What Made You A Mendes Fan?

[Brasil_Nut]

As a long-standing member of A&M Corner, I've met some incredible Mendes fans over the years. In the course of our discussions, we've talked about what makes Sergio unique. For instance, the way he plays the keyboard, or how he uses vocals as instruments. I have, however, often wondered what brought other fans into the Mendes fold?

For me, it was a matter of two parents who appreciated good music and listened to it often. Dad had an extensive reel-to-reel collection of jazz, folk and pop music to boggle the mind. Our parents, ever vigilant about exposing us to the arts, often took us to concerts featuring some of the greats of the music industry -- Mendes being one of them. I'd honestly have to say it clicked with me from birth, for it was all I knew (or cared to know) as far as music was concerned for as long as I can remember.

And so, what made you a Mendes fan? Do you remember what clicked with you? Was it a specific song or album? An appearance on TV? Hearing him on the radio?

Inquiring minds want to know!

Jon

 

[Ed Bishop]

This one's easy: my father was a big Alpert fan, so when he saw an album that said "Herb Alperts Presents"....that was it! And he became a fan, and so did I....that first A&M album still holds up the best, remains a breezy, fresh listen, though of course all his A&M material is pretty solid. Later caught up with some of his earlier material, and while it wasn't the same when he moved on to Brasil '77 and such things, you could still hear the warmth.

 

[Aqua do Brasil]

As a long-standing member of A&M Corner, I've met some incredible Mendes fans over the years. In the course of our discussions, we've talked about what makes Sergio unique. For instance, the way he plays the keyboard, or how he uses vocals as instruments. I have, however, often wondered what brought other fans into the Mendes fold?


Jon

Dear Jon,
My introduction into the Mendes fold was a record in 1965 (I was 15 years old than) and my neighbour a West-Carribean Bandleader ( He performed music like Tito Puente, Perez Prado with his band on Cruiseships between The Netherlands and Sweden) has this SERGIO MENDES AND BRASIL 65 LIVE AT EL MATADOR. I was totally hooked by than. In 1977 I bought in Spain the LP version, a lousy pressed copy but in 2000 I bought the CD version and the sound is amazing on CD.
Wonderfully recorded by legendary recording engineer WALLY HEIDER.
In 1976 I bought the album EQUINOX and than I was more than complete hooked on that sound, those girls singing unison with the fiery piano rhytmic wizardy of sergio and the great percussion grooves and the wonderful repertoire choice. And the fine guitar by JOHN PISANO, he shares the same birthday with me, the 6th. of february.

I a Mendes fan and will be all my life.
Before I noticed Mendes, I was raised as a kid with records, my father worked also as me 12 years at EMI records brought once a record by classical Brazilian composer HEITOR VILLA-LOBOS when I was 8 years old and I liked it a lot.

When I was 12 years old I heard for the first time music by Jobim on the radio and than marks my interlude to Sergio’s music.

I completely share and understand your feelings about his music with you.

All the best Jon,

Sjef Nix, aka Aqua do Brasil[/i]

 

[Dave]

Well, Sergio's incarnations of the band throughout the years has maintained a Brasilian-Pop Music quality that really reaches through the ages.

Going from a novel "small club act" to something more sophisticated. It's mood music, it's party music, it's romantic music, it's timeless, it's enlightening and nostalogic.

And good music to listen to all year round!

Dave

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I was a Herb Alpert fan first. I was introduced to the TJB via a TV special. The first TJB album I bought was GOING PLACES, which I gave my mom as a Mother's Day present.

After that, I started hanging around the record counter at the local variety store and eventually noticed the HERB ALPERT PRESENTS album, and was curious about it but didn't buy it.

Later, my dad bought me the MUSIC BOX compilation album which contained the song "Look Around" by Mendes. Not too long after that, the STILLNESS album came out and, intrigued by the cover, I decided to try it out. That was all it took...I worked my way backwards and wound up with the whole A&M catalog. I've never gotten into Sergio's pre-A&M work...I've tried it, but I guess the lack of vocals makes it sound too bland for me.

I can't say exactly what drew me into the music at first. Compared to everything else that was around at the time, it was kind of exotic and mysterious, which I guess I picked up on. The beat, the piano (I was a frustrated piano player at the time) and the percussion sounds (every TJB fan likes percussion) are my favorite things about it.

