CAVALEIROS NEGROS / TUDO BEM / BALADA DO AMIGO

The three songs comprising this EP are included as bonus tracks on the remastered version of Tudo Foi Feito Pelo Sol, os Mutantes' 1974 album. A little bit of background, as I understand it: between 1967 and 1974, this Brazilian band recorded eight albums, two of which wouldn't be released for decades. After releasing albums on a near-yearly basis, os Mutantes' only release between Tudo Foi Feito Pelo Sol and the band's breakup in 1978 was this "Cavaleiros Negros" / "Tudo Bem" / "Balada do Amigo" EP.

By 1974, Brazil had been controlled by a military dictatorship for a decade, and the country was at the peak of its milagre econômico brasileiro, indeed an amazing period of economic growth. It was also at this moment that a slow and uneven process of democratization began. Nonetheless, the regime continued to brutalize its citizens and suppress their speech, among other atrocities.

Against this backdrop, os Mutantes appear to have risen in stature as the economy improved, reaching their apex with Tudo Foi Feito Pelo Sol in 1974. My guess is that "Cavaleiros Negros," "Tudo Bem," and "Balada do Amigo" were the only songs the band produced between 1974 and 1976 (indeed, in recent decades, they seem to have emptied the vault of their previously unreleased 1970s recordings). Unfortunately the songs here pale in comparison to their 1974 album, with only the a-side even approaching the quality of Tudo Foi Feito Pelo Sol. "Tudo Bem" (meaning "All Right" or "Okay") is uninspired hard rock, while "Balada do Amigo" ("Friend's Ballad" or "Ballad of the Friend") is a little sappy for my taste, although perhaps if I understood the language I'd feel differently. Either or both of these songs could've been Tudo Foi Feito Pelo Sol outtakes.

"Cavaleiros Negros" ("Black Night") has its moments, and since the other songs are, in essence, b-sides, this is the song on which I'm basing my rating. Of the nine os Mutantes songs of which I'm familiar, this one is the most Yes-like, although the Emerson, Lake and Palmer influence is equally strong. The first half of the song sounds like it's being played by Emerson and Squire, while the second sounds like Tales from Topographic Oceans-era Squire and Wakeman. (Its closure reminds me of the ending to Squire's Fish Out of Water as well.) It's this second half that's the strongest part of the EP, partly because it lacks the overemoted vocals of the preceding section.

Since all three songs are available on newer editions of Tudo Foi Feito Pelo Sol, the "Cavaleiros Negros" / "Tudo Bem" / "Balada do Amigo" EP is by no means essential to anyone but a diehard os Mutantes completist, who will of course already possess it. But if you already have an older version of Tudo Foi Feito Pelo Sol, I wouldn't suggest upgrading just to acquire these three songs.