One of the most mindblowing albums ever recorded – anywhere, anytime! This 1969 set stands as one of the greatest records ever cut by Gal Costa – done at the height of the Tropicalia movement, and featuring a sublime mix of styles that really gets the spirit of the movement right. Arrangements are by the legendary Rogerio Duprat – who effortlessly shifts the backings between stark electronics, sweet bossa, gliding strings, jazzy piano, and baroque orchestrations that dance around with a surprising amount of grooves! Tunes include some classics by Caetano Veloso, Jorge Ben, and Gilberto Gil – served up in amazing new versions by Gal and Duprat! Titles include "Nao Identificado", "Lost in the Paradise", "Que Pena", "Sebastiana", "Namorinho De Portao", "Divino Maravilhoso", and "Deus E O Amor". CD

Gal Costa somehow looks younger than usual on the cover, and she sounds younger than usual on the set too – a fantastic live album recorded with backing from a tight rock-based combo – in a way that seems to intensify Gal, and bring her back to the gripping sounds of her work in the Tropicalia generation! The instrumentation is lean, and heavy on electric guitar – and Costa's vocals come across with a great sense of power and majesty in the setting – a quality that's perhaps also inspired by the crowd at the concert, who are clearly in love with the lady, and seem to roar with thunderous approval at the start of each new song. Titles include "Lagrimas Negras", "De Um Role", "Azul", "Sublime", "Chuva De Prata", "Motor", "Mae De Todas As Vozes", "Mamae Coragem", "Vaca Profana", "O Que E Que Ha", and "Sua Estupidez". CD

Three Brazilian musical giants – all coming together in a live setting – and presented in a way that reminds us of some of the great collaborative MPB projects of the 70s! All three artists participate vocally – taking verses alone and together, and frequently trading lines or sharing lyrics – all set to well-crafted backings handled by Gilberto Gil and Nando Reis – with this fantastic collaborative spirit that stands as part of that great legacy of Brazilian music – a field of true giants who are always willing to put their egos aside in a way that so many Anglo musicians still haven't discovered! The sound here is wonderful – far more than the sum of its already-great parts – on titles that include "Perola Negra", "Baby", "All Star", "Palco", "Trinca De Ases", "Dupla De As", "Retiros Espirituais", "Barato Total", "A Gente Precisa Ver O Luar", "Por Onde Andei", and "Nos Barracos Da Cidade". 2DVD set features a documentary on DVD 1 – running over an hour, with English subtitles – and the full show is presented on DVD 2 – 25 songs, almost two hours in length! DVD

One of the richest, most expressive albums ever from the great Gal Costa – a set from her immediate post-Tropicalia years, and one that shows that she's got a lot more to offer than just a wild sense of experimentation! Gilberto Gil is the musical director here – with help from Rogerio Duprat and Arthur Verocai – and the album's got the lofty feel you'd expect from all three talents – a rich blend of all the modern developments in Brazilian music that had taken place in the 60s, but infused with a newly rootsy sense as well – one that takes the whole thing back to a personal, expressive territory that's really wonderful. Instrumentationincludes work on keyboards by Wagner Tiso and Tenorio Jr, plus a bit of guitar from Roberto Menescal – and Gal does a great version of Caetano Veloso's "Relance" – alongside other tracks that include "Passarinho", "Da Maior Imortancia", "India", "Volta", and the funky "Pontos De Luz". The whole thing's incredibly beautiful – and it's got Gal in a wild bikini cover, too! CD

Heady heady work from the legendary Gal Costa – caught here right at her early best, smack dab in the middle of the Tropicalia years! The album's one of Gal's legendary collaborations with arranger Rogerio Duprat – and it's very much in the spirit of her other incredible session from 1969, but also features some even heavier and more tripped out guitar – in a way that really pushes the psychedelic aspect of the work! The sound here is really amazing – very fuzzy and freaky at times, in ways that make the album one of the most rocking sets of the entire Tropicalia scene, but in ways that still hang onto the quirky experimental qualities of work by Os Mutantes or Caetano Veloso. Gal's vocals really rip out amazingly at times – light years away from the sweet sound of the late 70s, and more in the frenetic, urgent style you'd expect from the politically-charged scene that spawned the set. Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil join Gal on a great version of "Pais Tropical", Jards Macale guest stars on the classic "Empty Boat" – and other tracks include "Tuareg", "Meu Nome E Gal", "Pulsars E Quasars", and "Cultura E Civilizaco". Essential! LP, Vinyl record album

