Tropicalia S/D, Classic or Classic, etc.

Walking straight into the wind
Nothing to tie me down, no particular place to go
In the nearly December sun, I'm on my way
The sun scatters into guerillas, spaceships, crimes
Into lovely Claudia Cardinales, I'm on my way
Into presidents' faces, big loving kisses
Into teeth, legs, flags, bombs, and Brigitte Bardot
The sun at the newsstand fills me with joy and laziness
Who reads all this news?
I'm headed into photos and names, colors filling my eyes
My heart full of vain love, I'm on my way, why not? Why not?

She thinks about getting married
I never went back to school, I'm on my way
Nothing to tie me down, no particular place to go
I drink a Coca-Cola, she thinks about a wedding
A song consoles me, I'm headed
Into photos and names with no books or rifles
No hunger, no phone in the heart of Brazil
She doesn't know I even thought of singing on TV
The sun is so lovely
Nothing to tie me down, I'm on my way, empty pockets, empty-handed
I want to go on living love, I'm on my way, why not? Why not?

Over my head the aeroplanes/Under my feet the trucks and trains
And pointing out the highland plains/Is my nose
I organize the movement, too/I lead the carnival; I'm who
Inaugurates the monument in the midwest of a country in a pose

Long live the Bossa-sa-sa! Long live the stra-stra-straw huts!

The monument is crepe paper and silver/The "green-eyed mulatta"
Hides the "backland moonlight" with her hair behind the forest
The monument has no door/An entrance is an old crooked narrow street
And on its knee a smiling ugly dead child sticks out his hand

Long live the forest la-la-land! Long live the mulatta-ta-ta!

In the courtyard there's a swimming pool/With blue waters from Bahia
The coconut trees speak and the Northeastern breeze and lighthouses
In its right hand it has a rose bush/Authenticating the eternal spring
And in the garden the vultures stroll all day amongst the sunflowers

Long live Maria-ia-ia! Long live Bahia-ia-ia!

On its left wrist a Western shoot-out/In its veins little blood runs
But its heart swings to samba's tambourine
It emits dissonant chords/Over five thousand loudspeakers
Ladies and gentlemen, it sets its big eyes on me

Long live Iracema-ma-ma! Long live Ipanema-ma-ma!

Sunday the "Best of Bossa" is on/Monday is blue Monday for him
Tuesday he's down on the farm, however/The monument is very modern
It didn't say anything about the pattern of my new suit
"To hell with everything else" my dear

Long live "A Banda"-da-da! Carmen Miranda-da-da
Long live "A Banda"-da-da! Carmen Miranda-da-da
Long live "A Banda"-da-da! Carmen Miranda-da-da

Tropicalia: A Revolution in Brazilian Culture
October 22, 2005 – January 8, 2006
Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 East Chicago Avenue

Brazilian art. Design. Film. Dance. Revolutionary music.
Tropicalia, one of the most significant cultural movements to emerge from South America in the last five decades, marked a true revolution in Brazilian music, visual arts, theater, and cinema, while also influencing advertising, fashion, and television. Inspired by the writings of Oswald de Andrade, one of the founding figures of Brazilian modernism, the movement took its name from an installation created in 1967 by the young Brazilian artist Hélio Oiticica, whose work embraced an aesthetic of informality, interactivity, and cultural hybridity. Tropicália also became the title of one of the most celebrated albums in Brazilian music history, featuring Caetano Veloso and others.

This exhibition revisits this seminal moment in Brazilian culture, examining tropicalismo as a true force in popular culture and a continuing source of inspiration for several generations of artists, writers, and musicians. It consists of major works from the 1967 re-creation of the original New Brazilian Objectivity exhibition, and works by numerous artists including Lygia Clark, Lygia Pape, and Antônio Dias; a survey of films; excerpts from concerts by the tropicalist musicians; and examples of advertising, fashion, television clips, and artist-designed theater sets. The historical component is complemented by a contemporary section that assesses the impact of tropicalismo on contemporary art and culture. New commissions by musicians and artists include works by Arto Lindsay, Marepe, Ernesto Neto, Rivane Neuenschwander, and Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster, among others.

Guest-curated by New York-based independent curator Carlos Basualdo, this exhibition is co-organized by the MCA, Chicago, and The Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York. The MCA presentation is coordinated by Assistant Curator Julie Rodrigues Widholm.

