Well, having now gotten my first two shipments which include the two Brasilian RCA releases of the Elektra discs and the Japanese releases of the A&M-ers, I must say I am much more impressed with the sound quality of the Brasilian releases. Whether this is due to the relative age of the masters, the actual condition of the masters, or the remastering process I don't know, but I was actually a bit disappointed in the Japanese releases, especially the bonus tracks, which do sound like old cassette or vinyl versions. In fact, on a couple of occasions (I'll have to go back and listen), it sounded to me like whole songs were taken from vinyl on the Japanese releases--there were the telltale pops and cracks (very few, but noticeable) on a tune or two, especially on Live at Expo '70. Still and all, it's been a great couple of days reliving my childhood Mendes memories.