JOv2
Well-Known Member
Stillness – Critique and Discussion
By 1970 one would be hard pressed to find any mainstream “non-rock” pop performer whose career remained un-impacted by “electric guitar”-based music associated with 1960s US/UK youth. Even unique groups like Brasil ’66 had to acquiesce – owing to both perceived ethnic novelty vulnerability and a desire to sustain and foster a growing fan base.
Stillness is Sergio Mendes’ first 1970s studio LP. As such it’s also the first to wholly embrace top-40/contemporary US pop music. Though such music was certainly nothing new to Mendes (every Brasil ’66 LP has contemporary pop material), Stillness marks the first genuine attempt to select and arrange contemporary music in both a decidedly non-Brazilian and non-MOR/adult contemporary manner. To drive the point home, Sergio even enlists a US-pop rhythm section to handle some of the proceedings. While this may sound like a travesty to some, the results are actually not as heretical as one may assume. (Of course, it remains unknown if this was truly Sergio’s muse or if A&M’s two big guns were “strongly suggesting” such an agenda for Mendes and crew…To that end, Herb Alpert co-produced the LP – although with the exception of Crystal Illusions, he hadn’t co-produce a Mendes LP since 1967.)
Personnel changes occurred in 1970. Dom Um Romao was replaced by Claudio Slon – the collegiate-looking “kid” on the front cover. Brazilian singer Gracinha Leporace appears on at least one selection. Lastly, the LP group photos show a musician who remains unknown: a man of apparent slight build, he bares no obvious resemblance to any band member LP photos [as re-issued on CD] from the 1970-72 period.
Another major change was the absence of Dave Grusin’s arranging pen; many will welcome the return of Dick Hazard’s more restrained orchestrations. Along with the omission of Bergman-Bergman presence, Stillness moves decidedly away from the MOR/”adult contemporary” feel that has characterized all releases since Fool On The Hill. If Sergio was trying to capture the newly emerging soft-rock/singer-songwriter audience, this was a tidy move on his part as neither Grusin nor the Bergmans seemed aligned with the likes of Jim Croce or Laura Nyro music…and this was decidedly the direction that much of Stillness seemed to be headed.
And how does it all come off? Well, actually, pretty damn good! To date, no Brasil ’66 LP has offered an abundance of handedly authentic Brazilian music, along with solid attempts at US top-40/soft-rock. In fact, given this unique dichotomy, the LP, if recognized as an obscure artifact, would surely be regarded as a lost minor classic of the early singer-songwriter/“soft rock” era (albeit with a distinguished Brazilian presence).
Stillness, along with Look Around and Live At The Expo, is easily one of the finest LPs from the 1966-72 era. This is where the story of Brasil ’77 begins and it must have been with great anticipation that the LP was released into the uncharted waters of 1970 pop.
Stillness. Lani’s familiar voice opens the proceedings on a pensive note. The spartan feel may suggest to some the music was still in the rehearsal stage (and subsequently arranged; further romantic conjecture suggests its inclusion is a gesture of farewell…). It is pleasant, but serves more as an introduction broodingly transitioning into a most unexpected sound...
Righteous Life. Unlike no other performance released to date, Righteous Life finds the group at its most overtly US-mainstream/non-Brazilian. Indeed, the song has not one smidgeon of Brazil – including the band! According to the liner, instrumentally, Brasil ’66 is not present – it’s all session musicians. Devoid of direct Brazilian musical ties, the song’s drum-heavy mix gives it a distinct AM-radio quality. The song does well to showcase the then-emerging singer/songwriter vocal style. The pretty three-part harmonies are a nice surprise at the coda. Nothing is known of songwriter Paula Stone…perhaps she falls into that cache of female songwriters (e.g., Penny Nichols, Nancy Priddy) who wrote top-notch late ‘60s music, yet found a lucrative pop career elusive. In any event, clearly Sergio was captivated enough to name the LP after one of her songs – as well as including lyrics on the front cover. An excellent example of early ‘70s pop fully deserving of top-10 hit status, I’m confident all parties were hoping for a major re-commercial breakthrough with this 45. A+
Chelsea Morning. On the other hand, though not a household name in 1970, Joni Mitchell was assuredly racking up impressive songwriter credentials by this time. I’m not sure who had the hit with this song, but as with Righteous Life, the vocal stylings are the optimal fit in both timbre and phrasing. As I’m sure Nick Lowe would exclaim, pure pop for now people, baby! Another great coda. Wonderful. A+
Cancao Do Nosso Amor. Whew! Finally something Brazilian! Sounding more like an outtake from Look Around (particularly given that Mancini-esque, high, cup-muted trombone solo!), this is easily Sergio’s most pleasing vocal to date. Good job, too, as it’s not one of those near requiem-quality dirges that seem to plague Brasil ’66 LPs. The light orchestration complements the proceedings well (presumably by Hazard – though not directly credited; oddly enough, Hazard is credited with orchestrating Righteous Life – though no orchestral instruments are evident in that arrangement).
