#440 Caetano Veloso - Caetano Veloso (1968)

Ever since I came across the compilation Tropicalia: A Brazilian Revolution in Sound 10 years or so ago I've rather liked the 60's Brazilian psychedelic sound. Raw, adventurous, cool, all in perfect proportions. I've hit some of the albums from the era, most notably most of the Os Mutantes stuff, but I got inspired to look at the discographies of the heavy hitters in earnest.

It was a thing to put out self titled albums as a tropicalia artist; some of the big names put out more than one in a few years' span (hence the '68 note in the post title). Also, 1968 was the year it all hit, a scene at least as vibrant and inventive as its North American counterpart. One of several 1968-69 self-titled Tropicalia albums I'll be hitting here.

As for the actual album, this is on the Brazilian side of the Brazilian-NorthAmericanPsychadelic spectrum that covers most of Tropicalia. Os Mutantes were borne of garage rock crunch and proggy dungeon delves, Veloso's debut is all sunshine, or at worst lamplit patios. The vocals are at the forefront, with horns and strings washing over swaying samba beats, more Sinatra than Hendrix, but just enough weird flutes, guitar crunch, organ licks and inflected acoustics to show that equator-crossing Tropicalia flair. The best possible encapsulation comes in the supershort ditty Superbacana, tell me that doesn't make you sway, the vocals galloping along in clipped little bursts. See also closer Eles though, with a downright Beatlesesque wash of Indian influences, reverb and tape effects, a great standard-bearer for the movement's limitless pan-global inventiveness.

This isn't my sweet spot for my Tropicalia tastes, but it's a must-have album in the style, one of several pillars of one of the greatest, most underappreciated movements in rock history 4/5

You might like this if: First of all, its all in Portuguese. All of it. Still with me? If you like adventurous, weird psychedelic rock, swinging, cool crooning, all rolled up into one, you can't do a lot better.