Original Released as LP Polydor LPNG 44.018
(BRASIL, January 1968)
To the rest of the world Brasil meant soccer, beautiful bodies, and bossa nova. The phrase “repressive military dictatorship” featured in few guides. The arrival of envelope-pushing hippies in the summer of 1967 brought the counterculture into focus, with devastating results. Led by young songwriters such as Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso, the “tropicalistas” took what they heard from London and San Francisco and moved it on. The right hated the hair, morality, and drugs; the left despised their corruption of pure Brazilian music. Into this maelstrom floated Os Mutantes – Rita Lee and the three Baptista brothers (only two of whom appeared on stage). You want to talk weird? Two minutes into the opening track, “Panis Et Circenses”, your record player slows down and stops. Just as you get up to find out what has happened, it bursts back into life. And once you have sat back down, the band stops and has a coffee break. No, really. The sunkissed “A Minha Menina” follows, the distorted guitars and electronic effects all handmade by the third Baptista brother. It sounds like the perfect posing pop for Copacabana, but the hippies were being physically attacked from all sides. In 1968 the Brazilian government abolished all human rights; Gil and Veloso would be exiled; tropicalia withered away. Os Mutantes, clearly incapable of leading any revolution, played on, actually growing in popularity in the early Seventies. Remember them for the simple nuttiness of “Bat Macumba” and “Baby” (an erotic “Eleanor Rigby”) and stay away from the brown acid. Ok? (David Hutcheon in “1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die”)
It takes a connoisseur of psychedelic rock and pop to know of (drumroll please) Os Mutantes. This short-lived Brazilian band made some of the most memorable psychedelic pop of the 1960s - which is really saying something, given the era that they thrived in. Call it psychetropicalia. And their self-titled debut is probably the best work they ever did, without a single dud track. "Panis et Circenses" kicks things off with a horn solo, and then with a stretch of swooning acid-pop and some angelic-sounding voices. From there on, we get a fun, perky pop song laced with more horns, keyboards and wacky sound effects. The stuff that follows is much in the same vein, from the buzzing and swooning keyboard splendor of "Baby," the downtempo warbles of "Le Premier Bonheur du Jour," and other songs full of Brazilian spunk, sonic clutter, sixties guitar solos, piano ripples, and catchy little songs that never get old. Rooted in Brazilian tropicalia, the music has quite a few quirks and twists, but surprisingly it never becomes too weird to alienate listeners. Os Mutantes was initially formed by Arnaldo and Sergio Baptista, who later added Rita Lee and their brother Claudio. Though the band didn't last very long, they developed a reputation for twiddling with basic Brazilian pop - while they stayed happy and accessable, they also added in distortion, feedback, non-catchy stretches of noise, and other sound experiments. It sounds fun, doesn't it? And actually, it is a lot of fun. The trippy bossa nova/psychedelic rock/catchy pop isn't as heavy as it sounds, but instead goes for a light, playful, deeply stoned vibe. Eerie flutes, panpipes and jungle drums get mixed in with solid guitar riffs and smooth keyboards, acoustic and electric guitar harmonize, and piano is overlaid with train whistles. Those traditional instruments ground what could have been just another psychedelic band. And the tropicalia gives it an earthy, unique edge that most psychedelica lacks. It's gloriously catchy, and incredibly infectious. The most typical aspect of it is the vocal harmonies - other than that, there is simply nothing to compare this to. There hasn't really been a band like Os Mutantes since, and until someone decides to revive that underrated sound, there probably won't be again. Mad, wild, crazy, and absolute bliss from beginning to end. (in Amazon)