An incredible album from Brazilian rock legend Raul Seixas – easily one of the most important artists to emerge after the Tropicalia generation – and a singer with a sound that's as striking as his image on the cover! The album's got an explosive blend of styles – everything from psychedelic samba to country rock to easy rock tunes – all bound together by the strong sense of presence that helped Seixas elevate to become one of Brazili's most controversial rock stars of the time, all with the kind of legacy you might expect from the cover image! The sound is great – very different than what American and Anglo groups were doing at the time, although with sly nods to their modes from time to time – and titles include the English track "How Could I Know", plus "As Minas Do Rei Salomao", "Mosca Na Sopa", "Cachorro", "Al Capone", and the strange electronic "Introducao". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible early album by this legendary Brazilian band with a strong late 60s/early 70s progressive flair! While not as countercultural as Os Mutantes or other Tropicalia artists, Som Imaginario shared with them a sense of pure musical inventiveness, and a love of psychedelic flourishes – and they had a lasting impact upon MPB through their backup work for Milton Nascimento on some of his best albums. This rare first album is a killer – and features fantastic organ and piano riffs, heavy guitars, and stunning songwriting, with lots of jazzy touches – all very much in the best mode of the Minas Geras scene that also birthed Nascimento and Lo Borges. Wagner Tiso is on keyboards, but the whole band's great – and the vocals are produced to a very cool effect – and titles include "Hey Man", "Poison", "Nepal", "Pantera", "Super God", and "Morse". LP, Vinyl record album

Stunning work from this legendary Brazilian artist – a post-Tropicalia figure who brings in a slight touch of prog, but definitely pushes the boundaries of MPB too! Gaya provides some wonderful arrangements, as does Eduardo Souto Neto – and Taiguara plays both electric and acoustic piano, amidst some great production touches too! LP, Vinyl record album

A groundbreaking collaboration from the start of the century – the union of three of Brazil's most important artists of the decade before – coming together in a mode that's even deeper than any of their previous albums as solo acts! There's clearly a Tropicalia inspiration taking place here – but there's also rootsier elements that have the trio moving even more firmly away from the mainstream – with genre-blurring modes that are an especially strong revelation as a vehicle for Marisa Monte. Titles include "Carnavalia", "La De Longe", "O Amor E Feio", "Passe Em Casa", "Velha Infancia", and "Ja Sei Namorar". LP, Vinyl record album

In the years immediately preceding the rise of the MPB giants of the post-Tropicalia years, Geraldo Vandre was one of Brazil's best talents, and an extremely strong singer/songwriter who managed to build a bridge from the bossa era to the present. This incredible album from the mid 60s is one of his best – and features an amazing set of songs that match any of the best Brazilian work of the 60s. Some tracks are folksy, some have a bit of a jazz sound – and the range of styles seems to run from Leonard Cohen to Marcos Valle to Dick Farney. Really great stuff – with an imagination and soulfulness that still leaves us breathless. Titles include "Requiem Para Matraga", "Tristeza De Amar", "Pequeno Concerto Que Ficou Cancao", "Rosa Flor", "Que Quizer Encontrar O Amor", and "Porta Estandarte". LP, Vinyl record album

