Customer Reviews

Brazil Classics 1: Beleza Tropical

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've had this CD for nearly 10 years now, and I still love it. It is a great introduction to Brazilian music. Like many compilations featuring various artists, there is a wide variety of styles; some songs I don't like as much, while others are just incredible, and that's why it ranks as a five-star CD. I would rank the best songs on "Brazil Classics I: Beleza Tropical" with songs by the Beatles or Simon & Garfunkel. It's hard to describe-- the music is a little bit familiar and accessable to my American ears, and at the same time very different than anything I had heard before. I gave a copy as gift to a friend, and he loved it. Then he promptly went out and bought two copies to give as gifts to other friends. It's definitely the kind of CD you want to share with your friends and spread the word about. The liner notes are quite good, too.

My introduction to Brazilian music, this album has been one of my absolute favorites for 10 years now and still can't get enough of it. Perfect for every mood. Even though I do not speak portuguese, I know all the words!

"Beleza Tropical" is the first in a four part series of Brazilian music assembled by David Byrne. The three albums that are still in print are all fantastic - I highly recommend each one. Byrne has selected some prime offerings from the biggest names in MPB (Musica Popular Brasileira - it's easily translatable)for this album, almost exclusively from the 1970s, at the highpoint of the genre (Caetano Veloso, Jorge Ben, Gilberto Gil, Milton Nascimento). If I were to make any criticism it is that the artists are rather narrowly represented, with only the biggest names present on multiple tracks, but having said that, the tracks are all great, and this does provide some greater insight into the work of those artists. In particular, the three Jorge Ben songs are fantastic and the the two Chico Buarque songs are also outstanding; there is a good summary of "Calice"provided in an earlier review.

This CD literally changed my life. I purchased it at a time in my life when I was pretty much bored with all the music that I was hearing and was exploring and looking for something else. Got it solely in the strength of David Byrne's name. It took a couple of months for me to catch onto the CD, but once I did, I started exploring more Brazilian music and then more of Latin music, and then onto world music.

But it all started with this disc.

Not every song on this became a favorite, but many of them did. Queixa not only remains one of my favorite songs, but has for years also been what I use as an Internet alias. Jorge Ben Jor, Milton Nascimento, and Caetano Veloso have remained favorites. Quilomba led me to look into Brazilian movies some.

And this disc (and the others compiled by David Byrne) is an excellent place to start exploring Brazilian music.

Back in the '80s when this came out, US pop stars like David Byrne and Paul Simon won great praise for discovering "world music." Of course, this was the height of arrogance because this music has been around forever, just not known to many in the US. This Brazilian sampler is certainly melodious, though some think it doesn't contain the best work of the great Brazilian artists featured. So what? If you don't know this music very well, this CD makes a fabulous introduction. The lilting rhythms and irresistible melodies will grab any ears on first hearing and not let go.

I've been listening to this remarkable collection for four years now, and my enthusiasm for it is undiminished. I don't want to sound dogmatic, preachy, or whatever, but this is one record that every lover of popular music should hear. This music is not an oddity; it is essential. I don't know a word of Portugese, and I am as provincial as one can be in many respects, but this disc's vibes transcend all borders; music (and not English) is indeed the international language. The tracks by Gilberto Gil and Milton Nascimento are standouts, but there isn't a bum cut on the whole thing. All the others in the series (incl. the recently-released Beleza Tropical 2) are very good, but this disc, the first in the series, just might be my favorite record--period. (I'd have to think about that.) God bless David Byrne.

A great introduction to the style of Brazilian music so disarmingly named "Musica Popular Brasileiro (Popular Brazilian Music)" or MPB for short. Rich lyrics decrying the totalitarian regime that ripped freedom of expression from Brasil dance coyly with the ironic synthesis of western and afro/brazilian rhythms. 'O trem azul (The Blue Train)', for example, borrows heavily from the Beetles with lyrics describing a ride on the 'Blue Train', a popular euphemism for a drug trip. The title word from the song 'Calice', written and performed by Chico Buarque, is a homophone in Portuguese. This spelling means chalice, and the song descibes it as being full of 'red wine and blood'. When written out as 'cale-se', the meaning transforms, becoming the command, 'shut up'. This double-entendre is a great example showing how brazilian protest song writers had to be very careful in what they wrote. They walked a fine line between communicating opposition to the oppressive regime and becoming persecuting by it. In fact, several of the artists on this album were exiled from Brazil for several years, living and recording in London until allowed to return to Brazil. Though a great primer on the musical era, this album is fantastic if judged strictly on the music. Pick it up!

What can I say? This record stayed on my turntable for at least 3 or 4 months. Thanks Mom for letting me borrow it!

I was definitely a little dissapointed in this CD. I originally bought it because it had a lot of my favorite artists on it (Jorge Ben, Milton Nascimento, Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Chico Buarque, etc.), however this CD does not showcase these artists best songs or work.

For awhile, maybe a decade or more, this was my favorite album of all time, ever. It has to share that spot with a few others now. Almost each song is one of my top favorite songs, and they're all in one place. Except the first song. Really, how many albums provide that high level of deep satisfaction? I'm interested that other reviewers seem to be saying the same thing, so it's not that I'm just weird. Thanks, George, for giving it to me.