Tag: Brazilian soul

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Jorge Ben – A Tábua de Esmeralda (1974)

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Jorge Ben
A Tábua de Esmeralda
Released 1974
Philips / Phonogram (6349 083)

This reissue – Salve, Jorge! Boxset (2009)

1 Os alquimistas estão chegando os alquimistas

2 O homem da gravata florida

3 Errare humanun est

4 Menina mulher da pele preta

5 Eu vou torcer

6 Magnólia

7 Minha teimosia, uma arma pra te conquistar

8 Zumbi

9 Brother

10 O namorado da viúva

11 Hermes Trismegisto e sua celeste Tábua de Esmeralda

12 Cinco minutos

I realized just the other day that I completely skipped over the marvelous ‘Força Bruta’ in my presentation of this new Jorge Ben box. Not sure how that happened, but I will remedy the situation soon (although the DGA reissue IS here, in fact it was one of the first posts ever on this blog).

This album obviously merits more spilled ink than I have given it here, but I am exhausted and this is a good album for rejuvenation, and it speaks well enough for itself. Many people think this is Jorge Ben’s best album ever. I am one of them, although I have decided of late that it is impossible to consider it as a separate entity from the two albums to follow. Taken as a hole, they are all equally mindblowing. ‘A Tábua’ is brilliant in every way. Not a bad track on it (although the song ‘Brother’ often gets skipped over by me…). From the first notes, this album casts a spell on you fit for a hermetic magician. It is one of Ben’s most experimental album and also one of his most accessible. All of the songs are classics but the one that I know for sure has stuck around in his live sets is the hit, Zumbi, named after the last leader of the famous quilombo Palmares. Caetano Veloso, being the royal douchebag that he is, managed to completely mangle and destroy this song on one of his many bullshit records over the last ten years. If you have been subjected to that version, I apologize. But if you have never heard Ben’s original then at least you have this to look forward to. I have an aquaintance who worked in Brazil, and when I met her she thought that Jorge Ben was some old guy who made shitty records. I think maybe she was confusing him with Caetano. Admittedly, Jorge doesn’t make too many new records of interesting material, but his live shows are a blast precisely because he doesn’t try to stay ‘relevant’ to the flavor of the moment but gives the people what they want — classic Jorge Ben tunes, all night long… This aquaintance who formerly poo-pooed Jorge Ben now goes around singing songs off this album, and I haven’t even received as much as a ‘thank you’ although I hold myself largely reponsible for her conversion. At least, I know that I told her that he was not some lame douche-y guy making bad music. THAT guy, I insisted, was Caetano Veloso.

I had always thought that ‘Zumbi’ was the only track to really become iconic off this record, although obviously the whole album is ‘classic’ in the way we tend to mean that when talking about popular music. However, I was corrected by a friend who pointed out that the opening cut, “Os alquimistas estão chegando os alquimistas” was something of a stoner anthem. Now, this guy is a bit younger than I am and he might be basing this entirely on a film he mentioned in the same conversation — a rather awful-sounding summertime coming-of-age film set in 1980 called ‘Pode Crer’, which I haven’t seen — where the song was used prominently in a goofy drug scene. Still, he might be correct. Because I also have another friend who says she woke up to this album every day for a year, and she is kind of a stoner who hangs out with a lot of rock stars and artists, so perhaps there is more to this anthemic song than bad Globo-produced films. (Wake ‘n Bake, maybe?)

This album is a serious work of art and I am not treating it seriously enough. I will attribute this to the unbelievable heat and the fact that I slept for 13 hours after not sleeping at all for a few days, which does peculiar things to my  coherence. But even if I could muster the lucidity to tell you what lucre this album is in terms of artistic vision, integrity, production, and beguiling lyrics, I would only be detracting from what your own ears can tell you. This album does not need mediation via music critics. If you have heard it already, you already know all that you need to know. If not, you must place yourself in the crucible of transformation.

