The Rough Guide To Psychedelic Brazil

Latin America - and Brazil in particular - have never really lost their love affair with psychedelia. During the 1960s and 1970s the rock culture presented palpable sense of freedom that Brazilians were enthused by - a significant vision for those living in a country run by the military, as it was at the time. Psychedelic rock has flourished in Brazil ever since and this collection is deliberately not just an archive of 1960s and 1970s vinyl rarities, but a celebration of a breathing, progressing genre that has influenced samba and bossa nova, national rock and jazz, folkloric regional styles, soap opera and film scores, and even modern Brazilian classical music from the 1960s on.

Artists heard here include Mini Box Lunar who, with their bleached-out carnavalesco steel-pan sound and playful female vocals, bring to mind early McGarrigles, while Laranja Freak's statement of intent is 'to play frantic psychedelic rock', the keyboardist even calling himself Farfisa, in homage to the early Pink Floyd's Richard Wright. A track by Tom Zé, one of the tropicálía movement's founders, shows that his spark still shines, and Baby Do Brasil, once known as Baby Consuelo, is heard on 'O Jarro'. Lula Côrtés, Marconi Notaro, Flaviola and the Gentlemen add a psych-folk flavour to the proceedings. Graveola draw on mineiro choral singing and composing styles, samba and boss nova rhythms and spaced-out atmospherics.

The bonus disc is a treasured re-issue of Jupiter Maçã's classic 1996 album, A Sétima Efervescência which has become an acknowledged gauchó rock classic and is an inspiration on the contemporary néo-psícodélicoscene in Brazil. The music comes with a heavy helping of echoing guitars, whimsical winding lyrics, and laidback drum riffs.