Magic Lady Reissue
- Thread starter Cortnee
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I don't know whether to get this or not. I remember hating it when it first came out, but there were a couple of songs that I did enjoy on it. I guess I'll probably get it just so I have the complete collection (well, I don't have the first two of the "second A&M era" disks but I'm sure they'll be reissued at some point.)
He must have recorded those two albums at the same time. Remember how he would mix English and Brasilian material on every album....maybe in that case, he had enough material for two albums so he just put all the English on MAGIC LADY and all the Brasilian on HORIZONTE, but then couldn't get HORIZONTE released in the States. Just a theory but could be what happened.
I'm pretty sure they were completely different projects. "Horizonte" was a Brasilian project, released on Som Livre, and tied to the Brasilian tv special (which includes my all-time favorite tv moment--Sergio "finger-synching" on an UNPLUGGED Rhodes to "Misturada," which of course features an acoustic piano! 
). "Magic Lady" was his swan song on Elektra and was obviously (IMHO anyway) a low-budget affair, probably after Brasil '88, which was very expensive to produce (according to the CD liner notes), bombed. Notice how "Magic Lady" was even "demoted" to the standard red Elektra label, instead of the top-of-the-line green Butterfly label that the previous releases had had.
). "Magic Lady" was his swan song on Elektra and was obviously (IMHO anyway) a low-budget affair, probably after Brasil '88, which was very expensive to produce (according to the CD liner notes), bombed. Notice how "Magic Lady" was even "demoted" to the standard red Elektra label, instead of the top-of-the-line green Butterfly label that the previous releases had had.
I don't think so. The "headline" acts for Elektra (e.g., Carly Simon) ALWAYS had the Butterfly labels, LPs that would list for $7.98 and up. The red labels were for the "second string" artists, the $5.98-7.98 line. Maybe somewhere down the road they switched all to red, but I still have a bunch of Elektra LPs from the same era as "Magic Lady" with Butterfly labels.
I'm just basing this on my retail experience from back then when I worked at a record store in those days. At least through early 1980 (give or take a few months), there were definitely two Elektra lines--the more expensive Butterflys and the less expensive plain red labels. I just went and checked my Carly LPs (the ones I still have, LOL). At least up through 1978's Boys in the Trees, she's got the Butterfly label.
Just did a quick web search to confirm and unless my memory is really bad (which it tends to be the older I get), Jackson was indeed on Asylum (at least back in the 70s), so if you have a red Elektra label with him, you've got something very rare. It looks like (as with a lot of the Asylum artists of yore) the CD reissues are on WEA, with the red & black Elektra logo. I forgot to mention earlier that that big 45 lot I auctioned a few weeks ago similarly split the Butterfly logo at Magic Lady--all of the singles off the first Elektra LPs, were in nice glossy sleeves with the Butterfly logo (even the white label promos), but all of the Magic Lady 45s were in plain white sleeves with the red label.
TulitaPepsi
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Overall, MAGIC LADY has a cheap, hollow sound to it. The Japanese version of the title cut (which I'm hoping is included as bonus track) has a much richer and evocative mix. Ideally, the whole album would be specially re-mixed to pump it up a notch or two.
Not a favorite Sergio album (some of the songs are inane even for disco - "Let It Go" is about the worst), but "A Dream Come True (Can't Hardly Wait)" was a bouncy favorite at my college dances.
Not a favorite Sergio album (some of the songs are inane even for disco - "Let It Go" is about the worst), but "A Dream Come True (Can't Hardly Wait)" was a bouncy favorite at my college dances.
I agree completely about the US sound--I was actually pleasantly surprised when I got "Summer Champion" and heard the remastering. It was like a whole new song. I love "A Dream Come True," too, as well as "Magic Lady." Plus, "Lonely Woman" isn't bad. And once "I'll Tell You" kicks in, it has a nice groove, though I could live without the synth effects. I know some people here like it, but I just want to run screaming from the room whenever I hear "You Get Your Love From Me."
Dave
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Magic Lady is one of Sergio's albums I recall not being especially fond of... No suprise that it was nearly the last for him on Elektra...
I liked the self-titled Serio Mendes album and Homecooking, but a lot of "The New Brasil '77" stuff on Elektra, was just real hit-or-miss...
Good luck to Collectibles if it sells...! ...I'm buying the up-coming reissues of Ray Conniff...
Dave
I liked the self-titled Serio Mendes album and Homecooking, but a lot of "The New Brasil '77" stuff on Elektra, was just real hit-or-miss...
Good luck to Collectibles if it sells...! ...I'm buying the up-coming reissues of Ray Conniff...
Dave
Actually, MAGIC LADY disco singles were the mark of success for this album. "I'll Tell You," "A Dream Come True" and "Lonely Woman" had a lot of activity in the club scene. Otherwise, I consider Magic Lady to be his second foray into the disco scene, his first being the NEW BRASIL '77 album, which also had quite a bit of club activity...especially "The Real Thing."
Jon
Jon
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