Heady heady work from the legendary Gal Costa – caught here right at her early best, smack dab in the middle of the Tropicalia years! The album's one of Gal's legendary collaborations with arranger Rogerio Duprat – and it's very much in the spirit of her other incredible session from 1969, but also features some even heavier and more tripped out guitar – in a way that really pushes the psychedelic aspect of the work! The sound here is really amazing – very fuzzy and freaky at times, in ways that make the album one of the most rocking sets of the entire Tropicalia scene, but in ways that still hang onto the quirky experimental qualities of work by Os Mutantes or Caetano Veloso. Gal's vocals really rip out amazingly at times – light years away from the sweet sound of the late 70s, and more in the frenetic, urgent style you'd expect from the politically-charged scene that spawned the set. Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil join Gal on a great version of "Pais Tropical", Jards Macale guest stars on the classic "Empty Boat" – and other tracks include "Tuareg", "Meu Nome E Gal", "Pulsars E Quasars", and "Cultura E Civilizaco". Essential! CD

Gal Costa sings the music of Dorival Caymmi, but does so at a level that's completely different than his classics – often adding in currents of funk, jazz, and samba soul – sometimes with help from Joao Donato, who also plays keyboards on the set! The record's a perfect blend of modes – as Gal's got that later sweet style in her vocals, but never in a way that's too smooth or commercial – and she really grabs us with the approach she brings to these tunes! Instrumentation is great, too – and also features guitar from Roberto Menescal, more keyboards from Antonio Adolfo, and organ from Ze Roberto – all artists whose hip touches help the whole thing sparkle in a blend of soul and sophistication. Titles include "Rainha Do Mar", "Festa Da Rua", "Sao Salvador", "Vatapa", "Nem Eu", "O Vento", and "Pescaria". CD

Gal Costa somehow looks younger than usual on the cover, and she sounds younger than usual on the set too – a fantastic live album recorded with backing from a tight rock-based combo – in a way that seems to intensify Gal, and bring her back to the gripping sounds of her work in the Tropicalia generation! The instrumentation is lean, and heavy on electric guitar – and Costa's vocals come across with a great sense of power and majesty in the setting – a quality that's perhaps also inspired by the crowd at the concert, who are clearly in love with the lady, and seem to roar with thunderous approval at the start of each new song. Titles include "Lagrimas Negras", "De Um Role", "Azul", "Sublime", "Chuva De Prata", "Motor", "Mae De Todas As Vozes", "Mamae Coragem", "Vaca Profana", "O Que E Que Ha", and "Sua Estupidez". DVD

A wonderful overview of the career of Gal Costa – one that pulls some of the best tracks from albums that begin with 1967's Domingo, and run through Minha Voz, from 1982. The tracks allow you to hear the development of Gal as a singer – starting as a late bossa vocalist, moving into the heady Tropicalia years, and emerging as one of the most compelling singers in 70s MPB. The set is very nicely done, with a really wonderful selection of tracks – and titles include "Nao Identificado", "So Louco", "Olhos Verdes", "Meu Nome E Gal", "Falsa Baiana", "Que Pena", "Minha Voz Minha Vida", and "Candeias". CD

Massively heavy sounds from A Bolha – a Brazilian group who were previously known as The Bubbles, and backed up Gal Costa during the Tropicalia years – but who work here in a fuzzy, bassy groove that's totally great – definitely an heir to the headier sounds of the UK scene at the start of the 70s! The guitars are definitely in full force here, but the basslines drive things along strongly too – echoing some of the Peruvian sounds of the time, but with a bit more Brazilian sophistication – and definitely a musical echo of lessons learned during Tropicalia, even though the set's a fully instrumental one. Organ also figures in the mix too – and titles include "Bye My Friend", "Razao De Existir", "Um Passo A Frente", "A Esfera", and "Neste Rock Forever". CD is beautifully done – with full notes in the great Lion tradition – and bonus tracks that include "Sem Nada" and "18.30 Parte 1". CD

A beautifully groovy album from Celia Reis – maybe the hippest set ever from this Brazilian singer who was equally at home in samba and bossa modes! Production and arrangements are by Arthur Verocai – which will give you an idea of the creativity that went into the record – as Verocai creates all these ambitious grooves that are very much in the best territory of some of the funky Marcos Valle work at the start of the 70s – basslines dipping under strings, all topped with Celia's wonderful vocals – which have a power here that we've never heard on other records – almost a Gal Costa sort of touch! Tracks include tunes by Valle, Verocai, and others – and titles include "Em Familia", "Mia", "Vida De Artista", "Dominus Tecum", "Ay Adelita", "Toda Quarta Feira Depois Do Amor", "A Hora E Essa", "E Preciso Dizer ADeus", and "Badalacao". CD

