Os Mutantes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Os Mutantes | |
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 Zélia Duncan and Sérgio Dias perform in 2007
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| Background information | |
| Origin | São Paulo, Brazil |
| Genre(s) | Psychedelic rock, Tropicalismo, hard rock, progressive rock |
| Years active | 1966–1978 2006–present |
| Label(s) | Polydor/Universal, Som Livre, Sony BMG (Brazil) Omplatten, Luaka Bop (U.S.) |
| Website | http://www.mutantes.com/ |
| Members | |
| Sérgio Dias Dinho Leme |
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| Former members | |
| Arnaldo Baptista Zélia Duncan Rita Lee Arnolpho Lima Filho Manito Rui Motta Túlio Mourão Antônio Pedro Luciano Alvez Paulo de Castro Fernando Gama |
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Os Mutantes (pronounced [uz muˈtɐ̃tʃis], Portuguese: The Mutants) are an influential Brazilian psychedelic rock band that were linked with the Tropicália movement of the late 1960s. It was formed by two brothers and a vocalist, but has gone through numerous personnel changes throughout its existence. After a hiatus from the late 1970s to the early 2000s, the band reunited for a tour in 2006.
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[edit] History
Os Mutantes were formed in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1965 by brothers Arnaldo Baptista (bass, keyboards and vocals) and Sérgio Dias Baptista (guitars and vocals) and lead singer Rita Lee, originally named Six Sided Rockers.[1] The Baptistas' father was a pianist and mother a poet,[2] and the two had previously had a band called The Wooden Faces. Their current name was settled upon immediately before a performance on a Brazilian television program.[3]
Through other TV performances, the band was able to meet Gilberto Gil, an influential musician in the Tropicália movement, who brought them into the movement's circle.[3] Os Mutantes released two albums heavily influenced by Tropicália, which blended psychedelic rock with other forms of art. They played with many artists of this period, including Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, prior to their arrest and subsequent exile. During the 1960s, Os Mutantes was threatened by the military government of Brazil of that time.[4] In 1971, bassist Arnolpho Lima Filho ("Liminha") and drummer Ronaldo Leme ("Dinho") officially joined the band. They released five albums together before Lee departed in 1972 to start a solo career.[4] Subsequently the band moved in a progressive rock direction with the album O A e o Z, recorded in 1973 but released only in 1992 due to disagreement with the record company. Arnaldo left the band in that year to pursue a solo career due to differences with other band members and problems with the abuse of LSD, followed by Dinho and, a year later, Liminha. Arnaldo subsequently was institutionalized and jumped from the building's window, causing a six-week coma.[2] Sérgio Dias, the only remaining original member, led the band until its dissolution in 1978. During this time, they released three more albums. Two unreleased albums were released many years later, the aforementioned O A e o Z and Tecnicolor recorded in 1970 and released in 2000.
[edit] Influence
When Os Mutantes was formed, it combined influences from the English-speaking psychedelic acts like The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix with the sounds of bands like Sly & the Family Stone.[5] Although they met with limited success in their own time, Os Mutantes also influenced a great number of Brazilian bands such as Pato Fu, Júpiter Maçã and Sepultura, who recorded a cover of the song "A Hora E A Vez Do Cabelo Nascer". In addition, 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, writing a letter to Arnaldo Baptista.[6] Cobain was introduced to them by Pat Fear from White Flag (whose collaboration with Redd Kross and other friends under the name The Tater Totz was the first American band to cover or even cite Os Mutantes on their 1988 LP Alien Sleestaks from Brazil). Beck paid tribute to the group with his single "Tropicália" from the album Mutations. The Bees covered A Minha Menina on their first album, Sunshine Hit Me. Kevin Barnes of of Montreal cites Os Mutantes as an important influence.[7][8] Talking Heads frontman David Byrne has worked to publish and promote the group's music through his Luaka Bop label.[1]
[edit] 2006 reunion
Os Mutantes (Arnaldo, Sérgio and Dinho, sans Rita Lee and Liminha—Lee was replaced with Zélia Duncan on vocals) played live for the first time since 1978 at the Tropicalia exhibition at London's Barbican Arts Centre on May 22, 2006. This performance was followed by shows in New York City, Los Angeles (with the Flaming Lips), San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Chicago, and Miami.
They have also collaborated with British DJ JD Twitch, in a Britain/Brazil culture project in 2007, called Trocabrahma. In September 2007, both Arnaldo Baptista and Zélia Duncan left the band.[9] Both expressed wishes to continue with their respective solo projects. Sérgio Dias, however, vowed to keep the reformed band alive, not wanting to let "the giant sleep again," as he put it.
In November, it was reported that Liminha would returned to the fold, while Karina Zeviani was told to replace Duncan as the band's female vocalist[10]. However, this formation never happened. Sérgio Dias announced in late 2007 the recording of a new studio album, with some collaboration by Tom Zé and Devendra Banhart.[11] In April 2008, Os Mutantes released their first song in more than 30 years, called "Mutantes Depois", available for digital download and online stream.[12]
[edit] Discography
Studio albums
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EPs
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[edit] Personnel
| Years | Members |
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| 1968–1970 |
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| 1971–1972 |
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| 1973 |
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| 1973 |
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| 1973–1974 |
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| 1974–1976 |
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| 1976–1978 |
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| 1978 |
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| 1978–2006 | Band split |
| 2006–2007 |
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| 2007–present |
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[edit] References
- ^ a b Bush, John. Biography. allmusic. All Media Guide. Retrieved on 2008-03-29.
- ^ a b Hodgkinson, Will. "'Why be normal?'", The Guardian, Guardian Media Group, 2006-05-18. Retrieved on 2008-03-29.
- ^ a b Mutantes. AllBrazilianMusic. CliqueMusic Editora. Retrieved on 2008-03-29.
- ^ a b Rohter, Larry. "Brazil’s Musical Mutants Resume Their Strange Trip", The New York Times, São Paulo, Brazil: The New York Times Company, 2007-07-15. Retrieved on 2008-03-29.
- ^ Cross, Dave (April 2000). Os Mutantes - Dois Mil e Um. Perfect Sound Forever. Retrieved on 2008-03-29.
- ^ Rohter, Larry. "Ignored for Decades, They're Suddenly a Hot Band", The New York Times, The New York Times Company, 2001-04-15. Retrieved on 2008-03-29.
- ^ Brown, Shane (2000-03-10). Of Montreal Interview. Excellent Online. Retrieved on 2008-03-29.
- ^ Akers, Sarah (2004-09-03). Interview : Of Montreal. CrownDozen.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-29.
- ^ G1. "Arnaldo Baptista e Zélia Duncan saem dos Mutantes", G1. Retrieved on 2008-03-29. (Portuguese)
- ^ iG (2007-11-13). Baixista Liminha volta a integrar os Mutantes (Portuguese). iG. Retrieved on 2008-04-28.
- ^ Ayers, Michael. "Os Mutantes Busy With Live Album, Studio Work", Billboard.com, 2007-10-25. Retrieved on 2008-04-28.
- ^ Richardson, Mark (2008-04-24). Premiere: Os Mutantes: "Mutantes Depois" (New Song). Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on 2008-04-28.
[edit] External links
- (Portuguese) Os Mutantes official site
- (Portuguese) Arnaldo Baptista official site
- (Portuguese) Sérgio Dias official site
- (Portuguese) Zélia Duncan official site
- (Portuguese) Rita Lee official site
