Stillness

[JMAR5]

I finally purchased Stillness on vinyl, to see if I wanted to pay the high price for the import. I've heard a lot of good things about the album, so I wanted to see for myself and I have to say that I really like side 2 more than 1. "Lost in Paradise" & the cover of Blood Sweat & Tears "Sometimes in Winter" are my favorites. I think the rest of the album lacks a little compared to Crystal Illusions & Ye Me Le.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Hmm, side 1 has "Righteous Life," "Chelsea Morning" and "Viramundo"...three of my favorite tunes!

If I made a list of all my faves from that album, there would be 3 songs from each side: The three mentioned above, and "Lost," "Sometimes" and "Celebration of the Sunrise" from side 2.

But the whole album is great. I even like Sergio's solo vocal on "Cancao Do Nosso Amor" which is unusual for me, I don't usually like his solo spots on the B66 records.

I'd have to disagree with you on this album vs. CRYSTAL ILLUSIONS and YE-ME-LE. On those records (especially YE), it sounds like Sergio doesn't quite know where to go with his sound...but he gets the edge back with this album.

 

[JMAR5]

There was 1 song I did like on Side 1, but I can't remember which one it was. I'll have to listen to it again tonight. I am just a huge fan of the Crystal Illusions sound, I really never cared for folk music, so I think that's why I am not as fond of Stillness compared to CI. I feel the same way about the Mamas & Papas. I love their California sound, but some of their stuff was disappointing to me. I am more on the jazz side than folk & rock.

 

[Chris Martin]

Believe me, this one'sa grower! I ADORE it!

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I sorta goofed up on my list of side-2 faves above....I would put "For What It's Worth" ahead of "Lost in Paradise." But still, I enjoy the whole album...not a really bad track on it.

 

[Trevor]

I'd have to disagree with you on this album vs. CRYSTAL ILLUSIONS and YE-ME-LE. On those records (especially YE), it sounds like Sergio doesn't quite know where to go with his sound...but he gets the edge back with this album.

Ye-Me-Le and Crystal Illusions both have sounds to the albums. For instance, if you hear "Wichita Lineman" and "Norwegian Wood", you'd know that it was from the same album (by the way the instruments are all set up the same - from a headphone point of view)

To me, Sergio's sound on Stillness is all over the place! which isn't a bad thing. . .

With Stillness, if you don't like the song playing, wait until the next song, it may or may not be the same singer, probably a different rhythm, etc...

 

[JMAR5]

I would agree on that regarding Crystal & Ye Me Le. I think the music flows much better & I love the full orchestra mixed with bossa nova sound. Same for Fool on the Hill, another great album.

 

[JMAR5]

I would agree on that regarding Crystal & Ye Me Le. I think the music flows much better & I love the full orchestra mixed with bossa nova sound. Same for Fool on the Hill, another great album.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I think what I was getting at was, after FOOL ON THE HILL, Sergio kind of seemed to be standing still... the sound wasn't progressing. You had a lot of the same midtempo rhythms, and the lush orchestration began to dominate the sound more than the great Brasil '66 rhythm section had on the earlier records. That's not to say the albums weren't good...and they do work well as albums.

With STILLNESS, Sergio broke the whole thing down to its basics and looked at it from a different angle. That album has more of a band sound than anything since LOOK AROUND, but with more of an American pop slant.

 

[Dave]

With Stillness, Sergio broke the whole thing down to its basics and looked at it from a different angle.

Which continued on Primal Roots, though in a more stripped-down vein...

That album has more of a band sound than anything since Look Around, but with more of an American Pop slant.

Which went furthur on Pais Tropical, with its "seeking the Top-Of-The-Charts status", to the lushly orchestrated Love Music and experimental Vintage '74, to the "almost-Sergio, 'straight Pop Artist', solo" on Sergio Mendes ('75) to the return of the band's Bossa-Nova beginnings on Homecookin', New Sergio Mendes & Brasil '77, etc.



Dave

 

[pitch]

Hi there - first post here - first of many I hope as A&M in the 60s and 70s has to be my favourite label!

Just wondered if anyone had any idea why STILLNESS is now the hardest of B66's LPs to track down on original vinyl? I though maybe it was just due to 1970 being past the peak B66 chart and selling period, but it is certainly easier to pick up the later LPs PAIS TROPICAL, LOVE MUSIC and VINTAGE '74, when the same situation applied. Was it a smaller release? Just curious, as along with the amazing PRIMAL ROOTS, it is my favourite Sergio Mendes release.

 

[Harry]

Hi "pitch", welcome to the A&M Corner Forum.

