The reunited Os Mutantes are returning to San Francisco this weekend and playing a free concert at Stern Grove on Sunday. I balked a the $50 ticket price when they played the Fillmore last summer, but I should make it out this weekend to see them for free.
Os Mutantes were formed by brothers Sergio (left) and Arnaldo (right) Baptista, who formed the band in the mid-60s with Rita Lee (center, not participating the reunion). They made a series of weird and inventive albums that mixed Brazilian samba with US/UK psychedelic rock, and were part of the Tropicália movement that also included Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, and Jorge Ben. One of the tenants of Tropicália was to "take in influences from all types of genres and concocting something unique", which flew in the face of Brazil's military dictatorship.
The other Tropicalismos (Gil, Veloso, Ben) all became international stars, but Os Mutantes were largely unknown of Brazil until the 1990s, when they started being championed by Kurt Cobain, Beck, and David Byrne. Cobain tried to reunite the band to open for Nirvana at 1993's Rock in Rio, and Beck's 1998 Mutations album and "Tropicalia" single was a tribute to Os Mutantes. In 1999, David Byrne assembled a compilation of their best songs called Everything is Possible. This compilation (recently reissued and available on emusic) gives a decent overview of Os Mutantes for the neophyte, and makes me wonder why they weren't better known beforehand.
Another Os Mutantes album worth hearing is Tecnicolor, which has versions of their best known songs sung in English. This was recorded in 1970, with the intention of breaking them internationally, but didn't come out for 30 years. It's fun to compare the original Portugese versions with the English versions, but I'm not sure which ones I prefer. On one hand, it's nice to know what they're singing about, but some of their drippy hippie lyrics ("smelly happiness?") work better when you don't know what they're singing about. Tecnicolor was also spruced up to sound more "commercial" (which in 1970 meant "wide stereo separation and more wah-wah") while their original records sounded as lo-fi as Guided por Vozes.
Here are some comparisons. "Ando Meio Desligado" and "A Minha Menina" are two of Os Mutantes better-known tunes (the latter written and sung by Jorge Ben). "I Feel A Little Spaced Out" and "She's My Shoo Shoo" are the same songs in English. Which versions I prefer depend on my mood. I'm also including a couple of tributes to Os Mutantes by Beck ("Tropicalia") and the Wondermints ("Arnaldo Said") to show their influence on modern indie pop. I'm wondering what sort of folks will be drawn to Stern Grove to see them this weekend.
Os Mutantes
Ando Meio Desligado
I Feel A Little Spaced Out
A Minha Menina (w/Jorge Ben)
She's My Shoo Shoo
Os Tributos
Beck - TropicaliaThe Wondermints - Arnaldo Said
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