A beautifully groovy album from Celia Reis – maybe the hippest set ever from this Brazilian singer who was equally at home in samba and bossa modes! Production and arrangements are by Arthur Verocai – which will give you an idea of the creativity that went into the record – as Verocai creates all these ambitious grooves that are very much in the best territory of some of the funky Marcos Valle work at the start of the 70s – basslines dipping under strings, all topped with Celia's wonderful vocals – which have a power here that we've never heard on other records – almost a Gal Costa sort of touch! Tracks include tunes by Valle, Verocai, and others – and titles include "Em Familia", "Mia", "Vida De Artista", "Dominus Tecum", "Ay Adelita", "Toda Quarta Feira Depois Do Amor", "A Hora E Essa", "E Preciso Dizer ADeus", and "Badalacao". LP, Vinyl record album

The rare 3rd album by Gilberto Gil, and a key piece of the Tropicalia puzzle – one of the most wildly experimental albums from those years, and Gil's last before going into exile! The sound is much more electric than his other albums from the late 60's – and the production, songwriting, and instrumentation get very crazy at times – but never too crazy to cover up Gilberto's excellent singing, which is still as filled with feeling as ever. Arrangements are by the mighty Rogerio Duprat, who does as great a job here of balancing Gil's sensitivities as he does on Gal Costa's sublime efforts from 1969 – and the instrumentation is a weird and wonderful mix of Bahian rhythms, fuzzy guitar, and crazy electronics – all heartfelt one minute, freaked out the next. Tracks include "Cerebro Eletronico", "Volks Volkswagen Blue", "Futurivel", and "2001", which was written by Tom Ze and Rita Lee – plus the wild cut "Objecto Semi-Identificado", which is sort of a John Cage-esque track of found radio and electronics, with vocals by Gil! CD

Live set recorded in 1983, with large arrangements by Wagner Tiso that feature a string section behind a smaller rock group that includes Tiso, Robertinho Silva, and Helio Delmiro. Milton plays guitar, and his voice is still in fine form. Gal Costa sings a tiny bit – and the record includes "Para Lennon E McCartney", "Maria Maria", "Brasil", "Solar", and "Paisagem Na Janela". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most diverse albums that Elis Regina cut during the 70s – a set that seems to leap from style to style with each new track, and really build from some of the more staid and jazz-based styles of her other records! Cesar Camargo Mariano is still in charge of arrangements here, but the overall sound is relatively different – mellow one minute, rockish the next, cast in stark piano after that, and always moving onward with the sort of variety we might expect from Gal Costa or Maria Bethania at this point. Some cuts are tinged with Latin and South American instrumentation, while others more guitar and electric keyboards – and highlights of the album include versions of two Joao Bosco songs "O Cavaleiro E Os Monihos" and "Jardins De Infancia", which has a beautiful soaring electric feel to it, and is a real groover along the lines of the tracks you might find on Blue Brazil. Other titles include "Tatuagem", "Como Nossos Pais", "Velha Roupa Colorida", "Los Hermanos", and "Um Por Todos". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic collection that was part of a huge return to fame for Marcos Valle during the 90s – a time when he was emerging from obscurity and recording great music of his own – and also finally getting his due from some of his Brazilian contemporaries too! The collection features new recordings of Valle classics from the 60s through the 80s – done by a nicely wide variety of Brazilian artists, in an equally wide variety of styles too! Titles on this first volume include "Rockin You Eternally" by Ed Motta & Marcos Valle, "Samba De Verao" by Caetano Veloso, "Pigmalio" by Azimuth, "Black Is Beautiful" by Sandra De Sa, "Terra De Ninguem" by Gal Costa, "Passo Por Mim" by Nana Caymmi, "Adam's Hotel" by Eumir Deodato, "Seu Encanto" by Wanda Sa & Roberto Menescal, "O Amor E Chama" by Joao Bosco, and "Qurentao Simpatico" by Zelia Duncan. CD

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

Songs by Fausto Nilo – performed by Nara Leao, Fagner, Maria Bethania, Moraes Moreira, Gal Costa, Ney Matogrosso, Lulu Santos, and others! LP, Vinyl record album

Includes performances by Gal Costa, Chico Buarque, Caetano Veloso & Lula Queiroga. CD

Includes selections by Alcione, Ataulfo Alves, Quarteto Em Cy, Jorge Ben, Os Cariocas, Gal Costa, and more! LP, Vinyl record album