Brilliant work from Geraldo Vandre – an overlooked singer/songwriter who was a key bridge between the early bossa years and more sophisticated MPB sounds in the 70s! In the years immediately preceding the rise of the MPB giants of the post-Tropicalia years, Geraldo Vandre was one of Brazil's best talents, and an extremely strong singer/songwriter who managed to build a bridge from the bossa era to the present. This incredible album from the mid 60s is one of his best – and features an amazing set of songs that match any of the best Brazilian work of the 60s. Some tracks are folksy, some have a bit of a jazz sound – and the range of styles seems to run from Leonard Cohen to Marcos Valle to Dick Farney. Really great stuff – with an imagination and soulfulness that still leaves us breathless. Titles include "Requiem Para Matraga", "Tristeza De Amar", "Pequeno Concerto Que Ficou Cancao", "Rosa Flor", "Que Quizer Encontrar O Amor", and "Porta Estandarte". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the weirdest, wildest albums Caetano Veloso ever recorded – a highly experimental session that shows that his ties with the avant art world were still plenty strong on his return to Brazil! Despite a goofy cheeseball photo of Veloso on the cover in a bikini, the sound on this one is waaaaay out – with weird avant garde vocal bits, choppy instrumentation, and wild shifts in style that make his Tropicalia albums almost seem like pop hits! As usual, Caetano's vocals are superb, especially as he slides from experimental tunes into straighter songs – like the title cut "Araca Azul", and Milton Nascimento's "Cravo E Canela". Proof that the Brazilian intelligentsia was still alive and well in the post-Tropicalia years – with other titles that include "De Palavar Em Palavra", "Julia/Moreno", "Epico", "Viola Meu Bem", "De Conversa", and "Sugarcane Fields Forever". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the building blocks of the late 60s Tropicalia scene in Brazil – and a standout solo debut from the young Caetano Veloso! The album's got an approach that's as dynamic and trippy as its cover image might imply – the same amazing blend of sounds and styles you'd hear on contemporaneous records by Gal Costa or Os Mutantes – served up with similar wit, wisdom, and charm! Caetano's vocals are amazing throughout – filled with raspy power that goes beyond the barriers of language – and the production has loads of surprising elements tripping through the mix – some rootsy, some slightly orchestrated – but with a softer approach that resonates strongly with more psychedelic use of organ and guitar. The album's as powerful today as it was decades ago – an essential recording that holds up beautifully year after year! The kickoff track is "Tropicalia" (surprisingly enough!), and the album is a non-stop ride through gems like "Alegria, Alegria", "Onde Andaras", "Paisagem Util", "Ave Maria", and the groovy "Soy Loco Por Ti America", written by Gilberto Gil. LP, Vinyl record album

An album of pure genius – easily one of the greatest Brazilian albums ever, and a landmark set from the Tropicalia years! There's a brilliance here that's hard to describe accurately – quite possibly because the young Caetano Veloso is experimenting with so many new ideas, the album explodes with fresh energy on each new track! Offbeat bossa runs into weird production effects, subtle psychedelia, and heartfelt singer/songwriter material – all arranged by the mighty Rogerio Duprat, and featuring guest work from Gilberto Gil on guitar. The range of work here is tremendous – from the political "Empty Boat" to the fantastical "Lost in the Paradise", through other classics that include "Irene", "Os Argonautas", "Carolina", "Alfomega", "Chuvas De Verao", "Objeto Nao Identifcado", "Atras Do Trio Eletrico", and "Marinheiro So". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest albums ever from Caetano Veloso – a rare all-English language set, recorded in London during the years of his exile! The post-Tropicalia set is a fair bit different than any other Veloso album we can think of – not just because of the English language, but also because the approach is somewhat gentle, and almost folksy at times – a real change from his experimental modes of the late 60s, and easily his most personal statement to date. The tunes are incredibly beautiful – filled with themes of loss and longing that no doubt come from his separation from Brazil – and although a few tunes feature light strings from Phil Ryan, most of the backings are relatively light, and almost acoustic. Titles include the classics "Shoot Me Dead", "If You Hold a Stone", "Maria Bethania", "In The Hot Sun Of A Christmas Day", and "London, London" – plus a cover of "Asa Branca". LP, Vinyl record album

Well, it's not the 60s anymore – but this is still a wonderful album that reunites Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil in the spirit of their Tropicalia years – done in a style that shows that creative invention was still alive in MPB during the 90s! There's echoes here of modes to come by artists like Arnaldo Antunes, Lenine, or Chico Science – all of whom are clearly influenced by the spirit of Veloso and Gil. Acoustic guitars mix with rhythm samples and abstract production – and Caetano and Gil's vocals shine as wonderfully as ever – possibly even more so, given the warmth that comes from their age. Titles include "Cinema Novo", "Nossa Gente", "Dada", "Aboio", "Baiao Atemporal", "As Coisas", "Rap Popcreto", and a version of Jimi Hendrix's "Wait Until Tomorrow". LP, Vinyl record album

