Brazil Classics 1: Beleza Tropical 2LP

The record that started it all!

Wow, when did this first come out? 1989? Over 30 years ago! I listened to some of the songs yesterday and, well, they hold up, they're truly timeless songs. In my notes at the time I wrote about the way this music joined musical sophistication with memorable pop melodies and often social and political commentary. Like Marvin Gaye's What's Going On this music mixed sensuality with pointed social engagement. I learned that though we often feel like screaming we can also couch our awareness and frustrations in beauty and rhythm - which often makes a more seductive and effective argument than a scream - though a scream can be pretty damn cathartic for sure. But as beautiful as the songs sound their message was pointed enough that some of these artists were jailed and forced into exile. Beauty can be pointed.

Though this collection represents a special era in Brazilian popular music these artists have not stood still. They've continued to explore and expand what they do - some of their recent albums are some of their best. Meanwhile, this music has served as an inspiration for newer generations of composers and performers.

-David Byrne, March 2021