I liked the vocals, but I wasn't really a gigantic Lani Hall fan at first. This is probably because I "joined the fold" right when Sergio was trading Lani in for Gracinha. It took me a while to figure out who was who, since my first full Mendes album had three different ladies singing on it!

My Mendes favorites were mostly the pop-songs from the FOOL ON THE HILL through VINTAGE 74 group of albums, until in the mid 90s when I found A&M Corner and began to gain more of an appreciation for those earlier records and the more Brazilian tunes.

I remember one of the first things I "realized" through the A&M forum was that there were no snare drums on the pre-STILLNESS records. I never even noticed it before that! I'm a lot more appreciative about the music now and have probably listened to my Sergio Mendes music more in the past 5 years than in the rest of my days put together.

 

[Rudy]

This one's easy: my father was a big Alpert fan, so when he saw an album that said "Herb Alperts Presents"....that was it!

Ed!

I don't know what prompted one of my parents to buy the Brasil '66 albums, but my mother liked Latin and Brazilian music, and like you say, she may have seen the "Herb Alpert Presents..." on the album cover or heard "Mas Que Nada" on the radio. We had the first two albums in mono. The third and fourth (Look Around and Fool On The Hill), Dad bought just before we'd bought our first Magnavox stereo console. Those were off-limits to play on the old Admiral or my own little record player. But I grew up with those first four albums, which may be why those are still my favorites all these years later.

 

[Harry]

As a child of the '50s and '60s, I always had rather eclectic tastes in music, and didn't much care for what was generally offered on Top-40 radio, though it always seemed to be on around the house - my sisters listened to it all the time.

I'd go off and listen to my record player and had become a big fan of Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass. At some point, my parents came home with a "new" Herb Alpert record, though it wasn't all Herb - it was the FAMILY PORTRAIT album.

It was on that album that I discovered the wonders of Brasil '66 with the magnificent "Like A Lover." That track remains a favorite to this day.

Later I bought all of the A&M Mendes product and kept right on doing so until the Elektra era began.

Harry
...longtime Mendes fan, online...

 

[Captaindave]

Like others, I was a Herb Alpert fan first. Due to my interest in the TJB, I became aware of Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66. At that time, anything that involved Herb Alpert in any way drew my attention.

 

[Captain Bacardi]

For me, I didn't become a Mendes fan until a few years ago. At first I really didn't care for Brasil '66 because of the pop tunes they were doing. It wasn't until I found a MoFi copy of Herb Alpert Presents... that I started enjoying them for the Brazilian stuff. I still feel that way today. I'm not really into songs like "Going Out Of My Head" or "Daytripper", but really love stuff like "Agua De Beber" and "The Frog" and stuff like that. I was so disappointed with his 2nd go-around with A&M when he did "Never Gonna Let You Go". Fortunately, he's made up with that when he did Brasileiro. I guess he could make more $$ doing the pop stuff, but I'll only listen to his Brazilian side.


Capt. Bacardi

 

[Brasil_Nut]

I guess he could make more $$ doing the pop stuff, but I'll only listen to his Brazilian side.

I've heard both sides to this, Captain, so I know what you mean. On the other hand, there are those who like pop as opposed to Brasilian. But, you hit the nail on the head: the $$$ come with pop material -- save for "Mas Que Nada" which brought them forth as something new and original.

Jon

 

[Brasil_Nut]

It was on that album that I discovered the wonders of Brasil '66 with the magnificent "Like A Lover." That track remains a favorite to this day.

I know what you mean...mine being the "Music Box" compilation. Although Dad had the original Claudine album on reel-to-reel, I'd not heard anything else by her. "It's Hard To Say Goodbye" stuck with me after hearing "Music Box" for the first time -- thus my determination to complete my own Claudine Longet A&M collection.

Jon

 

[Harry]

[ "It's Hard To Say Goodbye" stuck with me after hearing "Music Box" for the first time -- thus my determination to complete my own Claudine Longet A&M collection.

I think Claudine's two best recordings are represented on the A&M multi-artist compilations: "It's Hard To Say Goodbye" on MUSIC BOX and "Wanderlove" on FAMILY PORTRAIT.

Harry
...who waited many years before acquiring any more Claudine, online...