Great live material from 1974, recorded in Bahia, and featuring Caetano, Gal, and Gilberto Gil – each performing tracks on their own! The quality's better than a lot of other Brazilian live albums from the early 70s, and the album's a strong one in Caetano's early 70s catalog – showing his keenly collaborative presence at the time, and offering up one of the few important documents of work with Tropicalia contemporaries Gal Costa and Gilberto Gil! Caetano sings "Felicidade", "De Noite Na Cama", and "O Conteudo"; Gal performs "Acontece" and "Quem Nasceu"; and Gil rounds out the set with "Terremoto", "O Relogio Quebrou", "O Sonho Acabou", and "Cantigo Do Sapo". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet and jazzy pop from early 70s Brazil – a great little album that we'd rank with our favorites by Marcos Valle and Edu Lobo! Arthur Verocai isn't nearly as well-known as those two, but he works in a similar territory – taking jazz, large arrangements, and nice touches of electric funk – and working them into a groove that has the soaring and ambitious feel of the best post-Tropicalia work of 70s Brazil! This rare gem was self-produced, and fell of the map almost as soon as it was released – but it really deserves wider recognition, and shines with a depth that makes it an instant classic to our ears! Titles include "Presente Grego", "Caboclo", "Pelas Sombras", "O Mapa", "Sylvia", "Karina", "Velho Parente", and "Dedicada A Ela". LP, Vinyl record album

A groundbreaking collection of work from the legendary Tom Ze – and a record that really helped introduce his genius to the world outside of Brazil! Although it's hard to understand from the perspective of over a decade – especially one that's seen Tom Ze rise to fame again – when this compilation was first put together, the music of Tom Ze had all but fallen off the musical map of Brazil. Ze was one of the founding fathers of Tropicalia – and unlike other members of that group, who rose to great fame during the 70s, and straightened up their act a bit – Ze always remained a committed modernist, continually inventive well into the 70s and 80s – really coming up with amazing sounds that are always compelling, challenging, and often have a nicely quirky feel as well. The style's incredibly hard to pin down – and in fact, we might describe the recordings as being "anti-style" – but if you've heard any of Ze's work, you know you're in for a treat. The collection brings together material from a number of different labels – and titles include "Ma", "Doi", "Hein?", "Cademar", "Um Oh E Um Ah", "Augusta Angelica E Consolacao", "O Riso E A Faca", "Ui", and "A Felicidade". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the key records that helped cement the Tom Ze legacy back in the day – a set that's unlike any other work of the period from other Brazilian artists – including some of Ze's earlier contemporaries in the Tropicalia scene! There's a great mix of styles going on ranging from some spare percussive tracks, to others that have a smoother production style – and throughout it all, Ze's got that crazy approach to lyricism that marks his vocally striking work from this time. Arrangements are directed by Otavio Basso, with lots of work on both acoustic and electric instruments – keyboards mixed with cavaquinho, guitar mixed with percussion and cuica – on titles that include "Amor De Estrada", "Carta", "Morena", "Menina Jesus", "Na Parada De Sucesso", and "Pecado Rifa E Revista". LP, Vinyl record album

A record with "samba" in the title, but a set that hardly sounds like samba at all – given that the record is one of the groundbreaking 70s albums from the legendary Tom Ze! Ze first rose to fame as an experimentalist in the Tropicalia scene – but here, he's years past that movement, yet still one of its most creative proponents – working in a mode that takes older Brazilian rhythms and infuses them with all the new sounds, styles, and sense of poetry that Tom was bringing to his music – often quite playful, but at a level that's quite moving as well. The whole thing's got the subtle "beyond language" power of some of the best by Caetano Veloso – even though Tom Ze is completely his own man throughout. The set features arrangements from Jose Briamonte, production from Heraldo Do Monte, and titles that include a rootsy take on "A Felicidade", plus the nutty instrumental "Tom", and the original tracks "So", "Ma", "Vai", "Ui", "Indice", "Hein", and "Mae". LP, Vinyl record album

Kick-ass early work from the great Tom Ze – recorded in the beginning of the Tropicalia years, but with a style that shows Ze sitting on the fence between rock/pop and some of his madder later work! The style's still pretty hard to describe, and listening to the music, you can hear how much of an influence Ze must have had on the styles of Caetano Veloso and Os Mutantes – whose work from 1969 is echoed in many of the songs on the album. There's lots of weird organ, arranged in kind of a swirling psychedelic way that reminds us of songs from the early Mutantes album, or from the Tropicalia Ou Panis et Circensis album from 1968. Ze wrote all the tracks, and titles include "Sabor De Burrice", "Camelo", "Gloria", "Curso Intesivo De Boas Maneiras", "Parque Industrial", and "Profissao De Ladrao". A great cover, and a rare rare relic! LP, Vinyl record album

