Astrud Gilberto ~ Brazil

Look to the Rainbow (1966)

Cool, another Astrud Gilberto album I didn't have, and in great condition. All of these are costing me 69 cents each, which makes me even happier. Starts off almost serious, though the uplifting sweet vocals of Gilberto will never allow the clouds to gather. She's gaining confidence as a singer, and the arrangements haven't been over saturated yet like on Windy. She sounds more fragile than ever here. You can just picture the drunks proposing marriage to her at the local lounge. As usual, the Portuguese numbers add more flair to the proceedings. A few folks pointed out that B1 is the origin of Deep Purple's 'Smoke on the Water' track. Yep, it's true. The piano riff is the exact same. Imagine Blackmore and the boys in the green room spinning Astrud vinyl for inspiration. Haha. 

Ownership: 1966 Verve (LP). Mine's the mono pressing, unlike the cover presented.

12/3/25 (acquired / review)
 

The Astrud Gilberto Album (1965)

Astrud Gilberto's debut album is Bossa Nova perfection. Easy listening music that is truly timeless. Her delicate and innocent voice brings out the testosterone in traditional males like me. You just want to wrap your arms around and protect her from the harsh world around. It's all fantasy of course. Which is what this album brings - a world of fantasy. We all need an escape and that's what music does best. It's vice free, and allows us to go to all sorts of places in the safe confines of our home. Perhaps it was my business travels to Sao Paulo, but there's something very romantic about Brazil in the 60s. And even as late as the 2010's, the luxury hotels were preserving that culture as best they could. If you don't get all soft in the middle listening to this, then you may have died inside. No time like the present to revive. This album will resuscitate you.

Ownership: 1965 Verve (LP) Mono.

5/5/25 (acquired); 9/5/25 (review)

Windy (1968)

I couldn't pull this out of the thrift shop bin fast enough just hoping the vinyl wasn't trashed. And it wasn't! As noted prior, I'm buying anything with the Gilberto name on it, especially Astrud. And she's covering The Association's 'Windy'? That's not even fair. That's like adding Nolan Ryan to the 1927 Yankees roster. And yet... I didn't get much out of this album. Way too saccharine and over produced. Gilberto's chilling and innocent voice does best in a mixed emotion state. Here it's all rainbows and unicorns - and lots of strings to sink the mystique. Ah well, I didn't figure she'd bat a thousand (it's baseball metaphor season apparently). 

Source: 1968 Verve (LP)

10/10/24 (review)

Now (1972)

What can I say? Astrud is my kind of girl. Her sweet vocal styling makes me melt. Usual mix of covers and originals along with Portuguese and English vocals. Easy listening Bossa Nova music as if we never left 1966. Fine with me. Any chance we go to a neon motel with "COLOR TV", a swimming pool, and a coffee shop?

---11/24/25

I didn't mention that a couple of the cuts have fuzz guitar, quite a surprise at this late date. Final track 'Daybreak' is stunning and you'll be humming that tune long after your listening session. I find her music perfect for CD, so I'll be acquiring those as I go. Though I won't sell the first two LPs.

Ownership: 2022 Octave Lab / Perception / Today (CD). Booklet with original lyrics and liner notes in Japanese.

3/18/24 (LP acquired / review); 11/24/25 (CD acquired / update)
 

The Shadow of Your Smile (1965)

Albums like this connect with my inner six year old I think. I was less than one years of age when this was released, but it was just this kind of music that I would hear when with my parents at some restaurant or cocktail party (Dad was in sales, so picture that scene for 1970). I was exposed to the adult world early in life, which was unusual for its day. So in my naive little world, beautiful sweet females dominated the music scene, and it was Astrud Gilberto leading the way. Not that I had any idea of that back then, or even until very recently. Her voice and this music goes deep to the core and I feel it like a cat who hasn't seen his former owner in five years. Favorite track from this set: 'Fly Me to the Moon'. When Jet Setting had real meaning. Sigh.

Ownership: 1965 Verve UK (LP)

7/18/19 (acquired / review); 1/13/21

7/18/19 (new entry)