# Brazil: A Guide for Rockers, Rock Fans and Everybody Else Freedom-Loving



## Jorge Hereth (Aug 16, 2015)

Most Brazilians older than 30 and younger than 75 use to love Rock Music. So coming to Brazil you won't have a hard time if you love it yourself. But for purchasing audio CDs and videos as DVDs or BlueRays, you will most likely fall into one of those commercial chains like _FNAC_, _Saraiva Megastore_ or _Livraria Cultura_; these ones are really good addresses, and they are pretty widespread throughout Brazil, but when in São Paulo, your first address to visit should always be Galeria do Rock at Rua 24 de Maio, 62 - República (São Paulo, SP 01041-001) and - there are two entrances - Av. São João, 439 - República (São Paulo, SP 01035-000) donwtown Sampa (as we use to refer to São Paulo City here in Brazil). The first and second floor are complete rockers' shopping mall. And you can make orders through the internet from _Galeria do Rock_'s stores common website: DRock (Portuguese only, but should be understandable).

And I guess while reading this you'll already have asked yourselves if a country with so much Rock structure would not have its own bands either: yes, we have! But Brazil's Rock Music has a complicated history. The 1950s Rock 'n Roll does not really count as Rock here in Brazil, and the mayor problem is we had that damn' fu..... military dictate from 1964 till 1985 here. And for the military dictate, Rock would be naturally immoral. Sure! Rock is about Freedom, about Liberty, and the military dictate did not have such words in their vocabulary; the military dictate openly wanted us as a non-questioning and non-criticizing population - for population's female parts also sexless; in 1967 DOI-CODI (= military political police) commander Cel. Erasmo Dias had all single female students in São Paulo state who did not get through the virginity test banned from its state universities; and males should search their pleasures at hoar houses... what a fu..... hypocrisy! - who'd buy everything they'd tell us. Their slogan "Brasil: Ame-o ou Deixe-o!" (= "Brazil: Love it or Leave it!") was just the condensation of a law which obliged us to love the dictate's commanding generals. And not loving the generals could cost you your life! "Weakness", as it was said for those who wouldn't survive a political police's torture session...

And what was all that for? To destroy starting Brazilian industries and grant monopolies to Western European, North American and Japanese industry branches in Brazil. Romi in Mococa, Sp, yes, the Isetta manufacturers had to surrender their patents to BMW who after that one produced Isettas in Germany but did not keep their compromise to open a plant here in Brazil...

About Rock, first the military dictate had it as immoral. But nevertheless, after _Led Zeppelin I_ Brazil could no longer keep its doors closed to Rock Music. They had no way to avoid it, 'cause to fake Brazil as a free country - where the political persecutions which were happening would not be happening - to the outside world was a priority. Ok, from _Led Zeppelin I_ on Rock was let in.

But Brazilian Rock musicians who had dreamed about a liberalization and believed they might come out now, they were pretty mistaken. As a matter of a fact, they would continue censured until 2005. With the end of the military dictate in March 1985 and the abolition of censure five months later, Hard Rock and Heavy Metal bands were excluded from the abolition. Also democratic Brazil would continue right-winging and would not tolerate Brazilian Rock bands. Right, smoother rock was legalized, but for the real thing, there was a need of a personal interference by president Luís Inácio Lula da Silva to have those bands cleared.

Ok, stop history, let's start with what you fellows wanna finally see: the music 

As the founding fathers of Brazil's Heavy Metal, we have that band here from Belém, PA, _Stress_, founded in 1975:

Their first album, _Stress_ they recorded clandestinely in 1982:





In 1985 they recorded that one:





For that one her, the year has been lost, but it should be from the beginning to mid-1980s:


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## Jorge Hereth (Aug 16, 2015)

Another important Brazilian rock band is *Made in Brazil*.

The first album I'm gonna post now is from 1977; that year they would make a show at TUCA, the PUC-SP (Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo) theater, and when DOI-CODI Cel. Erasmo Dias - mentioned above - inspected the stage he ordered the TUCA to be burned down. And so it happened.

Well, also that 1977 album has been cleared in 2005, and now we can listen to it.





And so has their album from a year earlier, 1976:




(despite RCA was one of the monopoly bearers for music recording in 1964-1985 Brazil, the military dictate wouldn't let it get so far to allow them the publishing of serious Brazilian rock bands...)