I must mention that I was also rather obsessed with alchemy at one point in my life.   If you want to gaze at some trippy, old works of alchemical art, check out this great online resource — this guy has tons of stuff in his galleries, including work from Nicolas Flamel (where the cover of this album originates..)

http://www.levity.com/alchemy/amcl_astronomical_material.html

(not the main page, just a sample of some cool stuff)

For some material specifically on Nicolas Flamel, check here

http://www.alchemywebsite.com/flamel.html

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Jorge Ben – Ben (1972) {Salve Jorge! boxset}

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A1 Morre O Burro Fica O Homem 2:09
A2 O Circo Chegou 2:46
A3 Paz E Arroz 2:48
A4 Moça 4:57
A5 Domingo 23 3:48
A6 Fio Maravilha 2:13

B1 Quem Cochicha O Rabo Espicha 3:25
B2 Caramba 2:21
B3 Que Nega E Essa 3:34
B4 As Rosas Eram Todas Amarelas 3:45
B5 Taj Mahal 5:30

For me, this has always been the Holy Grail of Jorge Ben albums. A sentiment fueled largely by its scarcity since the time I got into the man’s music — This was one of the last of the classic Ben albums I managed to hear. I finally got my hands on it by way of an ex-girlfriend, and (not unlike the girl herself) it was damaged goods — the disc was scratched up and skipped, the cover artwork had long disappeared. But (not unlike the girl herself), it was better than nothing, and I made a personal copy of it anyway, skips and all. The vinyl for this baby has long been out of my price range (until I am lucky enough to find one at a random record stall), so this particular title is one of the main reasons I bought the Salve Jorge boxset.

A set of eleven songs, all written entirely by Jorge Ben, with unfortunately uncredited musicians after the departure of Trio Mocotó. Whoever it is playing the fretless bass on this album is just incredible. Crisp production and arrnangements by Paulinho Tabajós (with some help from Osmar Milito on a few tracks), this is probably the sparest, most stripped-down album of Ben’s discography. For all its wonderful glory, there are actually few ‘staples’ on this album that would continue to appear in Jorge’s live performances and various collections, with the major exceptions of Fio Maravilha (here presented in an extremely laid back, downbeat interpretation), Caramba!, and the earliest version of Taj Mahal which has an “Eastern-sounding” acoustic guitar solo in the middle of it.

Also, if you play the song Domingo 23 backwards, you will here references to the future death / murder of Michael Jackson, using imagery from the film BEN for which Jackson sang the theme song, also released in 1972.

Saravá Jorge, filho de Ogun!

Oh, and this is most likely my last blog post of 2009, so … HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! Thanks to all the readers of this blog — especially those of you kind enough to take the time to leave comments! Lots of light and inspiration to you all in the new aeon.

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Jorge Ben – Negro é Lindo (1971) {Salve, Jorge! Boxset}

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01 – Rita Jeep
02 – Porque é Proibido Pisar Na Grama
03 – Cassius Marcelo Clay
04 – Cigana
05 – Zula
06 – Negro é Lindo
07 – Comanche
08 – Que Maravilha
09 – Maria Domingas
10 – Palomaris

Original release:
Produced by Paulinho Tapajós
Recording technicians: Toninho and Mazzola
Studio: C.B.D.P.
Arrangements by Arthur Verocai
Photo: Wilney Cover design: Aldo Luiz

2009 reissue credits
Supervision: Alice Soares
Project conceptualization: Carlos Savalla
Liner Notes: Ana Maria Bahiana
Coordination: Rodrigo Faour
Remastering: Luigi Hoffer at DMS Mastering Solutions
Restoration of original LP covers and adaptation for CD: Leandro Arraes at LAStudio
Editing: Luiz Augusto
Graphic design: Geysa Adnet

————————–

Interestingly, the bilingual texts on the new CD jackets do not actually have the same information, both containing some tidbits of info that the other doesn’t have. In the interest of globalization I am going to do a quick free translation here (all errors are my own..):

Jorge Ben Jor’s trilogy of albums with Trio Mocotó closes with the powerful “Negro É Lindo” (Black is Beuatiful) in 1971, in a phase of the Brazilian culture industry where blacks began to be perceived as potential consumers. Negro é Lindo delivers an homage to Cassius Clay (later known as Muhammad Ali) and also to João Parahyba, nicknamed Comanche. It has delcarations of love for his beloved wife Maria Tereza Domingas and, at the same time, proposes a pact of goodwill and unity to Rita Lee, responsible for his trips to and from the studio to his house in Brooklin (*southside neighborhood of São Paulo, not the one in New York…).