 

[Brasil_Nut]

I think Claudine's two best recordings are represented on the A&M multi-artist compilations: "It's Hard To Say Goodbye" on MUSIC BOX and "Wanderlove" on FAMILY PORTRAIT.

You're so right, Harry. Another Claudine song that absolutely blows me away is "Man In A Raincoat" from her LOOK OF LOVE album...talk about the "goosebump" principle. This arrangement, sparked by changing time signatures, was a perfect vehicle for Claudine's voice.

I do find it curious that she sang Portuguese on songs such as "A Felicidade" -- an unexpected pleasure -- she makes the language her own.

Jon

 

[Steve Sidoruk]

I remember this like it was just yesterday. It was 1966 and we had moved to Connecticut, near New Haven. I was 13 and already a big Herb Alpert & TJB fan. I saw an ad in the newspaper that Herb would be playing at the Yale Bowl that June. My Dad bought tickets for the family to go to the concert and I was so excited!

After an act called the Geezinslaw Brothers, who were comedians, Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 played. I had no idea who this "Sergio guy" was prior to going to the concert. I was immediately hooked! I loved the rhythyms, the perscussion and of course, Sergio's piano. I couldn't wait for the first album to come out.

After that, I was watching to see Sergio & Co. on TV whenever possible and then waiting as more albums were released. I never got to see Sergio live in concert again until 1996, but have now gotten to meet him and see about 6 more concerts. He still has the magic and I am still eagerly awaiting his next album (CD)!

 

[Brasil_Nut]

That's a great story, Steve. How blessed you were to have seen the original Brasil '66 on stage. I was too young to have seen the original group, although my parents saw both Brasil '65 and the original incarnation of Brasil '66. I first saw them in '68 at the Circle Star, although I briefly remember that performance, I do recall seeing them at the Monterey Jazz Festival in '71, when Lani, Gracinha and Karen were vocalists. It was Lani's last tour with the group.

Jon

 

[JMK]

Weird that so many of us evidently first got hooked on Sergio via "Like a Lover." Me, too. My eldest sister, who is 11 years older than I am (yes, I was my parents' mid-life crisis! ), brought home the first three Brasil '66 LPs from college during the summer of 1968, and was trying to transcribe the lyric to "Like a Lover" to send to her boyfriend. She couldn't understand "Its light arrives on tiptoe" (for a while we thought it was "Its lighter thrives on tiptoe," which I still kind of like!), so she played that song over and over (and over) while I listened, helping her to get the words. Of course, I had to listen to rest of Look Around and the other two albums, and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

[Harry]

I always thought the lyrics to "Like A Lover" said: "Your smile is soft and fuzzy", and in the line you mentioned, I somehow thought it said: "It's light arrives on tiptoe to play taking you in its embrace" - which makes no sense at all. It took years before I realized that it was drowsy and gently that I was mis-hearing.

Didn't matter though - it's still a sensational record, holding up to this very day.

Harry
NP: "Like A Lover" - Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66

 

[Rudy]

I was probably two or three years old when my folks went to see the TJB at Cobo Arena. I don't remember a thing about it, but I'm pretty sure Mom told me that Brasil '66 was the opening act.

 

[Dave]

What made you a Mendes fan? Do you remember what clicked with you? Was it a specific song or album? An appearance on TV? Hearing him on the radio?

Jon

Though young at the time, I do remember hearing STILLNESS, PAIS TROPICAL and PRIMAL ROOTS when they came out, or at least came out when "I did". And sure I heard some earlier stuff, too.

But, I was well into my record collecting when "Never Gonna Let You Go" was playing and I found it hard to believe that was done by the SAME Sergio Mendes as the one, whose albums I'd frequently see in the Flea Markets along with all those TjB and BMB albums.


Dave

 

[Steven J. Gross]

So many things, but the bottom line- The Music- It is extraordinary. The first 4 Brasil 66 albums are classics in every way.

 

[Brasil_Nut]

So many things, but the bottom line- The Music- It is extraordinary. The first 4 Brasil 66 albums are classics in every way.

You're so right, Steven. HERB ALPERT PRESENTS, EQUINOX AND LOOK AROUND definitely stand out as 'classics' in every way. With the introduction of the 'new' Brasil '66 in 1968, FOOL ON THE HILL, CRYSTAL ILLUSIONS, YE-ME-LE and especially STILLNESS stand out as originals in their own right.