Includes music from Milton Nascimento, Caetano Veloso, Jussara Silveira, Nana & Dorival Cymmi, Maria Bethania, Gal Costa, Gilberto Gil, Edu Lobo, Elis Regina, and Chico Buarque. CD

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". CD

Pure genius – a lost Nara Leao album from the late 60s, and a key piece in the puzzle of late 60s Tropicalia – a set we'd place right next to equally important records by Caetano Veloso, Gal Costa, and Os Mutantes! Although Leao always gets cited as one of the more revolutionary Brazilian artists, her best work is usually incredibly elusive – often obscured by some of her more traditional, or more bossa-oriented records. This one features the lady at her most experimental – singing in this dark mode with great arrangements from Rogerio Duprat – the backstage architect of so many other important Tropicalia albums of the time. The arrangements are wonderful – with a spooky baroque quality that will haunt you long after the Mutantes crazy guitars have died down – the more subtle side of the Brazilian palette during this revolutionary period, and work that arguably had a much longer-lasting effect. Titles include "Mulher", "Infelizmente", "Tema De Os Inconfidentes", "Anoiteceus", and "Quem E". CD

A landmark album from late 60s Brazil! This is the first – and the wildest – album by this legendary group that was one of the founding forces of the Tropicalia movement – a brilliant musical statement that easily ranks with some of the most groundbreaking late 60s American work by The Velvet Underground, Captain Beefheart, or The Stooges! The music is a wonderful blend of 60s rock and early MPB – hard-driving with plenty of guitars, but also produced with beautifully baroque touches that echo through simultaneous albums by Caetano Veloso and Gal Costa – both of whose 1969 albums are strongly resonant with this one. In fact, Caetano contributed a number of tracks to the album, including "Panis et Circenses", "Bat Macumba", "Trem Fantastma", and his great "Baby", which is done fantastically here. Great stuff all 'round! LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of songs used on Brazilian soap operas – work by Gal Costa, Oswaldo Montenegro, Zizi Possi, Ary Sperling, Wanderlea, Cazuza, Simone, Marisa Monte, and others! LP, Vinyl record album

Pianist Antonio Adolfo is working with a large cast of collaborators on this album – much more than three musicians pictured on the cover – including Lula Galvao on guitar, Jesse Sadoc on trumpet & flugelhorn, Marcelo Martins on saxes & flute, Rafael Rocha on trombone, and Dada Costa & Rafael Barata on percusssion. CD

Pianist Daniel Bernardes has a lot of percussionists in his group – not just drummer Mario Costa in the core trio with Antonio Augusto Aguiar on bass – but another quartet of musicians, who add in vibes, marimba, glockenspiel, and other percussion – all in a set of tracks based on the compositional ideas of composer Olivier Messiaen! The music is still very strongly in a jazz-based mode – and the percussion is often used lightly, as melodic as it is rhythmic – but there's a great sense of note clusters going on, in ways that make the music inherently rhythmic, even when the drums are taking a back seat to the piano and vibes. Titles include "Globular Clusters", "Sobre Kieslowski I", "Ostinato Interludio E Cancao V", "19", and "Bolero". CD

Funky fusion galore – two Stanley Clarke albums on a single CD! Rocks Pebbles & Sand is killer work from Stanley – a set to start off the 80s, but still very much in that unique blend of jazz, rock, and soul he forged so well in the 70s! The set begins with really heavy drums and bass – nicely propelled, but never too strong or too jamming – a great balance that really sets the pace well for the record as Clarke and the combo pulsate through a range of nice little numbers – often linked with a cool motorcycle sound effect! There's a few 80s touches, mostly in the keyboards, but these are never too modern – and all used very nicely. Titles include the extended "Story Of A Man & A Woman" suite – plus "Danger Street", "All Hell Broke Loose", "Rocks Pebbles & Sand", and "Underestimation". On Let Me Know You, Stanley Clarke's a lot more soul-based than fusion – but that's A-OK with us, because we like this sort of work a lot better than his jamming jazz rock of the 70s! The record's got a great mellow soul vibe – laidback and gently stepping – sometimes in a way that's a bit commercial, but never with as many of the cloying styles as hurt other records like this at the time. Stan sings, plays bass and guitar, and other players include Greg Phillinganes on Fender Rhodes and mini-moog, Ndugu Chancler on drums, Michael Sembello on guitar, and Paulinho Da Costa on percussion. Titles include "Straight To The Top", "Let Me Know You", "You Are The One For Me", "Play The Bass", "New York City", and "Secret To My Heart". CD