Norma Kelly — Siga aquele carro (Follow that car)
b/w A Canção Que a Guitarra Não Tocou (Mocambo 1968)
Lil’ pop gem from Brazil circa 1968. Can’t find much else about Norma Kelly, but this is one groovy little dancefloor ditty.
First heard this on Give the Drummer Some a while back… download link in the comments!
The Sunshines — Quando Eu Precisei
from SELVAGENS - Brazilian 60’s Punk Artyfacts
Got some great nuggets of garage to share this week. This first installment is ‘Quando Eu Precisei’ (When I Needed), a 1967 track from The Sunshines, a late-60s group from Rio de Janeiro. Very hip bassline on this and some dreamy xylophone-esque keys, too. (grab the Selvagens (Wild) comp at Garage Latino)
On the way later this week, more garage from about as far from Rio as you can get — pre-Revolution Tehran. Stay tuned…
Lula Côrtes e Zé Ramalho — Trilha de Sumé
from Paêbirú (1974)
Wake up to these gorgeous pastoral stoner sounds from Brazilian psych duo Lula Côrtes e Zé Ramalho. It’s the kind of jam you wanna listen to while you space out on the steam swirling up from your pot of tea. Forced Exposure says:
Paêbirú is an obscure Brazilian psych concept album about the four elements (earth, air, fire, water) that was lost to time in a warehouse fire in 1974… the entire range of 1970s hippie Brazilian musician culture is displayed in this record.
A beautiful acoustic guitar track from Paêbirú as requested by yerdarlingdaily.
Os 3 Morais — Azul Da Cor Do Mar Tico - Tico No Fuba
from Os 3 Morais (1971)
Take this song. Place on tongue. Swallow.
A vocal chill pill from Brazilian siblings Jane Vicentina do Espírito Santo, Sidney do Espírito Santo e Roberto do Espírito Santo: the three ‘Morais’ (their mother’s maiden name).
The trio got its start in the early 60s recording jingles for commercials—you can definitely hear a tinge of soap ad salesmanship in these super-polished vocals.
Now back to your regularly scheduled programming…
Marcos Valle — Freio aerodinâmico
from Marcos Valle (1970)
I’ve been grooving on this song for a while now.. the syncopation will hijack your brain, and the scat singing is fantastically evocative of the jetsetting times before you had to pay $25 to check a bag. The song is ‘Airbrake’ by psych/bossa guru Marcos Valle, from his self-titled 1970 LP.
Alceu Valença & Geraldo Azevedo — Me Dá Um Beijo (Give me a Kiss)
from Alceu Valença & Geraldo Azevedo (1972)
Visits to the blog Super Sonido always yield a few equatorial treats. My last visit was no exception, turning up a brilliant set of psychedelic tracks from Brazilian composers Alceu Valença & Geraldo Azevedo. They hail from the state of Pernambuco, in the region of Brazil that juts eastward into the Atlantic.
Marcos Valle — Brazil x México
from Marcos Valle (1974)
Space-age cocktail music for a bright new future (circa 1974) from Brazil’s pioneering psychedelic madhatter Marcos Valle. It’s worth noting that he recorded this album on the heels of a two-year stint of producing music for Vila Sésamo—Brazil’s version of Sesame Street.
Hat tip to the always-enlightening musical treasure trove Flabbergasted Vibes.
Jorge Ben — Xica da Silva
from África Brasil (1976)
It doesn’t get any slicker than this thick groove from Jorge Ben. That snaky guitar line at the end of the song is spine-chilling. If you’re not dancing you should be…
Pedro Santos — Dual
from Krishnanda (1968, Brazil)
Well this is delightful. I’m gonna have to track this album down…
I probably won’t play this at NOMERICA tomorrow night, but it’s the best. Maybe I’ll play it if nobody’s dancing.