I don't know truly why STILLNESS would be harder to find, but I have a theory.

Back in the late '90s, around the time that this forum was getting going, the Japanese released a bunch of Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 albums, and the British put out a compilation set called THE VERY BEST OF SERGIO MENDES & BRASIL '66. With what was available between those releases, it was possible at that time to own all of Brasil '66's material on CD except the full STILLNESS album. Just two tracks were unavailable, as the bulk of STILLNESS was on that compilation. The two tracks were "Celebration of the Sunrise" and "Stillness (reprise)", and really, the reprise WAS there since it's just a faded up and edited version of the title track.

Anyway, that made the STILLNESS album somewhat valuable to those trying to maintain or complete a Brasil '66 collection. Thus, copies of the album were snapped up in the early eBay years. Perhaps those fans who've purchased the nifty gatefold album are now somewhat reluctant to part with it.

As for PAIS TROPICAL and later albums, those fell under the Brasil '77 title and perhaps are not now nor ever were in as heavy a demand as the Brasil '66 years. STILLNESS marked the last time Lani Hall performed with the group, so her fans might have latched onto STILLNESS as well.

It's really hard to say for sure - those are just a couple of theories.

Harry

 

[pitch]

Thanks for that - put both theories together and I think it all makes sense! I guess that Primal Roots is probably the next hardest to find, in fact...

 

[Trevor]

I think that "Stillness" was an album that DJs used for sampling. It got on a list as a "sampling" album. So, it was snatched up by many DJs

 

[Mike Blakesley]

True - the song "For What It's Worth" was a popular sample.

 

[Harry]

Right - another factor. Other than STILLNESS, "For What It's Worth" appeared on three compilations that I know of: FOURSIDER, that UK VERY BEST OF 2-disc set, and the SERGIO MENDES SONGS compilation from Japan. You'd think with the popularity of that track, that Universal would put it on more compilations.

Harry

 

[Trevor]

I wish the 45 mix of For What It's Worth would have been released as a bonus track on the release of Stillness.

 

[Harry]

I wish the 45 mix of For What It's Worth would have been released as a bonus track on the release of Stillness.

Amen!

Harry

 

[pitch]

I wish the 45 mix of For What It's Worth would have been released as a bonus track on the release of Stillness.

How different is it? Sounds like another for the wants list!!

 

[Harry]

I wish the 45 mix of For What It's Worth would have been released as a bonus track on the release of Stillness.

How different is it? Sounds like another for the wants list!!

It's a totally different recording: or course it's mono, the lead vocal by Karen Phillipp is a different take, and Sergio's organ solo is more adventurous.

It's definitely worth finding.

Harry

 

[Mike Blakesley]

GIven that they put bonus tracks on PAIS TROPICAL and PRIMAL ROOTS, I'm surprised they didn't put this on STILLNESS. (Maybe when Verve gets around to it...)

 

[Harry]

It's probably more a case of that no-one in a position of power even KNOWS that there's a different single mix - and even if they did, finding it on the alleged "big singles reel at A&M" could prove challenging.

There are other mono and single mixes of other songs too, that didn't get transferred to CD, not only from the Mendes catalog but from Herb's and others.

Harry

 

[Dave]

...There are other Mono- and Single- mixes of other songs too, that didn't get transferred to CD, not only from the Mendes catalog but from Herb's and others....

Harry

Which explains the occasional White-Label '45' of being MONO on one-side, though long-after the regular-issue format became STEREO... RADIO STATION copies--No less...



Dave

...And if only back-then, we had SURROUND...!!!

 

[JMK]

Harry will probably concur with my wife (former radio news anchor), who says the mono one side stereo one side was simply a cost-saving device by the label to make sure both AM & FM formats were "covered." That was at the dawn of the age when one company might have one AM and one FM station in the same market. Now of course in the era of duopoly, it's rare to find a mega-corporation that doesn't own several stations in one market--one of the reasons my wife is a *former* news anchor.

 

[Harry]

Yep. Having both mono and stereo on the same promo single allowed the stations to choose what was best for their equipment, and it prevented ststions from flipping a record over to play the b-side, giving more control back to the record company. There are many cases of '50's and '60's records being flipped over by DJ's causing a b-side to become a hit. Record companies didn't particularly like not being in control of what was being played, even though they ultimately reaped the benefits anyway.

I listened to all of STILLNESS yesterday on my drive to work. It's the 2002 Japanese 24-bit remaster that I have. I noticed that the back insert has a misprint on the title of the next-to-last track, calling it:

CELEBRATOIN OF THE SUNRISE

Looks like one of my typos!

Harry