And also the _Made in Brazil_ guys believed in 1985 they'd be included in the abolition of censure...





Time going on, and _Made in Brazil_ have moved step by step from Hard Rock to Blues Rock; here a 2012 sample:





And a 2014 sample:


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## Jorge Hereth (Aug 16, 2015)

And still talking about *Made in Brazil*, that video here now sometimes leaves me emotional. They were already well in Blues Rock and the show was at São Paulo's Centro Cultural in 2009, one day after one of the band's backing vocalists, *Déborah Carvalho* had deceased. The band-leader's introductory speech - despite he fakes at that one, he never made one before - mentions her story and tells us that show had to be dedicated to her! He mentions his flu and that his doctor had fobidden the stage to him, but he and the band had decided to get on stage nevertheless; realize the unused microphone on stage! It was Déborah's! And realize how they tried to make their other backing vocalist the star of that night! Seems they had a hard time good-bying Déborah properly, and she really was a genius as a backing vocalist! You've seen the videos before I hope...


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

I really like Brazilian music but I'm much more interested in choro, samba, bossa nova, tropicalia etc more than hard rock and metal. Probably I'm missing some good things (my knowledge of it does not go much more beyond Sepultura) but to me it seems like listening to scandinavian reggae or arabian hip hop, I bet that DeProfundis would look exactly for something like that but there's so much amazing music Brazil that at least at the moment I prefer to listen those more characteristic genres.


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## Jorge Hereth (Aug 16, 2015)

I was to show a bit more today, but thinking well... I won't do it today, as my homage to Déborah Carvalho


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## Jorge Hereth (Aug 16, 2015)

norman bates said:


> I really like Brazilian music but I'm much more interested in choro, samba, bossa nova, tropicalia etc more than hard rock and metal. Probably I'm missing some good things (my knowledge of it does not go much more beyond Sepultura) but to me it seems like listening to scandinavian reggae or arabian hip hop, I bet that DeProfundis would look exactly for something like that but there's so much amazing music Brazil that at least at the moment I prefer to listen those more characteristic genres.


If you really want real Brazilian music, why haven't you mentioned Sertanejo?


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## Morimur (Jan 23, 2014)

*Os Mutantes* is a great Brazilian rock band.










As for Tropicália-_Tropicália (A Brazilian Revolution In Sound)_ is a great compilation album.


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## Jorge Hereth (Aug 16, 2015)

norman bates said:


> I really like Brazilian music but I'm much more interested in choro, samba, bossa nova, tropicalia etc more than hard rock and metal. Probably I'm missing some good things (my knowledge of it does not go much more beyond Sepultura) but to me it seems like listening to scandinavian reggae or arabian hip hop, I bet that DeProfundis would look exactly for something like that but there's so much amazing music Brazil that at least at the moment I prefer to listen those more characteristic genres.


Fine, so you think you may reduce us to something folkloric. Where do you live? You're not telling... What would you say if you showing music your country has someone tried to undo everything with a "It's not your folklore!"; no thanks, right?

Where do you live? You don't show it. What would you say if someone her talked about you country that way?


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## Jorge Hereth (Aug 16, 2015)

Os Mutantes? MPB

Tropicália? One of the first MPB movements, nothing about Rock.


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

Jorge Hereth said:


> If you really want real Brazilian music, why haven't you mentioned Sertanejo?


I haven't mentioned a lot of genres, and I'm still very ignorant about a lot of things.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Bacamarte's _Depois do fim _is a masterpiece of progressive rock.

At the highly regarded prog rock site Prog Archives the 1983 album is currently ranked as #37 of all-time great prog albums.


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

Jorge Hereth said:


> Fine, so you think you may reduce us to something folkloric.


I would not define like that musicians who were and are influenced by classical music, jazz, rock and other genres.
Anyway I don't have interest to judge something that I know only superficially. I'm just talking about my personal interest in it.



Jorge Hereth said:


> Where do you live? You're not telling... What would you say if you showing music your country has someone tried to undo everything with a "It's not your folklore!"; no thanks, right?
> 
> Where do you live? You don't show it. What would you say if someone her talked about you country that way?


