Brazuca Sounds

In this episode, we celebrate the music from the South region in Brazil, from its folklore roots with Teixeirinha, album sales phenomenon Nelson Gonçalves, melancholic-samba pioneer Lupicínio Rodrigues, and the bubblegum-rock early influences of Elis Regina. We also covered the Southern Tropicalia movement, with Os Brasas, O Bando, and Liverpool, and finished with folk-rock artists like Hermes Aqu...

Salve! This is a bonus episode for paid subscribers ! Every episode is a different song. This is the song today:"Agoniza Mas Não Morre " by Beth Carvalho Today we're celebrating the centenary of samba-songwriter Nelson Sargento, the author of "Agoniza Mas Não Morre", born in Rio de Janeiro on July 25th, 1924. The song is a homage to samba, which as he sings "may agoniz...

This episode is exclusive to subscribers. Unlock now at patreon.com/brazucasounds In episode #66, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Alceu Valença's debut album as a solo artist, "Molhado de Suor", released by Philips in 1974. Born and raised in Pernambuco, in the Northeast of Brazil, Valença effortlessly blended folklore sounds of his native land, such as forró and baião, with MPB...

Salve! This is a bonus episode for paid subscribers ! Every episode is a different song. This is the song today: "Trem das Onze " by Adoniran Barbosa In celebration of Adoniran Barbosa's debut album released in 1974, we analyzed his most popular song, "Trem das Onze". Born and raised in São Paulo, Adoniran wrote several songs about the common man, such as a guy who cannot a...

Salve! This is a FREE bonus episode. Subscribe now at PATREON t o have access to all bonus eps, and exclusive playlists. Every episode is a different song: "É Preciso Dar um Jeito Meu Amigo " by Erasmo Carlos  In 1969 Erasmo Carlos left Jovem Guarda behind to join the record label Phillips and introduced a more melancholic aspect to his songs. "É Preciso Dar um Jeito Amigo" is...

In episode #65 we celebrate the music career of Chico Buarque, who turns 80 years old on June 19th. So what about discussing, playing, or mentioning 80 of his best songs ever released? I think it's a great idea, so we discussed his discography from his early days as a bossa-nova aficionado to his protest songs against the Brazilian military regime, his great songs released in the 80s and 90s, cove...

Salve! This is a FREE bonus episode. Subscribe now at PATREON to get access to all bonus eps and exclusive playlists. Every episode is a different song. This is the song today: "As Curvas da Estrada de Santos " by Roberto Carlos (Roberto/Erasmo) In 1969 Roberto Carlos mostly dropped Jovem Guarda to incorporate a variety of sounds into his music such as MPB, soul, and rock. "As Curva...

Salve! This is s bonus episode for paid subscribers ! Every episode is a different song. This is the song today: "Ponteio" by Edu Lobo (Edu Lobo/Capinan) This song was the grand winner of the Festival de Musica Popular Brasileira, a popular music contest made for TV in the 1960s. Performed live by Lobo, Marília Medalha, and Quarteto Novo, "Ponteio" famously finished first ahead...

In episode #64 we discuss songs censored during the military regime in Brazil (1964-1985). In April 1964, a coup d'etat took over Brazil, and four years later the government adopted even more restrictive measures with the Institutional Act nº5, so every cultural work (films, books, theatre, and music), required prior approval from the government to circulate. We had another episode on this topic o...

Salve! This is a bonus episode for paid subscribers ! Every episode is a different song: "País Tropical" by Wilson Simonal (written by Jorge Ben) from 1969 Jorge Ben wrote this song for Gal Costa but Simonal after seeing her performing the song live asked his friend Ben for the scoop. Simonal then not only recorded "País Tropical" first, but his version became an instant hit. C...

This episode is exclusive for paid subscribers. Unlock now by subscribing at PATREON . In episode #63 we discussed the 50th anniversary of Elis & Tom, released in 1974. Elis Regina completed 10 years at Philips, and the record label offered a gift to celebrate the occasion. She chose to record an album performing songs by Tom Jobim featuring the maestro himself. Recorded in Los Angeles, the al...

This is another bonus episode of Brazuca Sounds! Every episode is a different song. This is the song today: "Eu só Quero um Xodó" by Gilberto Gil  from Cidade do Salvador (1973) The accordionist Dominguinhos once created a melody in his tiny apartment. Anástasia was cooking, left everything behind, and wrote the lyrics for the song. They intended to sell it off to a forró  record label,...

