Araçá Azul Explained

Araçá Azul
Type:studio
Artist:Caetano Veloso
Cover:Araca_Azul_cover.jpg
Released:November 1972; January 1973 (wide release)
Venue:São Paulo, Brazil
Studio:Eldorado
Length:38:55
Producer:Caetano Veloso
Prev Title:Caetano e Chico - juntos e ao vivo
Prev Year:1972
Year:1973
Next Title:Temporada de Verão - ao vivo na Bahia
Next Year:1974

Araçá Azul (Portuguese for "blue Cattley guava") is the fifth studio album by Caetano Veloso, released in November 1972 by Philips Records. The album was recorded shortly after Veloso returned from his exile in London. Araçá Azul is Veloso's most experimental album to date, influenced in part by the poetics of invention of the Brazilian concrete poetry movement and the experiences in popular music by Walter Franco. It was negatively received by the market upon its release, and is Veloso's lowest-selling album despite receiving critical acclaim.

Background

After an exile of 2 years in London, Veloso recorded Araçá Azul in São Paulo over a single week at Eldorado Studio, the only studio in Brazil equipped with 8-channel recording technology at that time. Veloso reports that he made the record alone, with help from a technician and his assistant, under permission of then president of PolyGram, André Midani. He used experimental techniques to record the album, recording "Épico" in an avenue in São Paulo.[1]

Music

The album is characterized as experimental[2] [3] and avant-garde folk.[4] It also draws influences from samba and psychedelic rock.[5] It is influenced by Walter Franco.[6]

Artwork

The cover art is a photograph of Veloso, taken by photographer and director Ivan Cardoso,[7] and produced by Luciano Figueiredo and Oscar Ramos.[4]

Release and reception

As registered in the first print of the LP, and confirmed by the artist himself and the record company, the album was released in November 1972 and broadly commercialized after January 1973.[8] It was badly received by the general public, adding a mark as the most returned LP from that period.[9]

Critical reception

Upon release, Araçá Azul was acclaimed by critics.[2] [9] Antônio do Amaral Rocha of Rolling Stone Brazil placed the album at number 97 in the list of the 100 best Brazilian albums.[10] John Bohannon of PopMatters compared the album to Jean-Luc Godard's film Breathless, stating that both "were made at critical turning points in the histories of their mediums, and both stand as testaments to the innovative approaches of their creators."[11]

Philip Jandovský of AllMusic gave it a less positive review, as he felt the album was too experimental and relying too much on sound effects, but said it was a good record "for a fan of experimental music or for someone in the right mood".[2]

Track listing

Notes

Adapted from Discogs.[12]

Personnel

Adapted from Discogs.[13]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Experimentalismo, censura e partes íntimas: artistas revelam segredos de 5 capas clássicas da MPB. July 9, 2017. UOL. pt-BR.
  2. Web site: Araçá Azul - Caetano Veloso - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic. AllMusic. Jandovský. Philip.
  3. Web site: Feitosa. Taynã. Quando a capa se torna mais famosa do que o conteúdo do disco. A Gazeta. Rede Gazeta de Comunicações. August 6, 2014. pt. June 3, 2014. March 4, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304113733/http://gazetaonline.globo.com/_conteudo/2013/06/noticias/cultura/1448210-quando-a-capa-se-torna-mais-famosa-do-que-o-conteudo-do-disco.html. dead.
  4. Web site: Caetano Veloso - ARAÇÁ AZUL. Tárik de. Souza. July 9, 2017. pt-BR.
  5. Web site: 'S wonderful. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20050420111826/http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?fm20050420a1.htm. April 20, 2005. The Japan Times. Irma. Nunez. April 20, 2005. July 9, 2017.
  6. Web site: Walter Franco busca acerto de contas histórico. Marcus. Preto. October 9, 2009. July 26, 2017. pt-BR.
  7. Web site: Experimentalismo, censura e partes íntimas: artistas revelam segredos de 5 capas clássicas da MPB. UOL. pt-BR. July 9, 2017.
  8. Book: Veloso, Caetano. Letra só; Sobre as letras / Caetano Veloso; organização Eucanaã Ferraz.. Companhia das Letras. 2003. São Paulo. 326–327.
  9. Book: Veloso, Caetano. Verdade Tropical. Companhia das Letras. 2017. São Paulo. 473–478.
  10. Web site: Os 100 maiores discos da música brasileira . December 20, 2007 . Umas Linhas . pt . July 9, 2017 . dead . http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20091008045334/http%3A//grandeabobora%2Ecom/rolling%2Dstone%2Dbrasil%2Delege%2Dos%2D100%2Dmelhores%2Ddiscos%2Dde%2Dmusica%2Dbrasileira%2Ehtml . October 8, 2009 .
  11. Web site: Finding Common Ground. PopMatters. John. Bohannon. June 25, 2008. July 9, 2017.
  12. Web site: Images for Caetano Veloso - Araçá Azul. Discogs.
  13. Web site: Caetano Veloso – Araçá Azul . Discogs.
  14. Web site: Rogério Duprat, 74, Producer of Defining Tropicália Albums, Dies. The New York Times. Ben. Ratliff. November 3, 2006. July 9, 2017.