazilian jazz.

Jobim's music is very elegant and classy. It can be also a background on any activities - you will feel comfortable and relaxed. "Tide" is my favourite instrumental album.