🥂 50th CLASSICS SERIES, VOL. 18 - Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 (CD 2516)

Harry

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Classics, Volume 18 - Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66-'88 [1987]
CD 2516

1. Mas Que Nada
2. Scarborough Fair
3. With A Little Help From My Friends
4. The Look Of Love
5. Fool On The Hill
6. Going Out Of My Head
7. Look Around
8. Like A Lover
9. One Note Samba/Spanish Flea
10. Bim Bom
11. Never Gonna Let You Go
12. Paìs Tropical
13. Promise of A Fisherman
14. Pretty World
15. So Many Stars
16. Song Of No Regrets
17. Alibis
 
Basically what amounts to a Greatest Hits offering only 'Never Gonna Let You Go' from the later years, while at least a few tracks from the 1970's are offered, before the 'Brasil '77' tag took over...

Good all-around intro to Sergio, for those whom aren't quite ready for the bigger Four-Sider set, and what could hold a captive audience till the original A&M's on CD's finally arrive...


-- Dave
 
Two '80s hits: "Alibis" and "Never Gonna Let You Go"
Two Brasil '77 songs: "Paìs Tropical" and "Promise Of A Fisherman"

Harry
 
I treasured this set when it first came out because it was the only place on CD where you could find the full version of "Promise of a Fisherman" -- the Foursider version had the intro cut off, inexplicably.

If I were programming this disc, I would have taken out the two '80s hits (even though they were hits, they are very much the odd ones out here) and I would put in one of the English-language tunes from Pais Tropical, or maybe "Chelsea Morning" from Stillness, since it was a single. Then maybe I would have also tacked on one more song from Fool On The Hill...possibly "Festa" or "Laia Ladaia," my two non-hit faves from that album. Those are two great songs but they almost never made the compilations!

I would have also taken out "One Note Samba/Spanish Flea" and "Bim Bom" which are my two least favorite songs from the first B'66 album. I'd replace them with "Chove Chuva" and "Night and Day" from Equinox. I have a feeling that when the powers that be were putting this compilation together, somehow they just forgot to add the Equinox tracks to their list of possibilities....how else could you explain its total omission? Plus, no matter what album they were on, I think my picks are just better songs. But, they didn't ask me, so....

 
Yeah, the two 80's tunes just didn't fit with the other songs. I wasn't too impressed with this collection. I would've preferred more actual Brazilian tunes over the pop stuff. But that's why I ended up making my own comps.


Capt. Bacardi
 
I was happy to get the '80s tunes since I really hadn't bothered with those albums, so this disc added things that I didn't have. I also appreciated the full "Promise Of A Fisherman" since the FOURSIDER had edited the intro off. This came out way before I ever hear the full, magnificent PRIMAL ROOTS.

The sound quality on this one suffered a bit. It came off a little muddier-sounding to me than most.

Harry
 
The Brasil '66 Foursider is quite muddy itself. :agree:

I have no problem with the 80s songs here: this compilation was more like an A&M career retrospective, similar to how Alpert's Definitive Hits went from "Lonely Bull" to "Diamonds".

IOW, those of us here were not exactly the intended audience. :D
 
I have no problem with the 80s songs here: this compilation was more like an A&M career retrospective, similar to how Alpert's Definitive Hits went from "Lonely Bull" to "Diamonds".

Had they done the B'66 CD in chronological order as they did with Def Hits then the 80's tunes may not have sounded so bad out of whack. But then again I have a very low opinion of those two tunes anyways..... :whistle:



Capt. Bacardi
 
Agreed--they could have gone chronological. Given that it was a commemorative set of sorts, that would have been the best route to take IMHO.
 
This was my first mendes cd which i still own i agree the sound quality suffered a bit at the time i had all my mendes on vinyl until the cds finally came and i thought night and day from equinox and wichita lineman from ye-me-le would have made this collection much better in my opinion but thats just me but this collection at least gave us the hits and a few first time on cd debuts giving us a little appetizer for the future when all the albums represented here would finally see the light on cd i now have almost all my sergio mendes collection on cd as well as a few leftover lps
 
I just saw this thread at the bottom of the page that I was looking at earlier.
I agree that that Never Let You Go and Alibis are misfits as they do not sound like Sergio Mendes for the classic years. For this period, my favorite was Take This Love.
I always felt a few more songs from the Brasil '66 era, such as Festa or Laia La Daia from Fool On The Hill and Wichita Lineman and Masquerade and YeMeLe from YeMeLe could have been included. Why Equinox selections outside of Bim Bom were omitted is a mystery.
I would also probably replaced So Many Stars and Look Around and One Note Samba/Spanish Flea as they have been on other compilations.
 
I suspect that at that stage of the game, Sergio had been back on A&M for a few years and was proud of his "new" hits, whether or not they sounded like the old Brasil '66. And these Classics discs were the label's attempt to do a career-long retrospective that included both of Sergio's times on A&M.

There are so many Sergio Mendes compilations that it boggles the mind. It almost rivals Carpenters in sheer numbers.
 
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