Tropicalia website

Rogerio Duprat's album isn't that good. well, maybe it is, but it's not really what i was expecting. it's more of a lounge album. there are some tripped out moments on it and some nice funky drums, but i've only listened to it once or twice.

not sure what the Comedia Del Arte thing is you're talking about. if you want some of the freakier tropicalia albums, you should get the second s/t Gal Costa, the Gilberto Gil's
1969" (wicked trippy), or the Os Brazoes s/t cd (backing band on the first few Costa cds)

uh, don't mind me, I had the title wrong: http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=&sql=10:q2ja7ia2g78r

"you should get the second s/t Gal Costa, the Gilberto Gil's 1969" (wicked trippy)"

Got those.

"the Os Brazoes s/t cd (backing band on the first few Costa cds)"

never even heard of this...? I don't remember these guys getting a mention in Tropical Truth.

oh, the third mutantes album. definitely pick this up. it's super silly.

you can get the Os Brazoes cd at dusty

Tom Ze - Estudando O Samba
Gilberto Gil - Expresso 222
Gilberto Gil/Jorge Ben - Gil e Jorge
Som Imaginario - s/t and mantaco do porto

I've been devouring this stuff lately. The Soul Jazz comp got me going last year and since then I've picked up the first five Os Mutantes, Rita Lee's second album (possibly pick of the bunch), Africa Brazil by Jorge Ben, Lobo by Edu Lobo, the Som Imaginario, Gil e Jorge, Caetano Veloso's self-titled, Gilberto Gil's self-titled... I think that's about it. It's pretty much all fantastic.

Going by what Beta says, this might be post-Tropicalia, but Via Lactea, the follow-up to Lo the Borges sneakers album (how cool is that cover!?), also has some great, great, dreamy arrangements and accompaniment. So good. Also has a different version of Club de Esquina, although I can't say if it's better or worse than the original, as I haven't heard it...

Yeah, Lo Borges and his chums from Minas Gerais were not tropicalistas, but I love love love that whole "dreamy" sound, as you describe it, gnarly. Clube da Esquina 2 (from 1978) by Milton Nascimento is simply one of my favourite albums ever.

I want the sneakers album!
http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s91649.jpg

Check out Vento de Maio from La Via Lactea... his voice and the guitar, oh oh oh oh oh. Apparently his sister sings on it too.

The sneakers album is going for £95 secondhand on Amazon.

Or $19.99 on ebay.

Hahahaha!

Does Louis Jagger like Os Mutantes?

Nick, if you run across any of the earlier Gal Costa albums, I recommend them as well.

Aye, I've had a browse around but they're either not available or else expensive as hell.

i don't really think Tom Ze fits neatly into any category. i know he was in with the tropicalistas in the late sixties, but i think the connection ends there.
and the lady @ Aquarius spells her name Windy, fwiw. sorry for the nitpick, but i like her name

Os Mutantes are playing Kentish Town Forum July 27th! I'm away that weekend though :(

i'm going to see if i can get the uk gigs recorded. if i can i'll make it available to download.

if you don't mind me asking, how come it is billed as "os mutantes meet jd twitch"? are you collaborating or something? either way it is going to be awesome

i've been working on a track with sergio dias which we will perform before os mutantes play their set. basically i have written the backing and sergio has written lyrics which he will sing and also add some guitar parts. if we have enough time to rehearse beforehand some other members of the band will contribute parts to it too. i will also be playing records.

ps - i kind of wish it hadn't been billed like that. i may get lynched by the tropicalia purists.

nah, they'll love it, stirmonster. sounds great.

can't seem to find the tracklist for the new Universal Latino comp--anyone got it? does anyone else feel as though the (excellent) Soul Jazz comp might get outside of tropicália proper, with the Jorge Ben track for example? the Hip-O Tropicália Essentials is OP, I guess, and a real good one-disc overview.

Caetano Veloso's first three solo albums are self-titled!

Oops, many xposts. to Nick S.

Great thread! I've been looking for more places to branch out in my exploration of Tropicalia music, and this thread has given me a lot of ideas. Like a lot of people, I guess it was the Soul Jazz comp from last year that kicked my interest into high gear (I did already have the first Os Mutantes album, but that one hadn't spurred me on in quite the same way, though it is good). Since then, I've picked up one each solo album by Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso, both excellent. Obviously there's still quite a bit more out there.

