AO VIVO

Live album (with new songs) by Mutantes' prog era and last one before they disbanded. The music are driven by the synth and the lyrics are mainly nonsenses. Overall it's a good album, but definitelly non-essencial. Their previous album - Tudo foi feito pelo Sol - is way better, even though I preffer them as that 60s psychedelic band - before Rita Lee's departure. The best songs are: Bem-vindos/Mistérios meddley, Sagitarius, Esquizofrenia, Rio de Janeiro, Rock and Roll City e Tudo Explodindo.

Mutantes injustiçados!

It seems that a have a special burden in this world: write about underrated albums... Haha But, seriously, I really don't think that Mutantes ao Vivo have got the respect that it deserves, being despised by both Mutantes and general Prog fans. Well, I would definitely say that a lot of this contempt is due to its poor n' cheesy production, made by the notorious producer Peninha, who stabbed and cut and mended this glorious concert recording. It's funny (or tragic?) that some songs have a beginning and middle but... WHERE IS THE END? Well, only who was in the concert can tell us how great the long improvisations and 'missing pieces' were. Despite of all this tragedy, Peninha still left us some moments of joy. Mutantes ao Vivo is a gift that was given to all the listeners that want to get high even without any illegal substance, 'cause the music itself makes us fly to space. The band here sound much more original than in the acclaimed Tudo Foi Feito Pelo Sol (which is great too), being difficult to compare its style to any band overseas. The guitar solos of the amazing Sérgio Dias (did you repair how many 'Sérgios' Brazil had in the seventies?) are sooo fantastic, the mystic moods are present and pleasant, the synth works out fantastically, astonishing drums, flying bass... The only thing here that isn't so great is the vocal work, which gets peachy sometimes. The vocal harmonies are not the highlight either, because of the same reason. Well, perfection isn't always achieved, unfortunately... But whatever, this is a great album anyway.

1. Anjos Do Sul - How could this album start in a better way? Impossible. Anjos do Sul is simply one of the most beautiful melodies that the band has ever shown up. One strange fact is that this track wasn't meant to be a part of the concert, since it was just a sound check!! Marvelous, really; astonishing sensibility and good vocals.

2. Bem-vindos / Mistérios - The concert has begun now, as Bem-vindos says 'welcome' to the audience. That trouble appears here: cheesy vocals spoil the song, but we can handle that. The second part of the song, Mistérios, is much better, bringing good melodies and instrumentation. The vocal harmonies are not 100% again, but it's no doubt a good song.

3. Trem / Dança Dos Ventos - Trem is a fun track, despite of the vocal harmonies again, that remembers a train running in its trails. Oh, how I love to be in this train, 'cause the travel lead us to the amazing second part of the track, Dança dos Ventos, a completely mystic piece that make me imagine a psychogenic valley at night, with dancing spirits of the woods and space. Pure magic.

4. Sagitarius - The magic is even greater now, with this musical delight. It's got the mystic mood of Dança dos Ventos, but now the dancing spirits really travel among the stars and visit different worlds. Yeah, I'm getting very subjective here, but this music is very subjective. Well, all that I've said is referring to the song intro. The other part is good too, with an astrological feeling. I don't care for astrology at all, but this song brings us the sensation of being in a charmed planetary.

5. Esquizofrenia - Another very good one, with crazy and funny lyrics. It's so Progressive and grandiose, with a mind-blowing instrumentation. Sergio's guitar is great again.

6. Rio De Janeiro - Another great travel trough space. This track unfortunately has been cut by Peninha (shame on you!!!), but what we can still get is great. Crazy Rio.

7. Loucura Pouca É Bobagem - The title of this song is a portrait of Mutantes (who understand Portuguese gonna agree with me). The crazy lyrics are sung in Spanish, and the whole piece has got that Space Rock touch again. Man, I wanted to listen to it inside a rocket!!

8. Hey Tu - This song is kinda groovy, with a joke related to Led Zep's Rock n' Roll ('os que sobem na escada, sobem na escada mole mole mole mole', sung like 'lonely lonely lonely lonely'). This song is cut before it's end too.

9. Rock'n'Roll City - The name says everything. Rock n' Roll City is a Hard Rock tune that ends with a fantastic amazing absurd guitar solo. Sérgio is really a guitar master and he should me more recognized. Explosive!

