Known as the “signature record,” Caetano Veloso (1969) contemplates the melancholic phase of the “leader of a youth in search of new paths”
”I want to go my people / I’m not from here / I have nothing / I want to see Irene laugh / I want to see Irene laugh.”
The simple, straight verses of “Irene”, repeated eight times in a song lasting 3 minutes and 48 seconds, are not intended for a movie script, nor are they pictorial images of a colorful country. Caetano Veloso he had lost command of the Tropicalista supersonic plane to the military dictatorship, which identified him as a subversive. He was imprisoned for two months in military barracks in Rio de Janeiro, from December 1968 to February 1969, first locked up in solitary confinement, then in a collective cell where he heard the screams of tortured people, with their hair shaved and without the right to play the guitar. or listen to the radio. Upon being released, he faced five months of house arrest in Salvador.
Who could make this torment a masterpiece of simple beauty? Caetano did, aided by the producer Rogério Duprat. The only song he wrote in prison, in the last days of confinement, he dedicated to his sister. “Irene”, however, was enough to synthesize the black-and-white feeling of a wounded soul that had just exploded into bright colors and was raging across the country, invoking tradition and clamoring for the new. Most of the remaining eleven tracks reflect the depressive state of the artist, who is referred to as “the leader of a youth that seeks new paths”, but had curtailed his right to come and go, to think and express himself.
“Irene” is the opening track of the LP with the cover that emulates the white album of the Beatleswhat Caetano thought of calling Boleros & Syphilizationended up baptized again Caetano Veloso and became known as the “signature disk” – and which also has the pen Andre Midani It is Manuel Barenbein, the big boss and the producer of the Philips label. It was they who made the production of the work feasible under the possible conditions, transferring technicians and equipment to Salvador, where they also recorded the new LP of Gilberto Gilthe tropicalist half of Caetano which faced the same ordeal of arbitrariness as the AI-5.
To get around the precariousness of an improvised recording process, the producer Rogério Duprat suggested that Caetano recorded only the voice, to the sound of the guitar played by Gil, and the metronome. With the material in hand, he returned to São Paulo where he wrote brilliant arrangements and recruited a team to complete the job: Lanny Gordin on the guitars, Sergio Barroso in the bass, Wilson dassnows on battery, Chiquinho de Moraes on keyboards and Tião Driver on percussion.
Resorting to the immensity of the sea to evoke lost freedom and stormy life, Caetano distilled melancholy in the beautiful “The Empty Boat”, sung in English, borrowed from Brazilian folklore the wheel song “lonely sailor” (from the verses that emphasize the message of “Irene“, “I’m not from here / I don’t have love”) and resorted to Greek mythology in fado “The Argonauts”, all recorded on side A, which still has the seminal frevo baiano “Behind the Electric Trio”, released as a single in 1968 and a success at the 1969 Carnival, a joy that was not in keeping with the work. The B-side brings the sadness of “Carolina“, in Chico Buarquea visceral interpretation for the tango “stagger” and the super cool distorted guitar “Not identified”, sound pearl of a deep and elegant album, which revealed the maturity of Caetanodespite the regrets.
Highlights: “Irene”, “The Empty Boat”, “Unidentified”.
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Caetano Veloso (1969) is one of the albums reviewed in the Special 80 Years of Musican exclusive edition of Rolling Stone Brazildedicated to 1942 generationwhich brings together essential names in MPB, such as himself Caetano Veloso,Milton Nascimento, Paulinho da Viola It is Gilberto Gil, as well as a global overview of those born this year. The printed special is already on newsstands and digital newsstands. Click here to learn more.
Listen Caetano Veloso (1969)
Source: Rollingstone
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
