Hyldon – Nossa História de Amor (1977)

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HYLDON
Nossa História de Amor
Released 1977 on CBS 137994
Reissued in 2001 on CD by Sony/CBS (2-495860)
Remastered by Ricardo Soares under supervision of Charles Gavin

1 Eu gostaria de saber (Hyldon)
2 Conselhos (Hyldon)
3 Eu sou um anjo (Hyldon)
4 O gavião solitário (Hyldon)
5 Porque vivo só (Tereza, Alex Malheiros, Hyldon)
6 Nossa história de amor (Hyldon)
7 Estão dizendo por aí (Hyldon)
8 Solange (Hyldon)
9 Amor platônico (Hyldon)
10 Rainha de Copacabana (Hyldon)

Arrangements by Walter Branco

Special participation of Ed Lincoln on organ, tracks 1 and 5 (also flute arrangements for 5)
and Domiguinhos on accordion on track 6

I wrote a very lengthy review of Hyldon’s first album that you can find HERE… A lot of the adjectives and descriptions apply just as easily to this record. I suggest you take a look at that one, get some of the background about him and what I think of the dude, and listen to it along with this one. This album lacks the breathtaking sweep of that debut but is a solid album of strummy-folk-soul music Brazilian style. Comparisons to Terry Callier and Jon Lucien or Bill Withers might apply more if Hyldon’s voice was a little less shrill. And he is definitely less funky on this record. But his sense of orchestrations and building a vibe still reminds me of those guys a bit.

This is actually Hyldon’t third album.. His second LP, “Deus, A Natureza, e A Música” is also great, and easily the weirdest thing in his catalog. It expands a bit on the psychedelic undertones of his debut and takes more risks with the orchestrations and ideas. In fact it might have been that risk that inspired Hyldon to go back sometime in the last 10 years and prepare it for a CD release by RECORDING A BUNCH OF IT and replacing the original tracks, and totally remixing. May I respectfully ask, sir — WHAT THE FUCK?? I thought we were passed that phase of musical cannibalism in the digital era.. But, indeed, the only CD pressing of that album to date has drums that sound like they were recorded and mixed in the 1990s instead of 1976 (and in spite of having been recorded post-2000, I believe). I happen to own the vinyl of the same album, which wasn’t so easy to come by, and I can say that they are like listening to two entirely different albums. For this reason I will actually REFUSE to rip and share it here. I don’t care how much you ask me to do it or if you offer me money, I just won’t poison the well with that CD. I have planned to do a vinyl rip of my copy for a long time, but in spite of being very clean has one skip on it which I am going to have to try and fix somehow…

In any case, although I love that second album, it can be accused of over-reaching itself in its ambition. This album is probably more of a solid and satisfying listen overall. A well-balanced record and the mastering is pretty decent (and nice of Gavin to include technical notes on the equipment used – Manley Compressors, woo-hoo!) All of the songs are good and some will have you singing along after only a listen or two. As long as you don’t compare it to the sonic orgasm of “Na Rua, Na Chuva, Na Fazenda”, which will always be his best album that he could never surpass, this is a top-notch record and ought to appeal to a broad range of music-lovers regardless of language or cultural difference.

A whole truckload of people played on this album, too many to name. See the simple single-fold booklet for the complete list.

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

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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Tim Maia, Cassiano, Hyldon – Velhos Camaradas (1998)

1 Primavera [Vai Chuva] (Silvio Rochael – Cassiano)
Interpretação: Tim Maia

2 Na sombra de uma árvore (Hyldon) Interpretação: Hyldon

3 De bar em bar (Paulo Zdanowski – Cassiano) Interpretação: Cassiano

4 Réu confesso (Tim Maia)Interpretação: Tim Maia

5 As dores do mundo (Hyldon)Interpretação: Hyldon

6 Salve essa flor (Paulo Zdanowski – Cassiano)Interpretação: Cassiano

7 Coroné Antônio Bento (Luiz Wanderley – João do Vale)Interpretação: Tim Maia

8 Na rua, na chuva, na fazenda [Casinha de sapê] (Hyldon) Interpretação: Hyldon

9 A lua e eu (Paulo Zdanowski – Cassiano)Interpretação: Cassiano

10 Gostava tanto de você (Édson Trindade)Interpretação: Tim Maia

11 Sábado e domingo (Nenem – Hyldon)Interpretação: Hyldon

12 Coleção (Paulo Zdanowski – Cassiano)Interpretação: Cassiano

13 Azul da cor do mar (Tim Maia)Interpretação: Tim Maia

14 Acontecimento (Hyldon)Interpretação: Hyldon

cassianoTim singinghyldon

At first glance at the uninspiring artwork (not this lame collage right above this paragraph, I made that – but the lame CD art), one might think this a rather generic compilation. Until you look a little closer and see that it compiles some of the best work from the path-breaking records of the godfathers of Brazilian soul music — Tim Maia, Cassiano, and Hyldon. The first two were frequent collaborators, with Cassiano being a regular guitarist in Tim’s band and having had many songs recorded by him. When its all said and done this is not only a wonderful introduction to the material by these guys but also a really gratifying listen even for people already familiar with it. It’s well put together, and a lot of this material is unfortunately rather hard to come by. There is a second volume that was released but I don’t have it.

Enjoy this collection of VELHOS CAMARADAS!!

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