One difference in relation to the other LPs is the fact that this one was to be more centered on the acoustic guitar in its arrangements, possibly the fruit of his partnership with Paulinho Tapajós, who directed Ben’s recordings between 71 and 75. In the studio, Tapajós prefered to record Jorge one his own and on stop of a platform, under which were placed microphones that captured the time-keeping beats of the artists’ shoes and foot-tapping, and the scrape of his pick across the guitar strings. Beginning with this base, the arrangements were built around him. “With the pulse of the foot-taps, his, voice, and the guitar pick, Jorge transformed himself into a machine of rhythm. Afterward, I embellished this with the other instruments in arrangements (of scale and tone) that wouldn’t conflict with what he was doing. We recorded 30, 40 songs for one single album and I believe there must be a lot of unreleased material. It was the best way to work, because the coolest thing about Jorge is the freedom. He does not have discipline. Therefore, we had to follow along after him.” One could analyze this liberty and freedom as a certain kind of alienation between the techniques and artifices of the studio and the process of practicing as a group. There are classic moments calling for the bridge, or the end of a sing, same as LPs recorded live (“Em cima!”, “Miudinho!”). Add to this the fact that Ben, aside from composing the lyrics and music for the vast majority of the songs he created, did not do arrangements for other instruments: in this era, he played his guitar and sang, and the arranger (or Trio Mocotó) did their work on top of this.

——————————————————–

Side note from Flabbergast… Interesting that Arthur Verocai, who at this point in time is probably more famous outside Brazil than within it, does not get any mention in these liner notes even though he was responsible for the arrangements as much or more so than producer Tapajós…

The notes also sidestep Ben’s involvement with and importance to the movement(s) variously referred to as Black Rio, Black Power, Samba Soul, Movimento Negro, in the 1970s. An embracing of black identity in an allegedly colorblind ‘racial democracy’ where bring up something like “Black Pride” is likely to spark an argument. In fact doing so led to just such an argument for me TODAY — one has to remember this was even more polemical in the early 70s. It’s not the first foray into this territory in Ben’s music or lyrics, by any means, but probably the first where he is self-consciously integrating his work around Afrocentric ideas, making him part of a global phenomenon happening at the same time in the US, the Caribbean, in other parts of Latin America, and in Africa itself. The liner notes would almost imply that this was a marketing strategy (the black woman or man as potential consumer), an interpretation which I hope is just me being reactionary and radical and indignant as I sometimes tend to be… Because if that IS the implication, then its an insult to Jorge Ben and the massive accomplishments of his music during this period.

This pressing hails from the 12-CD boxset released just a week ago. There will be more of it to come…

With complete artwork, m3u playlist, and proper ID-tags

Jorge Ben – Negro é Lindo (1971) in 320 kbs em pee three

Jorge Ben – Negro é Lindo (1971) in FLAC LOSSLESS AUDIO

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Wilson Simonal – Alegria! Alegria! Vol. 3 & 4 (1969)

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Booklet notes:

Recorded under the uncontrollable shadow of the hit “Sá Marina”, Alegrie Alegria Vol 3, or Cada Um Tem o Disco que Merece, is a move in the direction toward a maturation of a style, of unity in the middle of the diversity that the public had already accustomed itself with Simonal. “Sá Marina” (from Alegria Vol. 2) loaned its soul-music romanticism to various songs on the album. “Meia Volta (Ana Cristina), “Moça” and “Aleluia Aleluia” all from Antonio Adolfo and Tibério Gaspar, are the clearest examples. But practically the whole album is calm and serene. From the delicate “Menininha do Portão” to the rhythm and blues “na lingua da matriz” of “What You Say,” Simonal and Som Três move their music into an area that is more adult, and more black. The reinterpretations of classics attest to this: ‘Pensando em ti” brings bassoons and flugelhorns to the old hit by Nelson Gonçalves; “Prece ao Vento” uses the riff from “Sunny”, a classic by Elizeth Cardoso; “Atire a Primeira Pedra” plays with Atualfo Alves for a generation enchanted with ‘Barbarella’.