Viramundo. Wow! Here, we’re arguably treated to the most authentic Brazillian reading to date – Viramundo is like Ye-Me-Le up about 5 notches. It gets the A+ solely based on the beautifully spirited singing. Cool song, too – totally dig Sebastiao’s bass lines. Viramundo closes what may be the strongest single side to any Brasil ’66 LP. A+
Lost In Paradise. Sergio surprises us with his recording of a Brazilian tune written and arranged in a very “American” style (including a totally Beatle-esque B-section break – check it out!). Gracinha Leporace sings the A section and the break (close-miked so we get an intimate glimpse of her timbre…definitely a lower pitched, more robust voice relative to Lani). Gracinha and either Lani or Karen co-sing the B-sections…the two voices being dissimilar in both timbre and enunciation to make their unison singing highly attractive. Fascinating song all around. Anyway, how can one resist a Brazilian woman singing about her little grasshopper? A+
For What’s It’s Worth. Similar to the Dock Of The Bay performance, this Stephen Stills cover is not a good fit for the band. Both arrangement and the singing style are actually quite annoying. (The band is obviously trying too hard to be hip.)
Sometimes In Winter. A much better cover choice, this Steve Katz number debuted on BS&T’s second LP. As much as I like the original, this cover is quite inventive – owing both to Hazard’s excellent orchestration and the band’s impressive musicianship. Sergio and Lani duet this one. Another great coda, which includes an ominous cello, essentially closes the LP.
Celebration Of The Sunrise. Recalling Ye-Me-Le, but with more vigor and definition, this brief instrumental piece is very upbeat and positive…a nice afterthought cum resolution following the dark cellos from Sometimes In Winter. A+
Stillness. But wait, there’s more! As if to confirm a level of assurance, the spirit of Lani Hall emerges to confer a pleasant adieu: the last verse of Stillness is reprised to finish the LP.
Stillness is a very strong record. Unarguably the band’s best studio outing since Look Around, the record features the most overall-satisfying vocal contributions to date: the Brazilian tunes are unquestionably at their most authentic while exhibited soft-rock/singer-songwriter vocal chops are more than competent to handle this newly emerging pop sub-genre.
For all the attributed differences in its sound or feel, in principle, Stillness was no different than what Sergio had done with his debute A&M LP back in 1966. In that year, Sergio came on the scene wilding his special amalgam of US-influenced Brazilian pop…and all things considered, four years later, he’s staying the course. In 1975, Miles Davis (never a man short on words) was once candidly asked why his music wasn’t swinging anymore. The acerbic Davis, retorted: “It’s 1975! You don’t play 1955 music…” Sergio can lay similar claim with Stillness: he sure ain’t playing 1966 music in 1970. To that end, he’d soon re-name the band to drive the point home.
By 1970 one would be hard pressed to find any mainstream “non-rock” pop performer whose career remained un-impacted by “electric guitar”-based music associated with 1960s US/UK youth. Even unique groups like Brasil ’66 had to acquiesce – owing to both perceived ethnic novelty vulnerability and a desire to sustain and foster a growing fan base.
Stillness is Sergio Mendes’ first 1970s studio LP. As such it’s also the first to wholly embrace top-40/contemporary US pop music. Though such music was certainly nothing new to Mendes (every Brasil ’66 LP has contemporary pop material), Stillness marks the first genuine attempt to select and arrange contemporary music in both a decidedly non-Brazilian and non-MOR/adult contemporary manner. To drive the point home, Sergio even enlists a US-pop rhythm section to handle some of the proceedings. While this may sound like a travesty to some, the results are actually not as heretical as one may assume. (Of course, it remains unknown if this was truly Sergio’s muse or if A&M’s two big guns were “strongly suggesting” such an agenda for Mendes and crew…To that end, Herb Alpert co-produced the LP – although with the exception of Crystal Illusions, he hadn’t co-produce a Mendes LP since 1967.)
Personnel changes occurred in 1970. Dom Um Romao was replaced by Claudio Slon – the collegiate-looking “kid” on the front cover. Brazilian singer Gracinha Leporace appears on at least one selection. Lastly, the LP group photos show a musician who remains unknown: a man of apparent slight build, he bares no obvious resemblance to any band member LP photos [as re-issued on CD] from the 1970-72 period.
Another major change was the absence of Dave Grusin’s arranging pen; many will welcome the return of Dick Hazard’s more restrained orchestrations. Along with the omission of Bergman-Bergman presence, Stillness moves decidedly away from the MOR/”adult contemporary” feel that has characterized all releases since Fool On The Hill. If Sergio was trying to capture the newly emerging soft-rock/singer-songwriter audience, this was a tidy move on his part as neither Grusin nor the Bergmans seemed aligned with the likes of Jim Croce or Laura Nyro music…and this was decidedly the direction that much of Stillness seemed to be headed.
And how does it all come off? Well, actually, pretty damn good! To date, no Brasil ’66 LP has offered an abundance of handedly authentic Brazilian music, along with solid attempts at US top-40/soft-rock. In fact, given this unique dichotomy, the LP, if recognized as an obscure artifact, would surely be regarded as a lost minor classic of the early singer-songwriter/“soft rock” era (albeit with a distinguished Brazilian presence).