I live in italy and we actually have the opposite problem. It's difficult even to find good sources about our folk traditions. It's all about pop music and rock music, even if generally the quality is very low. Even classical music that is a relevant part of our history is treated very superficially.
Anyway I've started listening to music I was very into hard rock and metal (ad I still listen to it sometimes), but today while I still like Led Zeppelin I definitely prefer Jobim, Garoto or Milton Nascimento, those are amazing musicians. And the fact that I'd rather to listen many of those brazilian musicians than the probably most revered hard rock band ever explains also why I don't have a lot of interest at the moment in brazilian rock music. But that's just my personal taste.


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## Jorge Hereth (Aug 16, 2015)

norman bates said:


> I would not define like that musicians who were and are influenced by classical music, jazz, rock and other genres.
> Anyway I don't have interest to judge something that I know only superficially. I'm just talking about my personal interest in it.
> 
> I live in italy and we actually have the opposite problem. It's difficult even to find good sources about our folk traditions. It's all about pop music and rock music, even if generally the quality is very low. Even classical music that is a relevant part of our history is treated very superficially.
> Anyway I've started listening to music I was very into hard rock and metal (ad I still listen to it sometimes), but today while I still like Led Zeppelin I definitely prefer Jobim, Garoto or Milton Nascimento, those are amazing musicians. And the fact that I'd rather to listen many of those brazilian musicians than the probably most revered hard rock band ever explains also why I don't have a lot of interest at the moment in brazilian rock music. But that's just my personal taste.


Sorry Norman,

I had got a bit paranoic, thought you were into provoking, something like that. I had not thought too much about bossa-nova, choro, samba, forró, sertanejo, MPB or Brazilian Jazz because these ones are general knowledge nowadays, guessing from how often I already heard them played on US, French, Italian and Swiss radio stations when I was in these countries and from how many Brazilian CDs I've spotted in Cleveland's, Toulouse's, Olbia's and Zurich's record stores.

So I'm basically showing people music from my country they'll hardly ever know. Therefore I've opened one thread about Brazilian Sacred Music, one on opera composer Antônio Carlos Gomes (1836-1896) and this here about Brazil's Rock Music so far, and I'm planning to keep them ongoing.

But I must say you're right, I should seriously consider to at a later point still start threads on
- MPB thread (fits Milton Nascimento) and which should include also Choro, Samba, Frevo, etc.
- one for our rural music genres like Sertanejo (kinda Brazilian Country Music), Forró and Fandango Music
- Brazilian Jazz (fits Tom Jobim)
(Bossa Nova would have to go spread under MPB and Jazz according to how it's played)

Yes Norman, you're right. Thank you for the idea!

By the way, about Italy, I love Lucio Dalla's sound, have a pretty extense Dalla CD collection on my shelf.


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## drvLock (Apr 2, 2014)

Just to comment about one thing my fellow brazilian posted, Galeria do Rock used to be the best place to find anything rock/metal related, from records to clothings. Nowadays, most of it's stores are closed and only a few (of quality) persist there. If you want to visit it, I advice you to go to Baratos & Afins. Their collection of cds and vinyls are impressive!


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## Jorge Hereth (Aug 16, 2015)

drvLock, you're right, I should have mentioned that store, Baratos & Afins in the 2nd floor, store 314/318.

I can confirm their collection is really impressive, even for a Galeria do Rock quality store, and their prices are still on the cheaper edge of the stores there.


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## Jorge Hereth (Aug 16, 2015)

I have to get back once more to *Made in Brazil*, here's a part of their last show with vocalist _Déborah Carvalho_ still alive; it was December 27, 2008:


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## Jorge Hereth (Aug 16, 2015)

A significative band for Brazil's underground rock is São Paulo band *Baranga*:

Here their classic _Pirata do Tietê_ (_Pirate on Tietê River_):





_Maverick_:





_.38ão_ (_Huge .38_):





_Na Madrugada_ (_At Dawn_):





_Whiskey do Diabo_ (_Devil's Whiskey_):


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## Jorge Hereth (Aug 16, 2015)

This other São Paulo underground band here was not too long-lived, but it's worth giving a look at it; *Vampiros e Piratas*:

_Super Elétrica_ (_Super Electric Woman_):





_A Marcha da Escória_ (_March of the Scum_):





_Estrada Perdida_ (_Lost Road_):
(sorry, it's a poor 2008 cell phone recording)


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## Jorge Hereth (Aug 16, 2015)

Blues Rock has become every time more popular in Brazil, and after Nuno Mindelis there's shown up lots of good Brazilian blues rock bands throughout the country. This one here, *Bêbados Habilidosos* - their name translates with _Skillful Drunkards_ - from Campo Grande, MS, are one of the best in my opinion.