In episode #62 we discussed the 50th anniversary of Jorge Ben's masterpiece "A Tábua de Esmeralda", released in 1974. After a period of living in France, Jorge Ben got involved with alchemists. Hence, the album is a reflection of its secrets, legends, and fables, including the album's title (a reference to the Emerald Tablet) and the artwork that incorporates drawings from  Nicholas Flamel ,...

This is another bonus episode of Brazuca Sounds! Every episode is a different song. This is the song today: "Ando Meio Desligado" by Os Mutantes from A Divina Comédia (1970) "Ando Meio Desligado" was a bit of post-Tropicalia from the album A Divina Comédia , with a more rock-infused sound, influenced by Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin (who ironically would both die a few months later). The arrangeme...

Salve! This is another bonus episode of Brazuca Sounds! Every episode is a different song. This is the song today: "Vale Tudo" by Sandra Sá featuring Tim Maia from Vale Tudo (1983) One may argue that "Vale Tudo" is the most popular Brazilian song from the 1980s. Tim Maia wrote it exclusively for Sandra Sá, who initially thought it was a pranking call. Although Sandra was already a successful funk-...

In episode #61 we talk about singer, songwriter, guitarist, actor, and comedy writer Arnaud Rodrigues. One of the most underrated Brazilian musicians from the 1970s, Arnaud has released, at least, three classics under his belt: "Murituri" (1974) released under his name; "Baiano & os Novos Caetanos" (1974), as a duo with comedian wizard Chico Anysio; and "Som do Paulinho" (1976) released under...

Salve! This is another bonus episode of Brazuca Sounds! Every episode is a different song. This is the song today: "Canto de Ossanha" by Vinícus e Baden from Os Afrosambas (1966) Considered the first recording in Brazilian music to incorporate Candomblé instruments, such as the atabaques , agogô , and afoxé into traditional elements of orchestration.  With lyrics written by Vinícus and music...

Salve! This is a bonus episode of Brazuca Sounds! Every episode is a different song. This is the song today: "Como Nossos Pais" by Elis Regina from Falso Brilhante (1976) Written by Belchior, and brilliantly performed by Elis, this is the definitive song about conflicts between generations. The song also encapsulates perfectly the historical and social context of the time and the anguish of youth...

In this episode, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Cartola's debut album released in 1974. Nearly 50 years after beginning his career, Cartola released his first album featuring 12 songs of the more than 100 he wrote during his lifetime. Recorded in February and March 1974, the album was released by the independent label Discos Marcus Pereira. We talk about Cartola's upbringing as a musici...

Salve! This is another bonus episode of Brazuca Sounds! This is the song today: "Acorda, Amor" by Chico Buarque from Sinal Fechado (1974) Chico Buarque was so targeted by censorship in the mid-1970s that all lyrics he submitted for government approval were denied. He then decided to release an album with songs from his songwriter friends, and a mysterious newcomer among them named Julinho de Adela...

Salve! This is a bonus episode of Brazuca Sounds! "O Sol Nascerá" by Cartola from Cartola (1974) Cartola released his debut album only at the age of 65, after spending four decades writing songs credited to other singers. Then his work was rediscovered by the bossa-nova circle, followed by samba's biggest names. He co-wrote "O Sol Nascerá" with Elton Medeiros, an uplifting song that defined their...

In this episode, we talk about the record label Continental and their (allegedly) melted albums. After the label ran out of Secos e Molhados LPs to sell in 1973, and the lack of raw material during the global oil crisis (and the Brazilian dictatorship's terrible administration), they decided to melt their back catalog to press them into new Secos e Molhados.  Whether is factually hard to prov...

Salve! This is a PREVIEW of our bonus episode for paid subscribers. Access now at patreon.com/brazucasounds This is the song today: "Na Boca do Sol" by Arthur Verocai (1972) In this episode, we break down the lyrics, music, production, and everything about the song. "Na Boca do Sol" was released in Arthur Verocai's masterpiece debut album, only to find a big commercial failure. Then his work was r...

In episode #58, we continue our celebration of albums released 50 years ago in 1973. This year we made specials about the albums released by João Donato, Marcos Valle, Tom Jobim, Gal Costa, Secos e Molhados, and more. Now is the time to discuss some of the most overlooked albums from 1973, from the brilliant debuts of Luiz Melodia and Gonzaguinha (pictured) to the crazy Northeast psychedelia of Sa...

In episode #57 we discussed three Brazilian rock artists that broke in 1973: Secos e Molhados, Raul Seixas, and Novos Baianos. The debut album of Secos e Molhados was a phenomenon in sales like never seen before; their blend of rock, pop, baroque, and poetry made them the first Beatlemania-esque in Brazil. Raul Seixas and his debut also cemented him as a rock icon that even stands today; Novos Bai...