Simonal and Som Três also grew in structure. Cesar debuts his electric piano and the synthesized sounds to the tone of different songs (especially “Mustang Cor de Sangue”). Sabá begins using to the electric-acoustic bass common to salsa groups. Also the “brass with mushrooms” (??) gain force here too, with the arrival of Aurino, Darcy and the singer’s brother, José Roberto Simonal, joining with the veterans Maurílio and Juarez. It is this era that saw the vertiginous sky-rocketing professional ascension of Simonal, exploding after his performance at Maracanãzinho on July 5, 1969, when the singer stole the show from Sergio Mendes and was dragged back to the stage by 30,000 fans. Soon after this show, Simonal joined up with Shell in a series of mega-events that brought him back to the sports arena, repeating the success of his first presentation.

The photo of this second show adorns the cover of Alegria! Aelgria! Vol.4. The alternative title (Homage to the Grace, Beauty, Charm and the Venom of the Brazilian Woman) comes from that which, maybe, could be the biggest hit of his career: “País Tropical,” composed by Jorge Ben and freely adapted by the singer, who cut entire passages of the lyrics, changed other parts, and through it created the expression “patropi”. Nothing seemed to conatin this great, exciting phase of Wilson Simonal.

—Ricardo Alexandre
Journalist and author of the biography “Nem Vem Que Não Tem: A Vide e o Veneno de Wilson Simonal”

Free translation by Flabbergast

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ALEGRIA, ALEGRIA VOL. 3 ou CADA UM TEM O DISCO QUE MERECE
Wilson Simonal (1969)
Released in April of 1969 as Odeon MOFB 3576

1 Silva lenheira
(Jorge Ben)
2 Mustang cor de sangue
(Paulo Sergio Valle, Marcos Valle)
3 Menininha do portão
(Nonato Buzar, Paulinho Tapajós)
4 Silêncio
(Eduardo Souto Neto, Sergio Bittencourt)
5 Prece ao vento
(Gilvan Chaves, Fernando Luiz Câmara, Alcyr Pires Vermelho)
6 What you say
(Wilson Simonal)
7 Moça
(Tibério Gaspar, Antônio Adolfo)
8 Aleluia aleluia
(Tibério Gaspar, Antônio Adolfo)
9 Mamãe eu quero
(Vicente Paiva, Jararaca)
10 Meia-volta (Ana Cristina)
(Tibério Gaspar, Antônio Adolfo)
11 Pensando em ti
(Herivelto Martins, David Nasser)
12 Atira a primeira pedra
(Ataulfo Alves, Mário Lago)
13 Mulher de malandro
(Celso Castro, Oswaldo Nunes)

BONUS TRACK
14. Se Você Pensa
(Roberto Carlos / Erasmo Carlos)

Recorded in November 1968, January and March 1969
Arrangements and orchestration, César Camargo Mariano (1-3,5,6,8-10, 12) Laércio de Freitas (13), Erlon Chaves (4,7,11).
Artistic director: Milton Mrianda
Musical director: Lyrio Panicali
Technical director: Z.J.Merky
Sound engineer: Jorge Teixeira da Rocha
Mixing and editing of the LP: Reny Rizzi Lippi
Art director: Moacyr Rocha
Photos: Studio Maitiry

Som Três: Cesar Camargo Mariano (piano), Sabá (upright bass and voice), Toninho Pinheiro (drums and voice).

Brass: Aurino (baritone sax), José Roberto SImonal (alto sax), Maurilio and Darcy (trumpets), and Juarez (tenor sax)
Electric guitar: Geraldo Vespar
Percussion: Chacau

Bonus track recorded in July and released by Odeon as since 7B 380 in August 1969.