Jon

 

[jfiedler17]

My first exposure to Sergio's a really awesome childhood memory for me. I was fascinated by my dad's record collection before I ever even started school (how I remember this so vividly is beyond me!!!!) and was drawn like a magnet to the stereo anytime he'd put on a record and I quickly learned that anything with an A&M label was almost a guarantee that I'd like it (thereby starting my lifelong love for the label very, very young!). (Burt Bacharach and the Carpenters were my faves in the bunch.) So when my uncle found out about my enormous love of records, he let me take whatever I wanted from the shelves of records in his basement that he didn't want (I'll never forget how much fun that was!), and the first record I remember taking (and strictly on the basis of it having an A&M logo on it!) ... an album called "Look Around"! (Of course, I became an immediate Sergio fan!)
I didn't even know until after I brought it home and starting playing the heck out of "The Look of Love" that "Look Around" wasn't just my mom's favorite album when she was in college, but the first album she ever bought, too! ("Fool on the Hill" being the second!)

Jeff F.
... whose mom, for the half-dozen racy album covers his mom confiscated from him as a kid, apparently never caught on to the "Fool on the Hill" cover ...

 

[Brasil_Nut]

Jeff...that's a sensational story! I have childhood memories of my parents listening to Sergio, too. I'd come home from school to hear "Slow Hot Wind" or "For Me" coming from our 8-track in the Family Room. On weekends and weeknights, Dad 'spun' tapes on his reel-to-reel, most often Herb & The Tijuana Brass, Bacharach, Claudine, BMB and...of course...Sergio Mendes!

Jon

 

[daveK]

When I was a kid, and played my TJB "Greatest Hits" LP and 8-track all the time, I used to think that I'd like to get the other A&M "Greatest Hits" LPs by Sergio, BMB, Sandpipers and Wes Montgomery. I never did though and didn't really become familiar with any of those acts until my high school years. The thing that brought me back to wanting to delve into Sergio's music was not atypical...it was "The Look Of Love". I had the "Casino Royale" soundtrack with Dusty Springfield's version, which I thought was just okay. Finding a 45 of Mendes' version in a used record store, I was amazed at how great it was. It's still my favorite Sergio track, with "Crystal Illusions" running a close second. "Look Around" is my favorite Brasil '66 album.
When "Austin Powers" came out in theaters I went to see it with my then-girlfriend who, at 21, was 10 years my junior. She always made fun of me for listening to "old people" music. After the movie she wanted to go buy the soundtrack for that "Portuguese" song that was in the film. I didn't know what she was talking about but it was "Mas Que Nada". After listening to the soundtrack, I told her that the same group that did "Mas Que Nada" also did a version of "The Look Of Love" that was much better than Susanna Hoff's version. I loaned her my Sergio CDs and she became a fan of some "old people" music.

 

[daveK]

I was fascinated by my dad's record collection before I ever even started school (how I remember this so vividly is beyond me!!!!) and was drawn like a magnet to the stereo anytime he'd put on a record and I quickly learned that anything with an A&M label was almost a guarantee that I'd like it (thereby starting my lifelong love for the label very, very young!). (Burt Bacharach and the Carpenters were my faves in the bunch.)

I also developed a love for the A&M label at an early age. Before my oldest brother went to Vietnam, he used to play his "Lonely Bull" LP for me and this started my interest in the TJB. After he left, my mother would hide the record from me (I was about 3 at the time) because the song "The Lonely Bull" made her think about him being in 'Nam and she would cry. When I was around 5, she took me to K-Mart and let me pick out a 45. This was when K-Mart had all their 45s without picture sleeves hanging on hooks inside a plastic display case. Of course, my eyes went right to that ochre colored A&M label and so my first official record "purchase" was the Carpenters' "For All We Know" b/w "Don't Be Afraid". I was a little disappointed on my first listen, expecting something along the lines of "Limbo Rock" or "Struttin' With Maria" I suppose, but quickly took to the song.
A few years back, I sold my huge ochre A&M label 45 collection on eBay because it was just taking up space. Every once in a while, I get the urge to look through them and kind of miss them. :|