CAVALEIROS NEGROS / TUDO BEM / BALADA DO AMIGO

This very nice EP is actually the last record made by Os Mutantes in studio

First of all, i must say that i don't actually own the 7'' EP version, but actually the Tudo Foi Feito Pelo Sol re-release that contains this very good and rare EP made by Os Mutantes, but since their musical style here is very similar to their musical style in the album Tudo Foi Feito Pelo Sol, it actually makes sense putting them together in the re-release.

In the second place, all songs here are very nice. The album starts with the obviously Yes/Purple-influenced Cavaleiros Negros, that have a very good instrumental part (highlights to the great organ and synthetizer work), but a not so good vocal part by Sérgio Dias. The next one is the straightforward rock and roll / hard rock song Tudo Bem. The last song is the very nice ballad called Balada do Amigo. The last song is a really good ballad with a really nice guitar and piano work, though halfway though it Sérgio Dias screws up the vocals, singing considerably out of tune. Despite the vocal problem, Cavaleiros Negros is still the best song of the EP, being followed by the also very good (and also with some vocal problem) Balada do Amigo.

Grade and Final Thoughts

A very good EP by the legendary band Os Mutantes (or at least what was left of it), i think it deserves to be fairly rated, though having some problems (some cracks and background hiss). Because of it, 4 stars.

01. Cavaleiros Negros Serginho on guitar, could you understand the importance? Prophetic letter, hallucinogenic sound, and perfect vocals in every way. All perfect. It was the peak of their career, damn Brazil. Some keyboards more than sensationals, a climate of calm and peace (I think it was definitely so that Sergio had in mind at the time). Then it is dark but clear, strange but normal. The explanation can only be felt by intuition, mind and the ear due shares of the body. Progressive in his noble place!

02. Tudo Bem Starts shaking, killer voice. And a groove almost insurmountable. Second voice made (to which all states) by keyboard player Túlio Mourão, the guitars are sensational, striking chorus-type 'Bicho Grilo' (hippie), to sing with it. Solo of drums in the middle without a shadow of a doubt Rui is great! The bass sound of Antonio also is unique, very good. A duel of guitar and keyboard, finally ... the same quality from start to finish.

03. Balada Do Amigo Guitar and piano start one of the most beautiful songs made in the brazilian territory, without exaggeration! A radio would play it today. A very good lyric talking about friendship and companionship (things missing in this world). Imagine this song with a clip of photos, you know? Those who are passing multiple photos of friends on a black background? I know, my mind travels there. And you think that music is for? Forget the illegal drugs, listen to music!

This Compact made mithe minds of many people at the time, and feft many people with hope in time (for a new LP), which never materialized, a pity!

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.