ALEGRIA, ALEGRIA VOL. 4 ou HOMENAGEM À GRAÇA, À BELEZA, AO CHARME E AO VENENO DA MULHER BRASILEIRA

Odeon MOFB 3613 released November 1969

15 Maquilagem
(Nonato Buzar, Wilson Simonal)
16 Porque hoje é domingo
(Tibério Gaspar, Antônio Adolfo)
17 Evie
(Jimmy Webb)
18 Brasileira
(Sergio Augusto, Rubinho)
19 Olho d’água
(Nonato Buzar, Paulinho Tapajós)
20 Canção da criança
(René Bittencourt, Francisco Alves)
21 Eu fui ao Tororó
(Foclore)
22 Que maravilha
(Jorge Ben, Toquinho)
23 Uma loira
(Hervé Cordovil)
24 Quem mandou
(Sergio Bittencourt, Eduardo Souto)
25 País tropical
(Jorge Ben)
26 Adios, muchachos / Adios
(César Vedani, J.C.Sanders. E. Madrigeura)

Recorded in July, October, and November of 1969.

Arrangements, orchestration, horn charts: Cesar Camargo Mariano (15,16,18-24,25) Lyrio Panicali (17), Erlon Chaves (18,26)

Musician credits and technical credits same as Alegria Alegria Vol 3

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Reissue info:
Remastered in 24 bits and digitally edited from the original master tapes by Carlos Freitas and Jade Pereira at Classic Master, São Paulo, in February 2004.
Production and project coordination: Max de Castro and Wilson Simoninha
Reproduction of original album covers: Rogério Alonso

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One more Simonal brings us two more albums full of joy in this series. Tons of gems here, with the hard-swing accompaniment of Som Três. More songs by Jorge Ben, Antonio Adolfo & Tibério Gaspar — definitely moving into more soul territory here. There is even a cover of a rather obscure song, Evie, by Jimmy Webb (By The Time I Get To Phoenix, Wichita Lineman, and the notorious MacArthur Park). On that song Wilson’s singing in English has improved from “What You Say” (on Vol.3), which is pretty frankly awful but also charming in its awful-ness.

These four albums of ‘Alegria! Alegria!’ mark a hugely important phase in Simonal’s career and in many ways, taken as a whole, could be the centerpiece of his discography. There was a live album (show em Simonal) released in the middle of them, recorded earlier in 1967, that I may share here although frankly it is kind of for the die-hard obsessive collectors (more details later).

More ALEGRIA for the holiday seasons from Flabbergasted Vibes!

Wilson Simonal – Alegria! Alegria! Vol. 3 & 4 (1969) in 320 kbs em pee three

Wilson Simonal – Alegria! Alegria! Vol. 3 & 4 (1969) in FLAC LOSSLESS AUDIO

Complete artwork included. Composer credits are included in the ID tags, as well as restored Portuguese orthographic and diacriticals.

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Emílio Santiago – Emílio Santiago (1975) {João Donato, Azimuth, Wilson das Neves..)

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Emilio Santiago (1975)
1975, CID (8008)
CD Reissue, CID (0074102)1 Bananeira
(Gilberto Gil, João Donato)
2 Quero alegria
(Guilherme de Brito, Nelson Cavaquinho)
3 Porque somos iguais
(Pedro Camargo, Durval Ferreira)
4 Batendo a porta
(Paulo César Pinheiro, João Nogueira)
5 Depois
(Otávio Daher, Ivan Lins)
6 Brother
(Jorge Ben)
7 La mulata
(Paulo Sergio Valle, Marcos Valle)
8 Nega Dina
(Zé Keti)
9 Doa a quem doer
(Ivan Lins)
10 Sessão das dez
(Édson Lobo, Tita, Renato Rocha)

Truth be told, I am not a huge fan of Emilio Santiago. In fact all I have is this album, ‘Comigo é assim’ and `Feito Pra Ouvir` which might be his most famous from the 70s. But his early stuff is worth checking out, especially this debut album. This one is, in fact, pretty bad-ass. Emilio was sort of a protege, or at least a `discovery` of Roberto Menescal, who wrote the liner notes for this album and produced `Feito Pra Ouvir` a few years later.

In truth this album may be most interested for the insane lineup of musicians who contributed to it. João Donato’s contribution on the electric Rhodes is the most obvious — as is the song he co-wrote with Gilberto Gil, “Bananeira”, as solid a piece of Brazil funk as you could find. Donato also gives the track “La mulata” (penned by the brothers Valle) a salsa-style arrangement that stands out quite nicely. The funk-fusion band Azimuth provides backing on one track only, Jorge Ben’s “Brother.” Now, ‘Brother’ is from what many regard as Ben’s best album ever — A Tábua de Esmeralda — but for me that song has always been the weakest link in the great chain of that record. Here, I dare say that Emilio may surpass the original, and with big credit due to Azimuth, who make the song hit much harder than Ben’s laid-back style.

