CAETANO VELOSO '71

Edição original em LP Philips 6349 007

(BRASIL, Junho 1971)

Ironically enough, Caetano Veloso's almost entirely English language album is one of the most misunderstood of his classic 60s/70s period amongst English-speaking audiences. Recorded while in exile in London, the album marks a dramatic musical departure from his first 2 solo outings that he would continue to explore up through 1977 or thereabouts. I must confess I don't know too many details of Caetano's (or Gilberto Gil's) exile in London. It seems like a bit of a missed opportunity on the part of the British, though there was probably no reason why anyone there should've known who he was. "A Little More Blue" opens with a laidback, meandering acoustic figure that sounds a bit mellow but certainly not conducive to soul-bearing. The lyrics are about events that have made him sad, even though at the present moment «I feel a little more blue than then». Along the way he peppers in references to his own exile (an obvious recurring theme throughout the album) and some truly vivid lyrics («her dead mouth with red lipstick smiled»). An odd, dichotomous opener. "London, London" is for me the clear standout. And, oddly enough, it's the jauntiest track, replete with playful flute like Donovan's 67-era acoustic sides. It's one of the most exquisitely beautiful songs I've ever heard concerning alienation, loneliness, and, above all, homesickness. And while I hold that song to be one of the best songs ever written, period, "London, London" offers the beautifully resigned flipside of that coin. And all this from a song whose refrain is «My eyes go looking for flying saucers in the skies». 

Things start to get a bit darker with the more-produced "Maria Bethânia", a plea to his sister. "If You Hold a Stone" is an expanded, highly repetitve reworking of "Marinheiro Só" from the previous album. It also features that prominent elastic bass that somehow made itself a hallmark of 70s MPB. "Shoot Me Dead" is another flute and bongos workout that's as defeatist as the title implies. "In the Hot Sun of a Christmas Day" is the most depressing song on the album, where he finally recounts the events (real or fictionalized) and emotions surrounding the day of his capture. The last song "Asa Branca" is the only Protuguese-language track on the album and as such it's an emotionally powerful return to relatively familiar territory for Caetano. The song, written by Luiz Gonzaga and Humberto Teixeira, is about a native farmer (presumably) of Northeastern Brazil having to leave the land and his wife during one of the droughts that often occur in that part of the country because he is unable to make a living. At the end he promises to return. Amazingly, if you really try to live inside this album, you don't really need to know Portugese to understand what this song is saying. A haunting, ethereal way to end perhaps the most personal album in Veloso's storied career. 

This album is notable for several reason. Firstly, it marks a dramatic change in musical direction for Veloso. I've never heard an album with a greater sense of space. There is a lot of silence on this album and it itself is utilized almost as an additional instrument. His first solo album was lush and sprightly and full of subtle sonic experimentation. His second album made the sonic experimentation much more explicit and combined this with a panoramic feeling that made that album at times feel tense and murky (not a bad thing in this case). This album does a dramatic about-face with its spare, acoustic lines, occasional bass-and-drum backing, and lyric-centric approach. This formula would reach full fruition on "Transa" and continue up until 1977's African-influenced "Bicho". The second notable aspect of this album is how well Veloso's poetry translates into English. Many people like to describe Caetano Veloso as "The Bob Dylan of Brazil". I won't pretend to hide my disdain for Mr. Dylan, but in all fairness Dylan could never relay emotion the way Veloso does for me, nor was he ever nearly as sonically daring and adventurous. I'm also pretty sure Bob Dylan never risked arrest and deportation because of his lyrics, though he may have gotten on Joan Baez's bad side, which may be just as dangerous? Certainly not a place to start for Caetano Veloso, but you should try to find yourself here if you are willing to acquire more than 3 of his albums. (in RateYourMusic)