| Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 - Greatest Hits | 
 enlarge | Artist: Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66
Label: A&M
Category: Music
List Price: $9.98
Buy New: $4.25
You Save: $5.73 (57%)
New (36) Used (20) from $3.85
Avg. Customer Rating:  52 reviews
Sales Rank: 1355
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 3258
UPC: 075021325821
EAN: 0075021325821
ASIN: B000002GCB
Release Date: October 25, 1990
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: BRAND NEW Factory Sealed - Ready to be shipped within 24 hrs from California - Average 5 workdays delivery time - Excellent customer service - Buy with confidence!
|
| Tracks:
| • | Mais Que Nada - Sergio Mendes, Ben, Jorge | | • | Scarborough Fair - Sergio Mendes, Garfunkel, Art | | • | With a Little Help from My Friends - Sergio Mendes, Lennon, John | | • | Like a Lover - Sergio Mendes, Caymmi, Dorival | | • | The Look of Love - Sergio Mendes, Bacharach, Burt | | • | Night and Day - Sergio Mendes, Porter, Cole | | • | The Fool on the Hill - Sergio Mendes, Lennon, John | | • | Going Out of My Head - Sergio Mendes, Randazzo, Teddy | | • | Look Around - Sergio Mendes, Bergman, Alan | | • | So Many Stars - Sergio Mendes, Mendes, Sergio | | • | Day Tripper - Sergio Mendes, Lennon, John | | • | Pretty World - Sergio Mendes, Adolfo, Antonio |
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
A bridge between bossa nova and 1960s pop, Sergio Mendes' music was easy listening, vaguely psychedelic pop, light jazz, and bossa nova all rolled into one. Mendes and Brasil '66 (which featured Mendes on keyboards and a revolving cast of two female vocalists, bass, guitar, drums and percussion) had a number of hits from the mid-'60s to the early-1970s that are included here. Getting his professional start playing and arranging for Antonio Carlos Jobim and Joao Gilberto, Mendes typically filled out his proper albums with updated versions of popular songs written by the Brazilian masters as well as some of his own tunes his tunes "Look Around" and "So Many Stars" are included. But this collection really surveys his interpretations of pop tunes of the day, some of which were never hits for Mendes. The small combo's light touch and rich vocal harmonies make for pleasant if kitschy covers of hits like the Beatles' "Fool On The Hill" and "Day Tripper," Burt Bacharach's "The Look Of Love," and others. --Tad Hendrickson
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 47 more reviews...
 Brazil '66 Deserves Better Than This Inferior Collection June 23, 2005
66 out of 71 found this review helpful
This 1983 reissue of the best selling 1970 "Sergio Mendes & Brasil'66-Greatest Hits", while being a perfectly a enjoyable compilation of Mendes and Brazil'66 is a marginal collection. It's not even an adequate snapshot of Brazil'66 music for a casual or novice fan.
A thorny issue with Mendes fans is a great deal of his music from his native Brazil is conspicuously absent from this album. "Greatest Hits" contains the sublime "Mais Que Nada" but excludes the rest of their tropicale repetoire that covered Brazilian composers like Jorge Ben, Joao Gilberto and Antonio Jobim. Since Sergio Mendes was largely responsible for making Americans aware of Brazilian songwriters, the omisson is bewildering.
The primary complaint is the 12 song, the less than 30 minute runtime of "Greatest Hits." It's an embarrasingly thin compilation of any artist, particularly since Mendes was prolific at the height of his career.
Apparently A&M producer and owner, Herb Alpert's miserly "chop shop" approach to packaging "selected hits" is a highly successful retail strategy. This "Greatest Hits" title is far and away the best selling title in the entire back catalog of Brazil'66 music. A&M continues to milk the licensing rights and have leased the music Brazil'66 to third parties for an additional 23 inferior Sergio Mendes collections. This marketing strategy maximizes profits but erodes the artistic value of an artist by flooding the market with less than flattering productions of his collected works. A&M has treated Brazil'66 legacy as a cash cow to be butchered into prime cuts and sold to the highest bidder. Mendes and Brazil'66 deserve better treatment.
Two other A&M Brazil'66 collections, "Four Sider" and "Classics Vol. 18" have more songs, and a better sampling of their Brazil tropicale music. "Four Sider" retails at the same price as "Greatest Hits" and has nearly twice as much music. Unfortunely, even these meatier collections of Brazil'66 fall short of being definitive. Surely Herb Alpert can afford to spring for 70 minute full content compact disc collection of Brazil'66. 30 minutes, by today's digital runtime standards,is less than a half an album.