You can see the rest of the big names who helped out on this record on the CD tray like Wilson das Neves, Copinha, Ivan Lins, Dori Caymmi… Keeping in mind that the lineup of the musical backing changes on every track, sometimes entirely, the album is remarkably consistent in its sound. Emilio’s interpretations of sambas from the likes of Nelson Cavaquinho and João Nogueira are still growing on me, and perhaps they never will… His voice veers towards the schmaltzy style that would make him famous in the 80s and 90s. He is definitely not alone in giving classic samba that kind of slick treatment, but I will always prefer ‘samba do morro’ to ‘samba de calçada’ I guess..

By the way, his name is Emilio Santiago, in case you can’t read it clearly on the front cover of the album.  Bio in Portuguese

Carioca, começou a cantar em festivais universitários nos anos 70, quando freqüentava a faculdade de Direito. Participou também de programas de calouros na televisão, chegando às finais de um concurso no programa Flávio Cavalcanti, na TV Tupi. Foi crooner da orquestra de Ed Lincoln, e cantou em boates e casas noturnas. Seu primeiro compacto foi lançado em 1973 com “Transa de Amor” (S. Tapajós/ M. Amaral) e “Saravá Nega” (Odibar), o que abriu portas para participações em programas de rádio e televisão. Dois anos depois a CID grava o primeiro LP, “Emílio Santiago”, com músicas de Jorge Ben (“Brother”), João Donato (“Bananeira”) e outros. No ano seguinte assinou contrato com a Polygram, que lançou os dez discos seguintes. Foi eleito o melhor intérprete do Festival da TV Globo de 1985 com a música “Elis Elis” (E. Natolo Jr./ M. Simões). Em 1988 mudou para a gravadora Som Livre, onde iniciou o projeto “Aquarelas Brasileiras”, dedicado exclusivamente ao repertório de música brasileira. Lançou sete discos pelo projeto, alcançando a marca de 4 milhões de cópias vendidas. No final da década de 90 lançou discos fora do Aquarela Brasileira, inclusive um em homenagem ao cantor Dick Farney.

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(edit/update, March 20, 2013 – Emílio passed away today, only in his 60s too..  So I fixed the links here and reposted, but without any other changes.  Maybe in the coming weeks I’ll try to get another of his records up here..)

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Hyldon – Na Rua, Na Chuva, Na Fazenda (1975)

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HYLDON
“Na Rua, Na Chuva, Na Fazenda”
1975 Polydor

1. Guitarras Violinos e Instrumentos de Samba
2. Na Sombra de Uma Árvore
3. Vamos Passear de Bicicleta
4. Acontecimento
5. Vida Engraçada
6. As Dores do Mundo
7. Na Rua, na Chuva, na Fazenda (Casinha de Sapê)
8. Sábado e Domingo
(Hyldon / Neném)
9. Eleonora
10. Balanço do Violão
(Hyldon / Beto Moura)
11. Quando a Noite Vem
12. Meu Patuá

All songs by Hyldon unless otherwise noted.
EAC->FLAC. Portuguese diacriticals removed from filenames, restored in ID Tags

Here is a record I have been meaning to share here forever and ever. Not sure why I was holding out on you. Maybe I’m cruel, or maybe I couldn’t decide if some of you deserve it. Alas I finally resolved myself to the idea that quite a few of you probably do NOT deserve to hear an album this good, but it’s unfair to the rest for me to continue hoarding it. So with that in mind, I bring you this wonderfully languid-like-a-summer-breeze of an album. In fact in my world it might be the perfect summer album, which means I’ll be putting it on even more often now that summer is just beginning here. Sorry for those of you preparing for months of miserable cold and grey skies, but that’s a ‘you’ problem.

