RARE BRAZIL

Description

 

WE'RE BACK THIS WEEK WITH SOME MORE GEMS FROM BRAZIL.

ALL RECORDS ARE ORIGINAL UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED.

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY

 

 

TIM MAIA
Racional Vol. 2
SEROMA
ORIGINAL BRAZIL LP
W/ INSERT (INSERT LOOKS LIKE A COPY)

AllMusic Review by Matt Rinaldi 

The year was 1974. On the heels of the biggest hits of his career to that point, "Réu Confesso" and "Gostava Tanto de Você," Brazilian soul singer broke with his label, Polydor, lured by the offer of a double-album deal with RCA Victor. The 32-year-old and his band retired to a house in a secluded section of Rio de Janeiro and spent their days smoking marijuana and experimenting with hallucinogens while working on new material. By the end of July, they had a few dozen songs worked out -- instrumental grooves that followed 's tried and true samba-soul formula -- but few lyrics. Pleased with the rough recordings, RCA dared to hope that their investment in the unpredictable singer would pay off in spades, but managed to turn everything on its head. In the midst of a mescaline trip, he discovered a book entitled Universo em Desencanto (literally "Universe in Disenchantment"), the manifesto of an obscure religious cult known as Cultura Racional. Within weeks, had dedicated his life to the cult, coerced his entire band to join and live by its strict precepts (no drugs, no alcohol, no red meat, and no sex except for the purpose of procreation), and was bent on a new direction for his double album. Gone was the accessible pop music he'd been known for, his usual romantic and party-oriented lyrics replaced by devotional verses. had conceived a new sort of lunatic gospel music rife with sci-fi imagery and relentless evangelism. "Read the book, the only book!" was 's mantra, repeated dutifully on every track. Clearly, he was obsessed, but whatever dubious logic and deception were behind it, the end result is astonishing. Drug-free (though perhaps not clear-headed) and abstinent from his usual dietary excesses, the singer was in top form, his already powerful voice infused with a passion and range heretofore unheard. Likewise, his meticulous tight-knit arrangements, which move seamlessly from lively pre-disco funk to thick, bluesy grooves, incorporating elements of reggae, psychedelic rock, and Motown-inspired soul, are stirring, regardless of the lyrics.

Of course, all the new age rhetoric will fly right over the heads of non-Portuguese speakers, but one listen to the English-language "Rational Culture," which closes the first volume, will give an inkling to the madness at hand. An infectious 12-minute jam driven by Hammond organ and shimmering electric guitar digressions that would make Isaac Hayes proud, "Rational Culture" has laying out the cult's core beliefs, declaring "We came from a superworld, a world of rational energy, and we live in an anti-world, a world of animal energy." Predictably, RCA Victor wanted nothing to do with ( founded his own company, Seroma, and distributed the two albums independently in 1975), and neither did the public. Few record stores agreed to stock the albums; fans were put off by the strange covers (drawings that explains the cult's philosophy) and abstruse song titles. While one track, the brooding samba-reggae "Imunização Racional (Que Beleza)," received some airplay, the albums were universally panned by critics. Commercially, represents the low point of 's career. A year later, disenchanted with Cultura Racional, broke with the cult once and for all, recalled both volumes from store shelves, and destroyed all the copies he could. Thus became a shameful footnote, one that strove to erase from the public's memory, and it remained so until years later, when other Brazilian artists such as and starting covering "Imunização Racional (Que Beleza)." And while both volumes of remained out of print throughout 's lifetime, its legend grew. The few copies in circulation became coveted collector's items and, over the years, many have come to regard as 's finest work. In 2006, finally appeared for the first time in CD form on the Trama label.
 

 

COVER: VG   -- COVER IS SOLID, NO SPLITS, HOWEVER A LARGE TEAR AND WEAR ON FRONT AND BACK COVER HAS BEEN REFURBISHED, FIXED FROM THE INSIDE OF COVER (SEE PHOTO), WHITE TAPE ALONG OPENING OF COVER BACK AND FRONT

VINYL: VG+ -- VERY LIGHT SCUFFS, ONE SCUFF CLICKS A COUPLE OF TIMES AT BEGINNING OF SIDE B, TRACK 4 (CHECK CLIP #6); OTHERWISE REST OF RECORD PLAYS GREAT - CHECK EXTENDED CLIPS

RARE BRAZIL FUNK - RARELY SHOWS UP


CHECK  SOUND CLIPS FROM ACTUAL LP FOR SALE BELOW:

PLEASE CHECK THE REST OF THE AUCTION FOR MORE RARE BRAZIL LPS.

 

 GRADING SCALE: NM, VG++, VG+, VG, G

 

ALL RECORDS ARE SOUNDCHECKED OR PLAYED THROUGH ON A REGA RP1 WITH A DENON DL 110 CARTRIDGE. COMMENTS ON SOUND ARE PURELY OUR OPINION AND THEREFORE SUBJECTIVE. THE SAME RECORD/LP MAY SOUND DIFFERENT ON ANOTHER SYSTEM OR SETUP.  VG+ MEANS VINYL IS COLLECTIBLE AND HIGHLY LISTENABLE - NOT TRASHED.
 
 

SHIPPING:

DOMESTIC: $4.00 Media Mail; $1.00 For Each Extra LP

 

INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING:
CANADA:  $15.00 FOR FIRST LP; $5.00 FOR EACH EXTRA LP.
EUROPE, ASIA, SOUTH AMERICA, AUSTRALIA: $20.00 FOR FIRST LP; $5.00 FOR EACH EXTRA LP UP TO 5 LPS.  PACKAGES 5 LPS OR HIGHER, INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING COST WILL BE HIGHER.
 
ALL INTERNATIONAL PACKAGES THAT ARE 5 LPS OR LESS AND TOTAL OVER $125.00 MUST BE SENT BY PRIORITY MAIL WHICH IS $15 EXTRA - THIS PROVIDES RELIABLE TRACKING FOR THE PACKAGE - NO EXCEPTIONS.

 

PAYMENT IS EXPECTED WITHIN 4 DAYS AFTER AUCTION CLOSES.

ALL ITEMS ARE MONEY BACK GUARANTEED.  NO QUESTIONS ASKED.  FOR RETURNED LPs BUYER MUST NOTIFY SELLER OF A PROBLEM WITH RECORD WITHIN 14 DAYS OF RECEIVING ITEM AND MUST RETURN ITEM IN ORIGINAL CONDITION BEFORE REFUND WILL BE PROCESSED

SEALED ITEMS CAN ONLY BE RETURNED IN THEIR ORIGINAL CONDITION -- STILL SEALED

BY BIDDING ON THIS AUCTION YOU AGREE TO THE TERMS SET FORTH ABOVE.