SECOS & MOLHADOS (II)

The sudden, unexpected and immense success of their first album brought as much fame and fortune as greed, jealousy and power struggles within the original trio. So much so that Secos & Molhados had decided to break up the band even before their sophomore work was release. That decision limited very much the impact it could have made if properly promoted. Thus all was limited to a recording of two promo videos for a prime time TV show. And that was it. Which is really a pity for the songs and performances themselves have almost the same quality and power as their debut, showing they still had a lot to offer if their differences were worked out, at least for a while. But, alas, that was not to be.

Anyway, their legacy remained. Their second CD proved to be as interesting, bold, varied and powerful as the first. It was, deservedly, quite a big hit, with Flores Astrais and Tercer Mundo reaching the top of the singles charts, although never as much as if they had stayed together long enough to tour and let people get to know some of the other tracks. It was soon forgotten and the group left a void in the brazilian music scene that was never filled again. Lead singer Ney Matogrosso would go on to become one of the most successful acts to appear by 1975, with a long solo career that goes on to this day. Gerson Conrad worked with singer/actress Zezé Motta on one album before disappearing into oblivion. João Ricardo did have some success as a solo artist before trying to revive Secos & Molhados with different line ups several times in the following decades. But that magic could never be revived again.

If you liked their first CD, chances are you´ll probably enjoy this one just as much. The overall sound is a little more sophisticated, as it shows the inclusion of Spanish music in the mix (Tercer Mundo was a poem written by famous Argentinean writer Julio Cortazar, with music by Joao Ricardo and sung entirely in spanish). But all the remaining songs were equally good, with its unique mixture of brazlian folk and rhythms with rock and poetry. A real worth follow up to one of the biggest and more groundbreaking albums in Brazil´s music history.

Rating: even without the benefit of novelty of the first, it is still a masterpiece of prog music, a real classic. 5 stars.

4.5 stars. SECOS & MOLHADOS were a band from Brazil who had an unexpected hit with their self-titled debut released in 1973. This is the followup from 1974 but the band apparently disbanded before this was even released. First off I'm not into Folk music or acoustic music and we get both in spades here, in fact we get no less than 4 acoustic guitar players on this album and one of them plays electric guitar as well. The other issue I thought I'd have is that we get 13 songs over around 28 minutes of running time, well you do the math. Boy was I wrong about these perceived problems I thought I'd have. We get female vocals and two male singers who also play acoustic guitars, and this is the core of the band, a trio plus many guests. Piano, organ, accordion, harmonica, flute, bass and drums besides the guitars and vocals.

I have been playing this on and off for about a month and I've really fallen for this album. This band creates melodic and meaningful songs that are consistently very good throughout, in fact there's just one track I'd leave off if I could. It all works, the acoustic guitars with the addition of the electric one which is always a pleasure. The flute, piano and vocals all inspire. My favourite is "Flores Astrais" with that meaningful piano intro that moves me every time. Electric guitar, acoustic guitars, drums and more take over before we get multi-vocals. I like the vocal melodies too after 1 1/2 minutes. Flute a minute later. The opener is one of those songs that takes me to old West. It's the castanitas bringing Mexico to mind and cowboys for me. Female vocals and bass join in and I like the vocal melodies before 1 1/2 minutes.

"Nao; Nao Digas Nada" is a beautiful track with acoustic guitar, female vocals and flute. "Medo Mulato" opens with piano melodies before determined female vocals join in and more. Flute too in this catchy yet adventerous track. "Oh! Mulher Infiel" is another outstanding piece despite being a fairly simple Folk tune with reserved male vocals and acoustic guitars. Tasteful. "Yoo" is such a joyous tune and I like that bass intro before drums, guitars and multi-vocals kick in. Harmonica follows as the vocals stop and they will trade off. "Angustia" is another winner opening with acoustic guitar and tapping before percussion then female vocals join in. Check out that cool sounding electric guitar late.

"O Hierofante" is the one I'd leave off, too commercial sounding I guess. I'm just not into it. "Caixinha De Musica Do Joao" is a melancholic piece with piano and vocal melodies. My kind of tune. "O Doce E O Amargo" has a beautiful sound to it led by vocals and acoustic guitars. "Preto Velho" again features acoustic guitars and vocals, male this time with some vocal melodies late. Delirio..." is so uplifting with the female vocals, piano, drums and electric guitar which solos after a minute. "Toada & Rock & Mambo & Tango & Etc." ends it with a pretty descriptive title no?

Nothing much left to add and it's interesting reading people's opinions when comparing their first two albums as both are rated very highly. I'll let you know about the debut at a later time.

Secos & Molhados' second album was much the same as the first in approach, with the major distinction being a little extra polish and sophistication in the mixture of traditional Spanish and Brazilian folk sounds with glam-art rock music. Ney Matogrosso takes vocal duties once again. It's only about 28 minutes long, so if you are after a long listen you may be disappointed - though if you wanted to listen to the debut and this one all in one sitting that's decidedly viable. Those who value quality over quantity will, in general, be quite pleased with what's on offer here, so long as they don't have something against foreign-language vocals (and I'd say that's more a problem with the listener than the music).

Buoyed by the unprecedented success of their first album and subsequent tours, SECOS & MOLHADOS quickly entered the studio to record a follow up. Unfortunately, several rifts over finances emerged and the band split before the album was even released, never to reform in its classic incarnation. The album also sold very well and, even more remarkably, is vastly superior to the debut, with a more punchy production, an engaging breadth of styles, and complaisant playing and singing all round.

From the opening notes of "Tecer Mundo", with its lyrical clarity and succinct plucked guitars, the listener is captivated. A somewhat liberal borrowing in the vocalise section from CAT STEVENS' classic "Wild World" is discernible and comforting to those weaned on the singer songwriter era. "Medo Mulato" evinces an Eastern European flair, with lively piano and even accordion for a street wise ambiance. "Voo" is quite a departure, with furiously strummed electric and acoustic guitars, spacey keyboards and harmonica over irresistible Brazilian rhythms, guaranteed to appeal to fans of conventional "world music". Its abrupt ending is part of a pattern here, which seems neither intentional nor effective, almost as though conflicts in the studio cut the sessions short and the production guys and gals spliced together what they could. Still, this is a minor quibble. Even songs like "Angustia", not in a style I generally care for, are handled with restrained panache lacking on the earlier release.

Unlike on the first album, a series of diminutive cuts towards the latter half is wholly compelling, with "Caixinha De Música Do Joao", "O Doce E O Amargo" and "Preto Velho" cumulatively totaling barely 4 minutes while deserving of epic status, reflectively arranged with flutes, acoustic guitars, and piano, and intensely melodic. I might have kept them together as one but that is easy enough to arrange with today's technology.

Most reviews floating about the web seem to rate both original SECOS & MOLHADOS albums about equally. Given the unprecedented buzz generated less than a year earlier, I would argue that this effort had to be better just to avoid being stamped with the sophomore jinx, and that it is, by far. I'm glad I gave them a second chance.