So this is Hyldon’s first album. He would never ever surpass it. Although his early records are as a whole all pretty good, this one is just a monster. Hyldon first made his name as a songwriter and producer before becoming a recording artist in his own right, and its partly that meticulous sensibility that makes this record such a pleasure to listen to. It is recorded amazing well and mixed perfectly, bursting with warmth and clarity in all its instrumentation and vocal arrangements. For once I can also say I am happy as punch with the mastering job on a reissue, it sparkles like analog goodness.

Hyldon’s name rests alongside Cassiano and Tim Maia in the holy trilogy of Brazilian soul songwriters. He has a more “folk” approach to either of those, and those of you enthralled by the work of Terry Callier or Jon Lucien should find something to engage with here. But like a lot of great soul music from the 70s, the palette is stylistically eclectic. There is even a few whispy traces of “iê, iê, iê” in a couple places.

Hyldon’s limited vocal range may account for why he’s not quite a household name – most Brazilians are probably more familiar with the versions of his songs recorded by Tim Maia, for example – but it’s damn impressive what he does with melodies and grooves locked tight and nestled one inside the other. Like spooning. Strings, brass, woodwinds, acoustic and electric guitars, a crisp drum kit, cuica, organ, electric piano, analog synths, are all used very intelligently and strategically – sometimes all at once, while never overpowering the song. I’m honestly blown away by the production on this record. I could say “there’s not a bad song on it,” as the phrase goes among my brethren. But that would not be accurate, because the point here is that all the songs are REALLY GOOD. I can’t even sit here and talk about album highlights, because it’s all too much. If you want that kind of thing, listen to it and pick your own.

The reissue is really a labor of love, with previously unissued photographs and copious notes about each individual song. We get to hear about Hyldon’s fling with Maria Crueza and him basically blowing her off (“I loved her more like a brother..” WTF was he thinking? It’s Maria Crueza!!), about him hanging out on the beach taking acid, of songs taking inspiration from Schopenhaur, Machado de Assis, and Arthur C. Clarke. He provides details of conversations and events leading up to the idea for a song – such detail, in fact, that I sometimes wonder if he’s just making this shit up. But presuming he just has an incredible memory, in spite or perhaps because of his extra-curricular beach activities, it is really pretty cool for him to share all this info with us. His lyrics are not going to win any accolades from Chico Buarque – we learn from his commentary, for example, that his song about riding a bicycle with his girlfriend “Vamos Passear de Bicicleta” was actually inspired by his idea that it would be really cool to ride around with a girlfriend together on bicycles, stopping for ice-cream or to skim rocks of a lake, sing her songs in a flowery meadow, and so on. Who would have guessed? Granted this example is not terribly fair to Hyldon – more sober songs like “As Dores do Mundo” and the title track “Na Rua, Na Chuva, Na Fazenda”, are not silly at all. In fact I find them to emote quite moving stuff I can easily relate to. What Hyldon’s songs might lack in formal lyrical complexity, they make up for with their sincerity – you can feel that he really means what he’s singing about, and I can’t help being charmed by that. The anecdotes he provides only adds to that charm.

My apologies if this post sounds more whimsical and ‘lite’ than others on this blog. Perhaps it’s because this album makes me genuinely happy, and there’s not too much I can say that about lately. In fact I have listened to this album twice today while preparing the contents of this post. Since I also tend to write the commentary while listening, I can credit Hyldon with any pleasure you’ve derived reading this. All shortcomings are of course my own.

I seriously went back and forth about a dozen times about the idea of including some song samples here. Even if it were just the A- and B-sides of the single released before the album. But I just can’t. This is a record to put on and listen to from start to finish. So you’ll just have to trust me and check this one out.

With the money from this album, Hyldon was at last able to buy himself a new shirt.

Oh, now that I am done with gushing about how great the album, I can find one fault — the addition of two pointless remixes to the CD reissue, courtesy of the group Bossacucanova. I am no Luddite, but I fail to see how their electronic treatment of “As Dores do Mundo” does anything but murder the song. I mean, it’s really awful. The original vibe just vaporizes into the techno ether. The second remix, of the title track, fares much better with its dub styling of the song. In fact, it’s actually listenable. I still don’t understand the point of including these. If it is some sort of nod to “updating” the relevance of the album, it’s utterly unnecessary. This album still sounds completely fresh.

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