Araca Azul [Import]

Caetano Veloso | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 14, 2004)
• Original Release Date: 1973
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Universal Int'l
• ASIN: B00000GABY
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #686,790 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars tropicalismo's last stand, May 20, 2003

By 

carioca8 "carioca8" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Araca Azul (Audio CD)

Caetano readily admits in his quasi-autobiography, "Tropical Truth," that this album was a "bold move to break free from professional bounds...to test limits, and extend horizons" that was only partially sucessful, for reasons having largely to do with his extended exile in London. At first listen, even to ears that are well accustomed to his long-standing fascination with unconventional sounds and the flexibility of language, "Araca azul" will take you aback. But don't give up so easily on this intellectual exercise. With an appreciation for the larger artistic and social context (and some knowledge of portuguese will help), there are many extraordinary moments that welcome repeated listening. For me, the brief title song, "Araca azul," when put on looping repeat, becomes an austerely mysterious mantra--"...blue guava remains the most beautiful name for pain. With faith in God, I won't die too soon..." Likewise, I can listen to the masterful "Sugarcane Fields Forever" for hours and still not unravel the sonic threads and their cultural implications ("I'm a native mulatto, in the broad sense, a democratic mulatto from the coast"). An extended voyage across a vast sonic landscape, the piece is also, in part, a response to the Beatles' powerful influence on the tropicalia movement. "Sugarcane" begins with only Caetano's haunting voice and flute, which wash into an intense afro-bahian samba led by Edith Oliveira (a return to the feel of the opening track, "Viola, meu bem") that runs as a powerful undercurrent beneath sophisticated orchestral passages, coy bossa-nova phrases, and off-kilter avant-garde atonality and collaged lyrics. The following track, "Julia/Moreno," is among the most conventional songs on the album--a sweet ode to his unborn (gender unknown) child and a charming mutation of the lyrical conceit of Gilberto Gil's groovy "Batmacumba" and the concrete poetry popular among brasilian intellectuals. Despite its many difficulties, "Araca Azul" reveals a tremendous amount about the musical choices evident in Caetano's other albums and deserves more respect that it has been given by many listeners.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Caetano meets John Cage and Co., December 25, 2001

By 

DJ Joe Sixpack (...in Middle America) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Araca Azul (Audio CD)

Brazilian difficult listening. A frivolous, meandering psychedelic/found noise album with disjointed versions of tropicalia songs interspersed with African drums, acid rock guitars and blaring James Bondian themes. Intriguingly nutty, though not melodically satisfying, and apparently one of the worst selling Brazilian pop albums of all time. However, this album shows Veloso's breadth as an experimental pop artist. For starters, check out the difference between his radically deconstructed version of "De Conversa" and Milton Nascimento's super-melodic original... woah! That kinda wacked-out avant-pop don't come easy. Definitely recommended for the artsy crowd, though not for the casual listener.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The dark side of Caetano, May 3, 1999

By 

Marcos Henrique (Piraju, SP Brazil) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Araca Azul (Audio CD)

If you only know Caetano Veloso's recent phase, this record is pretty different than his lasts works. It's a very experimental album, full of odd noises, folk music, excellent guitar work (made by Lanny Gordin, an american resident in Brazil and the Tropicalia's guitar hero) and concrete music. You must know the other side of this great artist.