11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
You might become a Brazil nut..., February 4, 2006
This review is from: Tropicalia Essentials (Audio CD)
Beware of this CD.
After you buy it, you'll want more Tropicalia. You'll want more Brazilian things in your life in general. You may even be tempted to learn Portrugese, head down to Rio de Janiero, and live down there for at least the next several months, sunning yourself on the beaches, drinking tropical drinks, and all the while listening to wonderful, wonderful Tropicalia.
Personally, I don't normally like happy music. I tend to prefer melancholy late-night stuff--driving, intense, icy, moody music. (Or angry chick-punk.) But after watching "City of God" a few years ago, I became a bit of a Brazil nut. And while Brazilian culture's produced its share of intense, moody stuff ("City of God," the depressing and awesome documentary "Bus 174"), it has also produced this music, which is like a warm happy blast of tropical sunshine.
The people who made this music were basically Brazil's answer to the hippies. Against the repressive military regime that came to power in 1964 (a regime far more authoritarian than any that came to power in the U.S. or Western Europe), they marshalled an integrated movement of music, art, theater, and life.
On this CD, the tastiest fruits of their labors are collected together in a sumptuous cornucopia. The music is alternately happy and melancholy, driving and mellow--one moment dramatic and tense, the next flitting off freely like a bright tropical parrot. Instrumentation varies dramatically--horns, violins, electric guitars, everything but the kitchen sink. (Actually, there might even be a kitchen sink in here--one of the movement's leaders was clasically trained but reportedly used everyday objects like blenders and typewriters in his compositions.) So there's a bit of a Sgt.-Pepper's-Lonely-Hearts-Club-Band eclecticism to the compositions, but that's good, because they (primarily Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso)pull it off without pretension or showiness, blending it all together in a tasty tropical mix that will make you think of Carnival and beaches and happy people dancing in the streets while jugglers throw flaming batons in the air behind them.
So buy this CD. You won't understand the lyrics, but that's OK--it can be more fun not knowing. (Of course, if you're really really curious, they've helpfully provided Portrugese-English transcriptions of the lyrics in the excellent liner notes. But then, like I said, you might be tempted to learn Portrugese. And fly down to Rio. And never come back.)
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great anthology, March 17, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Tropicalia Essentials (Audio CD)
Given its variety, selection, and the quality of the tracks, this is a wonderful anthology of the musical diversity and experimentation that TROPICALIA was about. It includes the banner song of the movement as well as some of the best pieces by most of its members. This is a great starting point for aficionados to the history of music, as well as for those who love Brazilian rythms.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Muito Bom- Great stuff!, March 22, 2006
This review is from: Tropicalia Essentials (Audio CD)
A good cross section of Tropicália. The liner notes are great, they are in Portuguese and English with the song lyrics in Portuguese with English translations. When I got this I listened to it for two weeks straight, everytime I got in the car.
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