Os Mutantes [Original recording remastered]

Os Mutantes | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 10, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Planet Rhythm
• ASIN: B00006HI9B
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #329,440 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Panis et Circenses

2. A Minha Menina

3. O Relógio

4. Adeus, Maria Fulô

5. Baby

6. Senhor F

7. Bat Macumba

8. Le Premier Bonheur du Jour

9. Trem Fantasma

10. Tempo Perdido (Once Was a Time I Thought)

11. Ave. Genghis Khan

Editorial Reviews

Back in catalog. Compilations with some of the best MPB, Samba and instrumental Brazilian artists. Old ref. 8294982 Voltando ao catalogo. Ant Ref:8294982. De retour au catalogue. Universal. 2006 --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ave, Os Mutantes, April 18, 2005

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Os Mutantes (Audio CD)

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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An eclectic classic, July 31, 2006

By 

Erik (Bloomfield Hills, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Os Mutantes (Audio CD)

There was lots of experimentation used in this album, some would say to the point of recklessness, but from the abrupt song changes to the blistering fuzzed-out guitar laid on top of tropicalia tracks, it all works, and makes for a truly amazing sounding album. Early on, Os Mutantes put out sounds ranging from tropicalia to bright 60s pop to tender ballads to blistering guitar distortion and feedback, sometimes all in the same song. The first 30 seconds of the first song of the album alone consists of fanfare, soft vocal harmonies, and bright pop meloldies with racing trumpets in the background. Even though I don't speak a word of Portuguese, I thoroughly enjoyed this album, and I got into this album more than I ever got into any album.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More like 4.5 stars- Psychedelic madness from South America, July 25, 2007

By 

Laszlo Matyas - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Os Mutantes (Audio CD)

Os Mutantes were a bunch of crazy fellers (and one fellerette) who blasted their way out of Sao Paulo with this, their 1968 debut album. Their sound (influenced by Brazil's "Tropicalia" movement, which combined traditional art forms with modern European ans American ones) was an intoxicating mixture of rock, psyhedelia, bossa nova, and whatever else the group could get its hands on. It was a crazy, energetic sound, drenched in psychotic fuzz guitars, galloping rhythms, freaked-out keyboards, sunbaked vocals, and wonky horn sections that bounce in and out of the mix with admirable abandon. It's a mixture that promises an insane good time, and on the best tracks here, that's exactly what it delivers: "Panis Et Circensis" opens the album with some blasting horns and a delerious, infectious melody. "A Minha Menina" is pure laid-back insanity, an irresistable blast of sunsplashed vocals, rumbling conga(-like objet)s , and an unpreidentedly catchy buzzing guitar. A rollicking good time. There's also "Bat Macumba," an all-out pounder with some of the coolest guitars, EVER. "Baby" is a sensual, lopsided ballad, and "Ave Genghis Kahn" is as wigged-out as anything early Pink Floyd ever did.

Unfortunatly, not everything on the album is as mind-blowing as those five. "Senhor F" and "O Reloio," although they meet their requisite craziness quota, are largely forgettable. The album also begins to drag towards the end, with "Le Premier Bonheur Du Jour" and "Tempo No Tempo" not rising to the standards set by the best songs here. The dreamy "Trem Fantasma" is a little better, but it still manages to overstay its welcome by a couple of minutes.

Still, even the worst songs here still have something going for them, and the sound of the album is so unique that it's refreshing to hear it in any form. Connoisseurs of psyched out rock and "world music" (gosh, I hat that term) would do well to chek this out.