Tim Maia — I Don’t Know What to Do With Myself
from Tim Maia (1971)
An irresistible track from Tim Maia, one of the pioneers of Brazilian funk and soul. Maia spent a number of years in the US, and obviously learned his soul lessons well, as seen on this track, and the stuff he arranged for Eduardo Araujo.
Maia was remarkably bad at coming up with album titles; ten of his albums are entitled simply Tim Maia. This is the second such edition. It has a number of great songs on it, including the ultra-dramatic ballad ‘Você’ (You), a Maia original. There are also a few playful, accordion-tinged forró tracks, much more Brazilian in pedigree.
If this jam isn’t sexy enough for you, here’s an even slower version.
Rosina Pagã — Nao Sossega Nao
from Sucessos com Rosina Pagã (1957)
Rosina Pagã, one half of the Irmas Pagãs (Pagan Sisters) was among the first to wear a bikini on the praias of Rio de Janeiro, along with her sister Elvira, the starlet Luz del Fuego and the singer Dora Lopes.
Rosina brought overt sexuality to her music (just look at the cover!), at a time when merely being on the radio was enough to slap a mulher with a bad reputação. Listen to her wavering voice and the terrific piano on this batucada… truly lovely.
And here’s a cha-cha-cha number — ‘Nunca’
Get your Brazilian fix over at the maravilhoso Bossa Brasileira.
Trio Nagô — Prece ao vento
from Trio Nago (1955)
Let’s stay on the sunny shores of Brazil, Forteleza to be exact, with this track by Trio Nagô, three fellows with soothing voices, active in the 1940s-60s.
There’s a lot of breezy samba on this album. But this cut, ‘Prece ao vento’ (Prayer to the Wind) is a bit more unusual, with horror-film theremin, and accordion for dramatic effect. The lovely cover art is by the Argentinian graphic artist Paez Torres.
Look at these fine gentlemen.
Thirsty for more coconut juice? Bossa Brasileira has the album and a detailed writeup. And the #1 rabbithole, Mining the Audio Motherlode, had me drilling into this vein of Brazilian ore in the first place.
Edy Star — Coração Embalsamado
from Sweet Edy (1974)
Bizarre tango-rock from Brazil’s first glittery, lycra-legged glam-rocker, Edy Star. Three years earlier, he cut his vocal chops on Raul Seixas’ brilliant album Sessao das 10. This time, other Brazilian stars like Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil wrote songs for him, which makes for an excellent, if a bit esquizofrênicos album.
In 1975 he starred in Brazil’s first production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and then in the 90s relocated to Madrid, where he says he enjoys visiting the Prado and watching flamenco and bullfights. And, to keep the old flames burning, he works as the master of ceremonies at a cabaret… where he says he directs “35 international women!”
Miriam Batucada — O Que Vier Eu Traço/Teco Teco
from Amanhã Ninguém Sabe (1974)
That great Raul Seixas record I posted about recently led me to check out Miriam Batucada, who sings on a couple of the Seixas tracks.
Sergio Sampaio, Edy Star and Raul Seixas with Miriam Batucada
Her songs are by-the-book samba but her singing style is what stands out. Deep and forceful at times, on the verge of collapse at others. I also love the keyboard lines in this song…adorable little 8-bit video game melodies.
Raul Seixas — Eu vou botar pra ferver
from Sociedade da Grã-ordem Kavernista apresenta Sessão das 10 (1971)
A satirical take on the 1950s from Brazilian rock god Raul Seixas. Frank Zappa’s 1966 album Freak Out! was a big inspiration in that respect. Seixas was also taking notes from ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ (on his 1968 debut he covered Lucy in the Sky in Portuguese).
This whole album is a gem of weird, inspired tropicalia, chorinho and samba, with prank calls, circus music, heavy breathing and sing-alongs interspersed throughout, and it served as Raul Seixas’ real debut as a Brazilian counterculture icon. Legend has it that Seixas and his bandmates Sérgio Sampaio, Edy Star and Míriam Batucada recorded the album on the sly at night, at the CBS studios where Seixas worked as a record producer — a little trick that got him fired.