The critical re-assesment of Mendes' significance as worldbeat innovator is long been overdue. His music is no longer marginalized by critics as frothy easy-listening lightweight fare. Sergio Mendes visionary fusion of popular music, Brazilian music and jazz, had anticipated the rise of worldbeat music by almost 20 years. Frist rate jazz musicians like guitarist John Pisano were in Brazil '66. It's gratifying to see that Mendes is finally becoming accepted on his own terms as a musical pioneer who played a pivotal role in bringing the joys of Brazilian music to the attention of people all over the world.
 A Remarkable Journey To A Warm, Sweet Place May 29, 2004
29 out of 31 found this review helpful
It's rare to find an album that can transport you through time and space, to be able to take you from where you are and drop you in the tropics decades ago, and make you delighted you arrived.Sergio Mendes is a contemporary of Antonio Carlos Jobim, one of the greats from the Latin Jazz scene, Burt Bacharach, the legendary pop composer, and John Lennon and Paul McCartney, as well as singer/songwriter Paul Simon. Mendes was clever enough to use what he knew was good material (Cole Porter? Ok. That's not bad!) and got his group, headed by the beautiful voice of lead singer Lani Hall, and put the Brasil flavor on these familiar songs, completely reinventing them in a way that sounds fresh and exciting, even today! Besides the group's signature song sung in Portuguese, "Mais Que Nada" (now very familiar to anyone who has seen the "Austin Powers" films), there are several songs written and co-written by Mendes, and the arrangements are top notch. They don't make records like this anymore. I feel that the only notable imperfection in this album is the track order. When this collection first appeared on vinyl (!), the songs were stacked differently, and to my mind more correctly. But at least they're all here! Beatle fans, Bacharach fans, and Jazz fans will certainly embrace this disc. It is truly the easiest of "Easy Listening" music, and will make you think twice about that term being a pejorative! Highly Recommended.
A great album! June 15, 2000
28 out of 32 found this review helpful
By the listening to the playlists of most "oldies" stations one would think that the sixties consisted of nothing but Motown and The Beatles. In actuality, the sixties were an incredibly diverse and creative time for pop music. In one week, you might have Sinatra, the Rolling Stones, and Sergio Mendes all in the top twenty. Today, it all sounds the same: rap and dance mixes, heavily processed balads by "Divas", and an occasional "alternative" song. You have only a fragmentary understanding of the "sixties sound" if you are not familiar with Herb Alpert, Bachrach, and Sergio Mendes. This album sounds SOOOO good today on cd. With the Latin explosion in music, this group is long overdue for a much deserved reapprasial and renewed appreciation. I agree with the reviewer below who states that this group did some of the best Beatles covers. This is happy and bouncy music that has not aged at all. Contains all of their hits. Not to be missed.
Latin Pop/Jazz At Its Best December 7, 2003
28 out of 30 found this review helpful
I used to listen to a radio station back in the seventies that plays Latin Jazz for a couple of hours every night, and got me hooked with the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim, Sergio Mendes & Brasil'66, Herb Alpert, Astrud Gilberto, Stan Getz, Eumir Deodato, Gato Barbieri, Cal Tjader, Paulinho Da Costa, Laurindo Almeida, among others.
I'm glad that the group had come up with their "Greatest Hits" that includes a repertoire of songs by Cole Porter, Bacharach/David, Mendes/Bergman/Bergman, Lennon/McCartney, Simon/Garfunkel, et al. Sergio Mendes, a Bossa Nova icon, is a brilliant pianist/arranger/composer/musical director and producer all rolled into one. Special mention goes to Lani Hall, the group's very talented and original vocalist, and also occasional songwriter who can sing in English, Portuguese and Spanish. She has this lovely voice uniquely her own. I remember some of her hit songs she recorded after leaving Brasil '66 such as "How Can I Tell You," "Hello It's Me," "Save The Sunlight," to name a few.
Standouts, in my opinion, are "Night and Day," "The Look Of Love," "So Many Stars," "Like A Lover" and "Pretty World."
I highly recommend this CD for a great listening experience. Enjoy a perfect blend of Latin Jazz, Bossa Nova and Popular Music. Likewise, check out "Equinox" which includes "Watch What Happens," "Night and Day," "Wave," "Triste" and "Constant Rain."
I'm glad I still have a turntable... February 5, 2000
24 out of 25 found this review helpful
I'm glad I still have a turntable, because that's the only way one can hear the original albums by Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66. It's shameful that no American box set exists of their complete A&M recordings, which were loaded with entertaining songs that will never show up on a "Greatest Hits" collection. Especially not on this one, which doesn't even take advantage of the CD format with a few bonus cuts. Nor does this release feature their earlier, more purely Brazillian material. It's OK, but I recommend checking out your local used record stores, where Brasil '66 can usually be had on vinyl, in good condition & at a reasonable price.
Bob Rixon, WFMU
|
|
|
