1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die - #112. Os Mutantes - Os Mutantes (1968)

Os Mutantes - Os Mutantes

Label – Polydor
Producer – Manoel Barenbein
Art Direction – Pedroy
Nationality – Brazil
Running Time – 35:59

Track Listing (standout tracks listed in bold)

1. Panis Et Circensis
2. A Minha Menina
3. O Relogio
4. Adeus Maria Fulo
5. Baby
6. Senhor F
7. Bat Macumba
8. Le Premier Bonheur Du Jour
9. Trem Fantasma
10. Tempo Perdido (Once Was A Time I Thought)
11. Ave Genghis Khan

So I have read that this – Os Mutantes debut album, is far and away their best. If that is the case, I don’t EVER want to hear any of their other works. Os Mutantes were at the forefront of Brazilian music at the time and their music is described as “a wildly inventive trip that assimilates orchestral pop, whimsical psychedelia, musique concrète, found-sound environments” it’s actually best described as just dreadful. To be fair, I know little to nothing about Brazilian music and I’m sure this is just not my cup of tea as well and pop/rock music listeners are sure to have a hard time finding the hooks in the songs because of the big emphasis on rhythm that is put onto the tracks through Samba drums.
There's just a lot of weirdness going on and it’s just not very well done. There is also the element of weirdness for the non-Portuguese Speaking audience, because I can't understand the lyrics at all. My understanding is that they actually are little more than drug-addled phrases used primarily for their sound than any actual meaning. .
Although they met with limited success during their own time, many contemporary underground or independent bands in the United States and Europe cite Os Mutantes as a major influence. Kurt Cobain publicly requested a reunion tour from the trio in 1993. Talking Heads frontman David Byrne has worked to publish and promote the group's back catalog through his own Luaka Bop label.
This debut record appears at number 9 on Rolling Stone's list of 100 greatest Brazilian albums of all time- but it is however not recommended.



ROCK BIRTHDAYS FOR SEPTEMBER 23
Bruce Springsteen is 60; Lita Ford is 51;

ON THIS DATE
1969 The rumour that Paul McCartney is dead begins as the Illinois University newspaper The Northern Star publishes "Clues Hint At Beatle Death."
1977 Love You Live by the Rolling Stones is released

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