A great return for the legendary Tom Ze – an artist who'd been brought back to prominence via the efforts of a Luaka Bop compilation – then given this great chance to record for the label on his own! The set's a great return to form for Ze – who sprung from this moment into a renewed period of creative energy – really drawing on his crucial years of groundbreaking sounds in Brazil during the Tropicalia generation, and especially the 70s – when Tom had really moved off into a realm of his own. Most tracks are relatively short, and pretty enigmatic – a flurry of the sounds and verbal experiments that always made Ze so great! Titles include "Jingle Do Disco", "Cortina 3", "Amar", "Ogodo, Ano 2000", "Feira De Santana", "Fliperama", and "Tatuaramba". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most legendary albums from groundbreaking Brazilian music pioneer Tom Ze – and a record that introduces itself with an equally legendary cover image! (Hint: that's not an eyeball on the front.) Ze had already been recording a bit by the time of this record – but this set is easily his most experimental album ever – a record that even makes the work of the late 60s Tropicalia generation sound a bit more catchy and tuneful – as Tom's drawing here from all sorts of strands of avant poetry and instrumentation. The vibe is almost like some of the most experimental Saravah Records albums of the period – unusual songwriting served up in an approach that mixes hard percussion, spare production, quirky guitar, and some of the strangest vocals ever recorded in Brazil. Titles include Complexo De Epico", "A Noite Do Meu Bem", "Dodo E Zeze", "Brigitte Bardot", and "O Riso E A Faca". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most legendary albums from groundbreaking Brazilian music pioneer Tom Ze – and a record that introduces itself with an equally legendary cover image! (Hint: that's not an eyeball on the front.) Ze had already been recording a bit by the time of this record – but this set is easily his most experimental album ever – a record that even makes the work of the late 60s Tropicalia generation sound a bit more catchy and tuneful – as Tom's drawing here from all sorts of strands of avant poetry and instrumentation. The vibe is almost like some of the most experimental Saravah Records albums of the period – unusual songwriting served up in an approach that mixes hard percussion, spare production, quirky guitar, and some of the strangest vocals ever recorded in Brazil. Titles include Complexo De Epico", "A Noite Do Meu Bem", "Dodo E Zeze", "Brigitte Bardot", and "O Riso E A Faca". LP, Vinyl record album

A fuzzed out treasure trove of rare Brazilian psychedelia – wild stuff that's in many ways akin to the freewheeling sounds of the Tropicalia movement, but not necessarily taking on the cultural and political weight of that movement – and more about the boundless spirit of psychedelia and funk rock around the globe! The sounds are buzzing and indeed fuzzy throughout, ranging from raw and ramshackle guitar jams to more organ and drum driven funky, and it's really incredible stuff all around. We've been purveyors of hard to find Brazilian music for many many years, and this set – compiled by Joel Stones who also provides the richly detailed liner notes – brings to light some numbers we've never heard! 16 tracks in all: "Tema De Banana", "Era Uma Nota De" Loyce E Os Gnomes, "I Wanna Be Your Man" by Youngsters, "Ourico" by Serguei, "Lindo Sonho Delirante" by Fabio, "Cinturao De Fog" by Marisa Rossi, 'Som Imaginario De Jimmi Hendrix" by The Pops, "The Lantern" by Mac Rybell and more. (Funky Compilations, Brazil) LP, Vinyl record album

A great look at the post-Tropicalia scene in Brazil – as the set features artists who struck big at the 1972 Festival International Da Cancao – titles that include "Let Me Sing Let Me Sing" by Raul Seixas, "Mande Um abraco Pra Velha" by Os Mutantes, "Pente" by O Peso, "Viva Zapatria" by MPB4, "Fio Maravilha" by Jorge Ben, and "E Quero E Botar Meu Bloco Na Rua" by Sergio Sampaio. LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album – not just in Brazilian music, but in all modern music in general! The set's a legendary manifesto for the Tropicalia movement in Brazil – and features key works by all the leading musical luminaries in the movement – including a few later stars who are heard here at their most edgey! The work is as groundbreaking today as it was at the end of the 60s – a brilliant testament to the power of artists to really break down boundaries in art and music, and find a way to mix the political with the popular at the same time. Titles include a fantastic version of Gal Costa and Caetano Veloso singing "Baby", the "Tres Caravelas" duet between Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, Gil's great reading of "Bat Macumba" with Costa and Veloso, Nara Leao singing "Lindoneia", Os Mutantes performing "Panis Et Circenses", Gilberto on "Geleia Geral, Caetano doing "Coracao Materno, and Rita Lee, Gal Costa, and Caetano Veloso singing "Enquanto Seu Lobo Nao Vem". LP, Vinyl record album