Crystal Illusions

by Sergio Mendes, Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66

Overview

The sound and band that served Sergio Mendes well on Fool on the Hill remain intact on Crystal Illusions, with few modifications. Dave Grusin is right there with a lush, haunting orchestral chart when needed; Lani Hall is thrust further into the vocal spotlight, as cool and alluring as ever in Portuguese or English. Mendes remained on the lookout for fresh Brazilian tunes, and he came up with a coup, one of the earliest covers of a Milton Nascimento tune to reach North America, "Vera Cruz" (with Hall's English lyrics, it became "Empty Faces"), as well as Dori Caymmi's "Dois Dias." The two singles, the perky "Pretty World" and sax-streaked cover of Otis Redding's "The Dock of the Bay," are nice slices of Mendes pop, though they were not significant hits. And yes, Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 did take a large risk on the title track, a lengthy, kaleidoscopic treatment of an Edu Lobo tune that, inspired perhaps by "MacArthur Park," shattered radio's time barrier at seven minutes and 50 seconds. Yet while Grusin goes into a psychedelic freakout, we get a rare chance to hear Mendes stretch out a bit on electric piano. Weird and overblown, but wonderful. ~ Richard S. Ginell

Product Details

Release Date:	12/20/2024
Label:	Universal Distribution
UPC:	4988005503800

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66   Primary Artist
Sergio Mendes   Primary Artist,Keyboards,Piano,Vocals
Lani Hall   Vocals
Sebastian Neto   Bass
Karen Philipp   Vocals
Dom Um Romao   Drums,Percussion
Rubens Bassini   Percussion
Oscar Castro-Neves   Guitar
Dave Grusin   Conductor

Technical Credits

Sergio Mendes   Arranger,Composer,Producer,Original Recording Producer
Paulo Sergio Valle   Composer
Bob Irwin   Reissue Mastering
Dorival Caymmi   Composer
Lani Hall   Composer
Larry Levine   Engineer
Johnny Guarnieri   Composer
Marilyn Bergman   Composer
Nelson Motta   Composer
Nacio Herb Brown   Composer
Otis Redding   Composer
Milton Nascimento   Composer
Alan Bergman   Composer
Bryan Koniarz   Reissue Producer
Gus Kahn   Composer
Herb Alpert   Producer,Original Recording Producer
Dave Grusin   Orchestration,Orchestral Arrangements
Steve Cropper   Composer
Edu Lobo   Composer
Antonio Adolfo   Composer
Gianfrancesco Guarnieri   Composer
Marcos Valle   Composer
Jim McCrary   Photography
Tiao Neto   Composer
Hollis King   Reissue Art Director
Tom Wilkes   Art Direction
Tiberio Gaspar   Composer
Sherniece Smith   Reissue Art Director
Silvino Neto   Composer
Kazumi Matsumoto   Reissue Design
Filho Nelson Candido Motta   Composer