I heard this song by Brasil '66 in my iPod "shuffle" rotation, and realized I'd never really explored the other versions of the song, outside of the Joni Mitchell version. So, YouTube to the rescue.
I found it by four other artists - Judy Collins (who had a hit with it), Neil Diamond, Jennifer Warnes, and an A&M act, Fairport Convention (although they weren't on A&M yet when they recorded "Chelsea Morning").
Neil Diamond does it in a peppy fashion not too far off from Sergio's version, but for some reason he stops short of finishing the whole lyric. Has a nice orchestration in the song. It seems a strange song for a man to sing though.
Fairport Convention is probably the closest to connecting with the spirit of the song lyrically. They come off like a bunch of hippies, which of course is what they were. Not bad, but stops short of nailing it in my opinion.
Judy Collins....well, she does a nice job on it, but to me, it sounds like any other dozen Judy Collins records, and she messes with the melody somewhat.
I hated the Jennifer Warnes version...didn't like the arrangement or her vocals, either one. I always liked her single "Right TIme of the Night" so I was half-expecting to like this one, but no.
The best version, in my opinion, is Sergio's.....I cued it up again after listening to all the others it was like a breath of fresh air in comparison. The vocals, the arrangement, the rhythm, the piano...all perfect. I suppose this has something to do with the fact I've been hearing that version for nearly 50 years and it's always been near (or at) the top of my Sergio Mendes favorites list.
I'd be interested in what others think. Do you have a favorite version?
I found it by four other artists - Judy Collins (who had a hit with it), Neil Diamond, Jennifer Warnes, and an A&M act, Fairport Convention (although they weren't on A&M yet when they recorded "Chelsea Morning").
Neil Diamond does it in a peppy fashion not too far off from Sergio's version, but for some reason he stops short of finishing the whole lyric. Has a nice orchestration in the song. It seems a strange song for a man to sing though.
Fairport Convention is probably the closest to connecting with the spirit of the song lyrically. They come off like a bunch of hippies, which of course is what they were. Not bad, but stops short of nailing it in my opinion.
Judy Collins....well, she does a nice job on it, but to me, it sounds like any other dozen Judy Collins records, and she messes with the melody somewhat.
I hated the Jennifer Warnes version...didn't like the arrangement or her vocals, either one. I always liked her single "Right TIme of the Night" so I was half-expecting to like this one, but no.
The best version, in my opinion, is Sergio's.....I cued it up again after listening to all the others it was like a breath of fresh air in comparison. The vocals, the arrangement, the rhythm, the piano...all perfect. I suppose this has something to do with the fact I've been hearing that version for nearly 50 years and it's always been near (or at) the top of my Sergio Mendes favorites list.
I'd be interested in what others think. Do you have a favorite version?
