MUTANTES E SEUS COMETAS NO PAÍS DO BAURETS

A great Mutantes album, indeed! Now they blend traditional and popular Brazilian music with rock, jazz, latin ryhtms, making an almost perfect salad, very tasteful and digestful.

They show their funnier side instead of the dark sarchasm of previous album; also they seem to recover some moments of good old rock'n'roll and the tropicalia phase of the 60s - a return to the roots! But a new component was added to the salad, a very special delicatessen: progressive music. Not in the quantity we all enjoy but with a high quality.

At the time we didn't know but Mutantes had great internal problems related to Rita Lee's will to follow a solo career - which she did later; drug and alcohol addiction; contractual and funding demands; and even so they produced a work clearly above the average. They were talented, undoubtedly!

Title-song is the great moment of the disk, a truly progressive suite owing few to related songs done elsewhere. Even the title is enjoyable, with space and psychedelia being joined by a bit of irony: 'Mutantes and his comets in the country of the Baurets'. This sends us to the opening song, a crude rockabilly as they were visiting Bill Haley and His Comets.

'Balada do louco' (Ballad of the mad man) is another great song, with catchy lyrics: 'If they are gorgeous, I am Alain Delon/if they are famous, I am Napoleon/but mad is someone who tells me he is unhappy/I am happy, I am happy'. Piano and moog make an unforgetable background.

'Rua Augusta' (Augusta Street) is a funny cover of a Brazilian hit of the 60s, telling the adventures of a youngster gang in São Paulo City that used the mentioned street as a meeting point. The hard guitar solo breaks the apparently innocent song pace.

Other tracks include a pure rock like 'Beijo exagerado', a soft-rock like 'Vida de cachorro', a Cuban-like mockery in 'Cantor de mambo', a jazzy song like 'Dunne Buggy' and the folky 'Todo mundo pastou' (also a reference to drug abuse).

Worthy to say that this album started the real Mutantes prog phase to be seen more clearly in the 2 following albums. I rate this album as highly recommended for all ears, thence an excellent addition to any musical (prog or non-prog) collection. Total: 4.

Traditional and folk band from Brazil, the band released a good psychedelic influenced album in 1969 ("Mutantes"). They gave a more rocking angle to their music with "Jardim Eléctrico" and they pursued in this direction with this album.

Of prog music, there are very little signs here. Several songs are just unbearable (form rock to grotesque). The opening and closing numbers for instance. And when the band tries to rock, it poorly fails IMO. I can't get moved by a song as "Dune Buggy" nor "Beijo Exagerado". Press next.

The first enjoyable song is a sweet acoustic Brazilian ballad. Rita Lee performing a really nice vocal part. A charming song. Peaceful and very soft. The rhythm of "Cantor De Mambo" is of course pleasant as well, but this ain't nothing to do with progressive music. Great guitar breakthough (à la Carlos.).

A Beatles oriented ballad ("Balada Do Louco") which also features some fine moog is a healthy halt in this ocean of average music. But the heavy "A Hora E A Vez Do Cabelo Nascer" brings us very quickly down to earth (or is it hell).

One has to wait for the title track to get a true prog song. It is a ten music epic which features lots of heavy organ, at times jazzy. After a very tranquil instrumental part (keys, again), some vocals will be performed before a fine and bombastic fianle. This track ios indeed inspired by ELP.

This song is probably the msot proggy of the band so far, and is the link with their later works. Unfortunately, this album aged dreadfully. Average (at best) rock music. Two stars (thanks to the title track).