_Blues da Solidão_ (_Solitude Blues_):





_Bêbado, Vadio e Canalha_ (_A Drunk, a Bummer and a Scoundrel_):





_O Cara_ (_The Guy_):





_Envelhecido 12 Anos_ (_Aged 12 Years_):
(their 2004 album )





_Embriagados ao Vivo_ (_Drunks Live_):
(their 2005 album )


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## Jorge Hereth (Aug 16, 2015)

Talking about Blues Rock, and having mentioned *Nuno Mindelis*, here you get him now:

_Blues para o Brasil_ (_Blues for Brazil_):
(and yes, you read it right, Jack Daniels have started sponsoring Brazilian blues shows)





_Texas Bound_:
(his 1996 album)





The 1999 album is performed by *Nuno Mindelis & Double Trouble*; yes, exactly! THE Double Trouble!
_Blues On The Outside_:





And here's still _Nuno Mindelis_' 2003 album, _Twelve Hours_:


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## Jorge Hereth (Aug 16, 2015)

A Heavy Metal band from Rio de Janeiro which can not be ignored: *Dorsal Atlântica*. The band was founded in 1981 - they started with the name Ness, which they changed later - and continues one of Brazil's most popular underground bands. Also their recordings have been freely available after 2005.

_Stalingrado_:





_Guerrilha_:





*Dorsal Atlântica*'s album recorded in 1986, _Antes do Fim_ (= _Before the End_), is their absolutely best in my humble opinion, a real must I would say; here's the full album:





Also a pretty fine album is their 1988 one _Dividir E Conquistar_ (= _To Divide and Conquer_); full album here:





Here their live show in Fortaleza, CE, in 1994:


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## Jorge Hereth (Aug 16, 2015)

Brazil's leading punk rock band is doubtlessly *Ratos de Porão* (= _Cellar Rats_), probably the country's only punk band which made it into the mainstream and despite singing in Brazil Portuguese only have managed to reach out beyond our boarders. The band was founded in São Paulo in 1981 as one of the results of that time's São Paulo Punk Explosion.

Here a 2006 live show at Circo Voador in Rio de Janeiro:





Their 1989 album _Brasil_:





Their 2014 album _Século Sinistro_ (= Sinister Century):





In Chile this year:





In New York in 2000:


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## Jorge Hereth (Aug 16, 2015)

And here, *Ratos de Porão* once more in NYC last year:


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## Jorge Hereth (Aug 16, 2015)

Some call it Hardcore Punk, some call it Country Rock, some call it Heavy Metal, and some call it the "Brazilian Motörhead"; let's call it whatever we want, the sound is nothing bad: it's the Rio de Janeiro band _Matanza_, founded in 1996.

Here a MTV live transmission from Hangar 110 in São Paulo City December 15, 2007:





One of their best albums is doubtlessly that one from 2003, _Música Para Beber E Brigar_ (= _Music for Drinking and Fighting_):





Here their 2011 album _Odiosa Natureza Humana_ (= _Hateful Human Nature_):





Their first album, _Santa Madre Cassino_, recorded in 2001:


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

I still have some memories of Vulcano, Sarcofago, Sextrash, Genocidio, Sepultura, Expulser, Mystifier, Impurity, Necrofago, Mutilator...


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## Jorge Hereth (Aug 16, 2015)

Xaltotun said:


> I still have some memories of Vulcano, Sarcofago, Sextrash, Genocidio, Sepultura, Expulser, Mystifier, Impurity, Necrofago, Mutilator...


Why don't you post some videos, Xaltotun?


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## Jorge Hereth (Aug 16, 2015)

Art Rock said:


> Bacamarte's _Depois do fim _is a masterpiece of progressive rock.
> 
> At the highly regarded prog rock site Prog Archives the 1983 album is currently ranked as #37 of all-time great prog albums.


Thank you Art for reminding me about that one! Baie dankie! 

So here we go:

_Depois do Fim _:





And also their 1999 album _Sete Cidades_ (_Seven Cities_):


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