10. Tudo Explodindo - Another song with a rocker mood, this one composed by the drummer Ruy Motta and the bass player Paul de Castro.

11. Grand Finale - Well, the travel is almost ending, and this is one of those famous stormy 'grand finales'!

12. Anjos Do Sul - After so much noise, we get a bath of crystalline water with this kind of Anjos do Sul part 2 (at least in the album it works like a 'part 2'). The sweet and brilliant melody is back, and you're able to breathe the clean air of this lost paradise.

This album came to me as a good surprise. As Sergio Dias is the lonely original member in this line-up and the set is composed by new songs I never care to listen to this album till I found it in a sale box for someting about US$ 3,00. Well, I was very happy with this investment because what we have here is the prog version of Mutantes playing really cool songs alive. It's not a classic but its a good album that keep Mutantes'name with honour.

If you're a fan of the classic psychedelic Mutantes this album will not appeal to you. Arnaldo Baptista and Rita Lee are gone and they carried with them that experimental vein. Brother Sergio is a wonderful guitar player and good singer and in those days he was tottaly immersed in a symph prog mood. If you like Tudo foi feito pelo sol you will sure appreciate this album; fans of O A e o Z can find good tracks here too. The occasional Rita Lee fan will run like the devil from this album as some of the most radical original Mutantes' fans. If you like Camel, Yes and 70's symph prog you'll have a good album here, but not an essential one both from Mutantes' discography and prog rock standards.

3 stars.

4,5 really !!! This is my first review about a live album. in fact this album have a few interesting details. In spite to be a live album, all tracks are unpublished an unusual feature in live albums and I read an interview with the leader of the band ( the guitarrist Sérgio Dias Baptista) where he said which was originally a double album . Leaving aside this considerations, the album seems to me a natural extension and improvement of "Tudo Foi Feito Pelo Sol" (the most really progressive album from the band - until that moment). The disk is a mix of symphonic and space prog, more framed in the 70's progressive rock style (like the mentioned previous album) and very distant of the 60's psychedelic sound from the "Rita Lee "Era". The best track are the track 2." Pot-Pourri / Bem-vindos / Mistérios" ( the first theme "Bem-vindos" is an overture for the second theme "Mistérios" a heavy/psich prog) ,track 3 ." Pot-Pourri / Trem / Dança Do Ventos" (in the second movement "Dança dos Ventos" a instrumental theme where I can detach the the steel-guitar solo from Sergio Dias a hard to find instrument in Brazillian progressive rock) and this steel-guitar returns in some moments from the track 4." Sagitárius" ( a very beautiful and lyrical melody) , the track 7." Loucura Pouca É Bobagem" (my highlights in this track go to the electric-guitar/moog "duo" , the track 9. "Rock'n'Roll City" ( and the fuzzy guitar from Sérgio Dias) and the track 11 "Grand Finalle" ( a "pompous" martial theme),. The disk presents great musicians in great performance ! My rate is 4 stars !!!

MUTANTS LIVE 1976 Remastered by Amyr Cantusio Jr /2021

I love this record because it reflects the spirit of the time in Brazil. It deserved a remaster...I improved some 300% in overall audio quality!! Listen now with other ears!! It's worth it!!

(00:00) 1. Anjos do Sul (Sérgio Dias) (2:42) 2. Welcome ? Mysteries (Sérgio Dias) (6:58) 3. Train - Dance of the Winds (Paulo de Castro ? Mutantes) (9:55) 4. Sagitarius (Sergio Dias) (4:17 pm) 5. Schizophrenia (Sérgio Dias) (19:07) 6. Rio de Janeiro (Paulo de Castro ? Ruy Motta) (22:46) 7. Little madness is nonsense (Luciano Alves - Sérgio Dias) (27:07) 8. Hey Tu (Paulo de Castro - Sérgio Dias) (30:05) 9. Rock and roll city (Sérgio Dias) (36:42) 10. Everything Exploding (Paulo de Castro ? Ruy Motta) (40:55) 11. Grand Finale (Luciano Alves - Sérgio Dias) (43:04) 12. Anjos do Sul (Reprise) (Sérgio Dias)

Band:

Sérgio Dias: guitars and vocals. Luciano Alves: keyboards and vocals. Paulo de Castro: bass, violin and backing vocals. Rui Motta: drums, percussion and backing vocals.