Most of the breakthrough recordings of the Tropicalia movement had been made by the time Caetano recorded this disc, and the hindsight allowed him to cannibalize those recordings as the original recordings cannibalized a vast range of influences: "Sergeant Pepper", Hollywood's orchestral kitsch take on Latin American music, European and African styles which had entered into the bottomless syncretisation of Brazilian society, and the more obtuse elements of the classical music tradition, especially as formed by maestro Rogerio Duprat, who arranged this disc and many of the other Tropicalia discs as well.

The weight of this contradictory mass is sometimes felt, but for the most part the tracks flow seamlessly from one to the next. Recorded not long before he and Gilberto Gil were expatriated, Veloso's lyrics reveal a more experienced activist than the one who recorded "It's Prohibited to Prohibit" with The Mutantes, which is a roundabout way of saying they are more subtle, depending on metaphors such as The Empty Boat and The Argonauts, rather than the broader statements he had made a couple of years earlier. A suave avant-gardism tinted by populist sentiment is at the core of Veloso's best work, and this disc solidly belongs in that category.

This fantastic album continues down the musical path of the Tropicalism movement, begun on his first eponymous solo release and on the collective album "Tropicália - Ou Panis Et Circensis." After the passing of the institutional act n.5 at the end of 1968, artistic freedom in Brazil became very limited. The radical ideas presented in Tropicalism resulted in the arrest of Caetano and Gilberto Gil for allegedly disrespecting the Brazilian flag and national anthem. While in confinement in Salvador, Caetano recorded the guitar and vocal parts of this album and then sent them to São Paulo for Rogério Duprat to make the arrangements. Released in 1969, it is the only album to not have Caetano's picture (his characteristic head of hair was shaved by the military after the arrest), featuring instead his signature on an all-white cover. The tracks display a wide range of styles, from traditional Brazilian rhythms to tango to Beatles-inspired psychedelia. This album still sounds amazingly fresh today, and should appeal to fans of other genre-mixing acts such as Beck, Frank Zappa, David Byrne, and Ween. With the recent renewed interest in fellow Tropicalists like Os Mutantes and Tom Zé, hopefully we will eventually see Caetano's early Brazilian releases become more widely available here in the states. In the meantime, treat yourself to this disc and experience one of the most innovative Brazilian artists in perhaps his most creative period.

i could not agree more with the two well written reviews already posted. this cd should be a part of any brasilian music collection.it should also be a part of any decent psyche collection as well. people who ejoyed this cd should proceed straight to gilberto gil's 1969 album (also available). gil's album features the same back up band and, in my opinion, is even better.