Vintage '74 [Import]

Sergio Mendes, Sergio Mendes | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 27, 2006)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: 101 DISTRIBUTION
• ASIN: B000G1T0UE
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #150,785 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Digitally remastered 2006 reissue of this classic album, originally released on Bell Records in 1974. Features musical assistance from Dave Grusin, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Gracinha Leporace and others. Produced by Bones Howe, this was one of Mendes' strongest releases in years, consisting of top-notch material (three of them by Stevie Wonder!). Also features one of the earliest known covers of Antonio Carlos Jobim's 'Aguad de Marco' (featuring Jobim himself on guitar!) 10 tracks including 'This Masquerade', 'Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing', 'Lonely Sailor' and more. Arista.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sergio gets back on-track, December 28, 2005

By 

JMK (Pacific Northwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vintage 74 (Audio CD)

This was Sergio's second release for Bell Records after leaving his long-time label A&M. The first Bell album, "Love Music," was all American pop with very little Brasilian influence, other than Sergio's always outstanding rhythm section, and many long-time Mendes fans found it less than stellar for that very reason. "Vintage '74" finds Sergio reclaiming his Brasilian heritage with two "new" (for 1974) Jobim tunes, as well as a cover of "Voce Abusou," which had recently been a big hit in his native Brasil. But Sergio also points the way to his coming Elektra years with his new partnership with Stevie Wonder, whose "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing" and "If You Really Love Me" Sergio completely rethinks, and wonderfully so. Some find Sergio's "rethinking" of Stevie's "Superstition" less satisfactory, but I've always loved its over-the-top disco-fied arrangement, which hearkens back a little to "Crystal Illusions" from the classic Brasil '66 years.

For those who love the Brasil '66 years, this is probably the closest you're going to get from Sergio's early to mid-70s output, at least until the Elektra "Homecooking" release, also available on import CD.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lost classic, reissued at last!, July 8, 2003

By 

John Dewey Stewart (Park City, KS United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Vintage 74 (Audio CD)

Sergio Mendes and his group always made happy, passionate music. On each album they covered and interpreted the best North- and South American songwriters, introducing Mendes fans in both hemispheres to each others' top talents. Stevie Wonder's "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing" and Jobim's "Waters Of March" are two of my favorite cuts on this one, but like all Mendes albums, there are no clinkers.

This album finds the the group exploring a slightly more modern sound. Synthesizers, a "rockier"-sounding electric guitar, and a denser mix give this one a different texture from their earlier work. But it's still utterly gorgeous! My heartfelt thanks to the BMG-Victor/Japan for reissuing this, and to Amazon for carrying it! I'm so glad to see this music being made available again!

(By the way - if you already have this album, another lost classic is "Stillness", from 1970. The song "Righteous Life" alone is worth the price of the album, and the band's version of Joni Mitchell's "Chelsea Morning" has to be heard to be believed. Get 'em while they're still in print!)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Vintage '74 is vintage Mendes at his considerable best!, June 17, 2003

By 

William L. Phipps (Tuckahoe, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vintage 74 (Audio CD)

This is a rarity to behold which at last has made it's way to cd thanks to Japan's appreciation for great musical sounds. What gives this cd its special edge is the singing of Bonnie Bowden and Gracinha Leporace(Mendes'wife). Both have the opportunity to
show their considerable talents throughout. Highlights include a
wonderful version of Jobim's Waters Of March, and a sizzling cover of Stevie Wonder's Superstition. The portuguese selections are marvelous evocations of Brazilian celebration. Voce Abusou is especially wonderful in capturing the talents of Brazil '77. All told a welcome reissue.