A couple of weeks ago I presented a compilation of Rita Lee containing hits of the 1975-83 period. I'm afraid it was a poor testament to the lady's talent, so I've returned with a better one, Os Mutantes' third LP A Divina Comédia Ou Ando Meio Desligado (The Divine Comedy or I Am a Bit Disconnected).
People talk of Os Mutantes as being "the Brazilian Beatles" which is misleading; firstly, because they never achieved that kind of success; and secondly, because The Beatles started off as a simple rock'n'roll, then pop, group, and only started writing more complex compositions during later stages of their career. Os Mutantes, on the other hand, were sui generis right from the start. The trio of Arnaldo Baptista (vocals, keyboards and bass), Sérgio Dias (vocals, guitars) and Rita Lee (vocals etc.) started off in '66 São Paulo as a sort of garage band with very little "proper" rock music knowledge. They must have been influenced by The Beatles and early Pink Floyd but also by French chanson, acoustic folk, jazz, and bossa nova. Together with a bunch of kindred spirits from the Bahia region (Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, Tom Zé) they formed the Tropicália movement, mixing Brazilian traditions with Anglo-centric pop, psychedelia and the avant-garde. Os Mutantes' use of electric instruments, as well as their whimsy, dadaistic humor, and studio experimentation brought them closer to Sgt. Peppers-period Beatles than anybody else in the movement. In this, their third LP, the Latin element in the music has subsided further, which may have to do with the absence of collaborators Gil and Veloso due to their incarceration and subsequent exile by the military regime. Starting with the cover, which is a black-and-white live photo inspired by a 19th Century engraving for Dante's Divine Comedy, there's a sinister tone here that didn't exist in their previous work. The back cover pictures the trio together in bed, a scandalous insinuation that isn't improved by the nonchalant pose of the guy with the cane and black leather overcoat standing above them. Is he a kinky voyeur, or maybe something worse? Could he be Satan, and the photo an allegory on sin and hell? It doesn't help that the lyrics are in Portuguese, but there seems to be a dark undertone to the whole album - e.g. in the lyrics and psychedelic effects of the otherwise charming acid folk ballad "Ave, Lúcifer", or the car crash sounds following the nostalgic doo wop of "Hey Boy". Each song is in a different style, but they defy simple categorization as there's a million things happening in the same time: a Hendrix-y guitar solo here, Carousel music there, psychedelic effects everywhere. Opener "Ando Meio Desligado ("I Am a Bit Disconnected" but usually translated as "I Feel A Little Spaced Out") seems to be a drug reference. It starts off very pleasantly, reminding me of The Zombies "Time Of The Season". The piece is dominated by Rita's seductive vocals backed by groovy organ and fuzzed-out bass, ending in a mini-freakout of guitar noise and screams. Then there's "Quem Tem Medo de Brincar de Amor" with sweet Mamas and Papas harmonies, soul beat, nice organ, and psychedelic effects alternating with carousel music - like I said before, a million things happening all at once, which is how the whole LP plays out. "Ave, Lúcifer" reminded me of certain Pink Floyd ballads circa 1968-71, while "Desculpe, Babe" is a melodic old-timey ballad, followed by the incredible "Meu Refrigerador Não Funciona" - a heavy electric blues in Anglo-Portuguese that sees Rita Lee give Janis Joplin a run for her money. She never did it before or since, who could have guessed she had it in her? And all that just because her refrigerator doesn't work? Os Mutantes' zany sense of humor at work once again! On the very next song, 50's pastiche "Hey Boy", Rita goes from screaming banshee to playing the ingénue female. "Preciso Urgentemente Encontrar um Amigo" is introduced with a burp, and features heavy guitar and organ interplay à la Atomic Rooster but that's offset by the melodic vocal harmonies. "Chão de Estrelas" is another schizophrenic entry, introducing itself with Spanish folk to continue with ragtime jazz, sounds of aerial combat, and circus music. "Jogo de Calçada" is more conventional West Coast-style psychedelic rock, and "Haleluia" a rockified religious hymn sung with sincere-sounding elation. Album closer "Oh! Muhler Infiel" features wild drumming and bombastic guitars as well as a serene middle section with piano and wordless singing. That's 11 songs, each one different from the other, and each one containing enough ideas to make a whole album. It's amazing that a psychedelic masterpiece like that remained for decades undiscovered to the Western world - well, the Northern world to be precise, Brazil is pretty much to the West geographically! It wasn't until 1999 that David Byrne compiled a compilation of Mutantes songs for his label Luaka Bop, which proved hugely influential. I believe that this, once "lost", LP can now take its rightful place among such 60's milestones as Sgt. Peppers, Velvet Underground & Nico, and Are You Experienced. It's that good!
***** for Ando Meio Desligado, Ave Lúcifer, Desculpe Babe, Meu Refrigerador Não Funciona
**** for Quem Tem Medo de Brincar de Amor, Hey Boy, Preciso Urgentemente Encontrar um Amigo, Chão de Estrelas, Jogo de Calçada
*** for Haleluia, Oh! Mulher Infiel
