Pure '60s cheese in all its wholesome goodness. Makes me want to shake up some martinis. Lani Hall singing in Portuguese over a bossa beat is a delight as are Dave Grusin's orchestral arrangements. Put this on with some Herb Alpert, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and Getz/Gilberto, and you've got yourself a cocktail party. In fact, that's not a bad idea.
Blurb from the back CD insert:
By 1969, Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 were proven hitmakers, with an effervescent signature sound that was instantly recognizable. Crystal Illusions kept that sound alive, and it also added some new elements to the mix - digging deeper into Mendes's roots with dazzling new tunes by young Brazilian songwriters like Milton Nascimento and giving the band a chance to stretch out and experiment on the adventurous title track.
Press of the time:
- Billboard: "the group reaches out to experiment with a new and almost abstract sound."
- CashBox: "bound to be a monster"
- Record World: "an enticing set of lush and sweet bossa tunes"
- High Fidelity: "This album sounds like its predecessors."
Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #33
Tracks: Higlights include (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay (#66 pop, #12 AC) Viola, Salt Sea, Empty Faces, and Pretty World (#62 pop, #4 AC). The CD ends with 2 clunkers: You Stepped Out Of A Dream and the title track, the latter being an overblown psychedelic experimental piece that's of interest only to a Mendes historian (I'm assuming there is one) as he gets to stretch out on an extended Rhodes solo.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Not so much with this CD, but with the song Salt Sea. I played a good marching band arrangment of the piece in college around 1986 and wanted to hear the original, which led to the purchase of the CD.
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