Btw, don't know if people have seen this, but it's apparently a clip from Brazilian TV from 1968 with Gilberto Gil performing with Os Mutantes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zbv3M-AdxC0

the guy at my fave record store has a copy of the brilliant first album by Secos e Molhados and won't sell it to me. he keeps playing it in store and everyone wants it, but so does he. they're pretty much a funky Os Mutantes. a bit of googling turns up mp3s of their first 2 albums.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrxFusyX6ds&mode=related&search=

Dusty has the CD of the first two albums in stock for $9.99 and yeah, it's excellent.

Brazilian music is really just a bottomless pot of riches. been collecting to stuff for years and still continually find out about new things to investigate ... almost every album I pick up has something to recommend it.

i picked up that first secos e molhados in sao paulo earlier in the year. so good! good to see the 2nd one is on cd.

Another clip of Os Mutantes (and I think there's a glimpse of Tom Ze in the audience):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2EKghlmIyQ&mode=related&search=

Stir - do you know whether the show at the Forum ends at 11 or later? It seems like a lot of stuff to fit in if it ends early.

I'm trying to persuade some people to come and it doesn't seem to say on the trocabrahma website.

it's on until 2am (possibly 3).

Just saw this today:

---

Jardim Elétrico: A Tribute to Os Mutantes

FORMAT: CD
RUNNING TIME: 64' 34''
CATALOGUE: MDCP054
TRACKS: 15
DATE OF RELEASE: JULY 21st, 2007
EXTRAS: Insert poster drawn by Arnaldo Baptista from Os Mutantes, plus booklet by Black Arrow Studio & Press (US).

Since the early Nineties, Os Mutantes finally gained recognition as one of the most original, bizarre band coming from Brasil during the psychedelic era. Thanks to the support of fans like Kurt Cobain, David Byrne and Beck, the Mutantes legend spread and their music, effortless mixing pop and experimentalism that’s both playful and weird, suddenly reaching new audiences.At last the impact made by Arnaldo Baptista, Sergio Dias and Rita Lee on future generations became clear. Now a bunch of musicians hailing from countries as diverse as Italy, United States, Brasil and United Kingdom, gather together on this disc to celebrate the wild imagination and the outstanding power of the Mutantes' songs. Nothing less than a labour of love, "Jardim Elétrico: A Tribute to Os Mutantes" is a way to remind us how great their music is, and how much the work of this band still reverberates through time. Some of the artists on this tribute are well-known, others still struggle in the underground, but what they have in common is an unabashed love for this trio and their crazy, lighthearted passion for fun and experimentation.
Time hasn’t diminished the driving exuberance and the unmistakable vibe that is the real essence of Os Mutantes: they are still alive and kicking, playing out there and probably touring in your country. Look for them and you will even find a Jardim Elétrico!
Trackilist:

Stop The Wheel "Top top"
Jennifer Gentle "Panis et circenses"
Father Murphy "Ave Lucifer"
Sean Lennon and Yuka Honda "Trem fantasma"
White Flag "Mysterious White Roses" (Os Mutantes unreleased song, taken from a 1968 movie)
Tater Toz "Bat Macumba"
Littlebrown "Senhor f."
Residual Echoes "A minha menina"
Wondermints "Arnaldo Said"
Pillar and Tongues "Magica"
Oswald "Dois mil e um"
Gomma Workshop "O relogio"
Franklin Delano/GRES Unidos Do Berimbau "Adeus, Maria Fulo"
The Earlies "Ave Gengis Khan"
Fabio Recco & Bia Mendes (Beto Salmon remix) "Tecnicolor"

"My dear Friends, it's been an honour for us Mutantes to be receiving this kind of warmth and recognition from the youth who's going to change the musical face of this century, we are so very proud of you all, and
so grateful in our hearts for this homage, I wish that our music can always touch your hearts and the magic that you do...this CD is a beautifull gesture, thank you all so very much..." Sérgio Dias, Os Mutantes
Thanks to the support of Sergio Dias and Windish Agency (Chicago, US) Jardim Elétrico will be available as official merchandase at every Os Mutantes show.

For any further information, please feel free to contact Frederico f. (Madcap Collective) feder✧✧✧@malede✧✧✧.i✧ or Marco Damiani (Silly Boy Ent.) sillyboy✧✧✧@hotm✧✧✧.c✧✧