Gilberto Gil (1968) was released a month before the manifesto-disc Tropicalia ou Panis et Circencis
Released a month before the manifesto album Tropicalia or Panis et Circencisin May 1968, the second album by Gilberto Gil not only is it his first masterpiece, it also brings a very particular vision of how he saw what later came to be called tropicalism. The “universal sound” he sought with Caetano Veloso before the Tropicália being baptized necessarily passed through the psychedelia of British rock. But, alongside the Bahian bro, that new movement sought to oppose extremes, seeking the essence of Brazilianness based on contrast.
the version of Gil it was less bellicose. As much as his main contribution to the genre is a song about a murder (“Sunday at the park”), it does not enter the repertoire to shock, but to show the reality in which we live. Baptized only with her name, the second disc of Gil is known by nicknames inspired by its cover (“the fardão record”, “the tropicalist record”, “the psychedelic record”), signed by Rogerio Duarte It is Antonio Diaswith pictures of David Drew Zingg.
Despite the strong colors and electric instruments, the disc follows the line that Gil he polished since Salvador, working as a chronicler of the daily life of Rio de Janeiro. Songs like “sunday”, “Luzia Luluza”, yet another re-recording of “Procession”, “He Talked About It Every Day”, “Courage to Endure” It is “Sunday at the park” described routine scenes, but seen with the eyes of a foreign poet, enchanted by the news of the old capital.
Produced by the legendary Manuel Barenbeinthe record followed the heat of the tropicalist era, and by bringing Gil premonitorily dressed in the uniform of Brazilian Academy of Letters (referring to the Beatles on the cover of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Bandreleased in 1967), it was evident that their musical direction was not trivial: the songs were arranged by the maestro Rogério Duprat and the accompanying musicians Gil they are The mutants.
“What else do we put in the salad?”, asked the producer to Gil, Duprat and the brothers Dias Baptista It is Rita Lee, to get out of the triviality of the recordings of the time. And so, the record is psychedelic and transgressive, following the same path as the Beatles opened for pop music. Noises and sound effects cross the songs, giving both a playful and post-modern air, provoking the listener in the same way as they provoked themselves in the recordings.
Perhaps the best example is the closing A-side, the runaway groove of “Take the Vogue, Hairy”, music from the Amazonian folklore transformed into rock, which marks the beginning of the recording, when the technician Roger Gauss announces: “Attention bicoes, recording!”. From then on, the informal atmosphere takes over, until the producer decides to interrupt the registration. But Rita Lee ironizes the teacher, calling him boring between the lines: “manoelgive me one Kri-Kri”, he jokes with the name of the chocolate, which was also a way of referring to those who wanted to cut the wave of musicians.
Excited, everyone joins a chorus without the producer’s back: “Ê, manoelstop filling up!”, they sing, before Gil to call Sergio Dias for a solo: “Serginho damn hairy, let’s go there!”. If that weren’t enough, Gil still call the drummer Dirceu Medeiros and demands a speech. The musician then utters the maxim that “the psychedelic sound is rounder than just a drop”, also summarizing the spirit of this classic record.
Gilberto Gil (1968) is one of the discs 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 Gilberto Gil, Milton Nascimento, Paulinho da Viola It is Caetano Veloso, 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 to the full album below:
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.