Stillness, along with Look Around and Live At The Expo, is easily one of the finest LPs from the 1966-72 era. This is where the story of Brasil ’77 begins and it must have been with great anticipation that the LP was released into the uncharted waters of 1970 pop.
Stillness. Lani’s familiar voice opens the proceedings on a pensive note. The spartan feel may suggest to some the music was still in the rehearsal stage (and subsequently arranged; further romantic conjecture suggests its inclusion is a gesture of farewell…). It is pleasant, but serves more as an introduction broodingly transitioning into a most unexpected sound...
Righteous Life. Unlike no other performance released to date, Righteous Life finds the group at its most overtly US-mainstream/non-Brazilian. Indeed, the song has not one smidgeon of Brazil – including the band! According to the liner, instrumentally, Brasil ’66 is not present – it’s all session musicians. Devoid of direct Brazilian musical ties, the song’s drum-heavy mix gives it a distinct AM-radio quality. The song does well to showcase the then-emerging singer/songwriter vocal style. The pretty three-part harmonies are a nice surprise at the coda. Nothing is known of songwriter Paula Stone…perhaps she falls into that cache of female songwriters (e.g., Penny Nichols, Nancy Priddy) who wrote top-notch late ‘60s music, yet found a lucrative pop career elusive. In any event, clearly Sergio was captivated enough to name the LP after one of her songs – as well as including lyrics on the front cover. An excellent example of early ‘70s pop fully deserving of top-10 hit status, I’m confident all parties were hoping for a major re-commercial breakthrough with this 45. A+
Chelsea Morning. On the other hand, though not a household name in 1970, Joni Mitchell was assuredly racking up impressive songwriter credentials by this time. I’m not sure who had the hit with this song, but as with Righteous Life, the vocal stylings are the optimal fit in both timbre and phrasing. As I’m sure Nick Lowe would exclaim, pure pop for now people, baby! Another great coda. Wonderful. A+
Cancao Do Nosso Amor. Whew! Finally something Brazilian! Sounding more like an outtake from Look Around (particularly given that Mancini-esque, high, cup-muted trombone solo!), this is easily Sergio’s most pleasing vocal to date. Good job, too, as it’s not one of those near requiem-quality dirges that seem to plague Brasil ’66 LPs. The light orchestration complements the proceedings well (presumably by Hazard – though not directly credited; oddly enough, Hazard is credited with orchestrating Righteous Life – though no orchestral instruments are evident in that arrangement).
Viramundo. Wow! Here, we’re arguably treated to the most authentic Brazillian reading to date – Viramundo is like Ye-Me-Le up about 5 notches. It gets the A+ solely based on the beautifully spirited singing. Cool song, too – totally dig Sebastiao’s bass lines. Viramundo closes what may be the strongest single side to any Brasil ’66 LP. A+
Lost In Paradise. Sergio surprises us with his recording of a Brazilian tune written and arranged in a very “American” style (including a totally Beatle-esque B-section break – check it out!). Gracinha Leporace sings the A section and the break (close-miked so we get an intimate glimpse of her timbre…definitely a lower pitched, more robust voice relative to Lani). Gracinha and either Lani or Karen co-sing the B-sections…the two voices being dissimilar in both timbre and enunciation to make their unison singing highly attractive. Fascinating song all around. Anyway, how can one resist a Brazilian woman singing about her little grasshopper? A+
For What’s It’s Worth. Similar to the Dock Of The Bay performance, this Stephen Stills cover is not a good fit for the band. Both arrangement and the singing style are actually quite annoying. (The band is obviously trying too hard to be hip.)
Sometimes In Winter. A much better cover choice, this Steve Katz number debuted on BS&T’s second LP. As much as I like the original, this cover is quite inventive – owing both to Hazard’s excellent orchestration and the band’s impressive musicianship. Sergio and Lani duet this one. Another great coda, which includes an ominous cello, essentially closes the LP.
Celebration Of The Sunrise. Recalling Ye-Me-Le, but with more vigor and definition, this brief instrumental piece is very upbeat and positive…a nice afterthought cum resolution following the dark cellos from Sometimes In Winter. A+
Stillness. But wait, there’s more! As if to confirm a level of assurance, the spirit of Lani Hall emerges to confer a pleasant adieu: the last verse of Stillness is reprised to finish the LP.
Stillness is a very strong record. Unarguably the band’s best studio outing since Look Around, the record features the most overall-satisfying vocal contributions to date: the Brazilian tunes are unquestionably at their most authentic while exhibited soft-rock/singer-songwriter vocal chops are more than competent to handle this newly emerging pop sub-genre.
For all the attributed differences in its sound or feel, in principle, Stillness was no different than what Sergio had done with his debute A&M LP back in 1966. In that year, Sergio came on the scene wilding his special amalgam of US-influenced Brazilian pop…and all things considered, four years later, he’s staying the course. In 1975, Miles Davis (never a man short on words) was once candidly asked why his music wasn’t swinging anymore. The acerbic Davis, retorted: “It’s 1975! You don’t play 1955 music…” Sergio can lay similar claim with Stillness: he sure ain’t playing 1966 music in 1970. To that end, he’d soon re-name the band to drive the point home.