Lula Côrtes e Zé Ramalho - 1975 - Paêbirú

Lula Côrtes e Zé Ramalho

1975

Paêbirú

Terra
01. Trilha De Sumé 6:30
02. Culto À Terra 2:11
03. Bailado Das Muscarias 4:32
Air
04. Harpa Dos Ares 4:01
05. Não Existe Molhado Igual Ao Pranto 7:30
06. Omm 6:01
Fogo
07. Raga Dos Raios 2:30
08. Nas Paredes Da Pedra Encantada 7:33
09. Marácas De Fogo 2:32
Água
10. Louvação A Iemanjá 1:53
11. Regato Da Montanha 3:24
12. Beira Mar 1:39
13. Pedra Templo Animal 4:15
14. Trilha De Sumé 2:04

Acoustic Guitar – Ivinho (tracks: C3)
Acoustic Guitar, Backing Vocals, Voice – Geraldinho* (tracks: B1 to B3)
Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Dikê (tracks: A1a, B2, B3)
Backing Vocals – Fred (tracks: A1b), Lailson (tracks: C3), Preto (2)
Backing Vocals, Percussion – Israel (tracks: C3, D4), Marconi (tracks: C3, D1, D4)
Backing Vocals, Voice – Katia (tracks: A1b, B1, D1, D4)
Bass – Paulo Raphael (tracks: D4)
Berimbau – Jarbas Selenita (tracks: B2)
Congas – Jorge (tracks: A1b)
Congas, Backing Vocals – Marcelo (tracks: A1a, A1b, B1)
Drums – Carmelo Guedes (tracks: C2, C3)
Electric Guitar – Don Tronxo
Electric Guitar, Bass, Ukulele, Congas, Afoxé, Percussion, Piano, Effects, Vocals – Zé Ramalho
Flute [Flauta Doce] – Jonathas (tracks: A1a)
Flute [Flautas Em Sol E Dó] – Ronaldo (tracks: A1a, A1c to B2)
Mandolin, Sitar, Guitar, Bass, Harp, Congas, Bongos, Vocals – Lula Côrtes
Organ [Farfisa] – Huguinho (tracks: C2, C3)
Percussion – Agricio (tracks: C3, D4)
Percussion [Pente], Voice – Alceu (tracks: A1a, B2, C3, D4)
Piano, Acoustic Guitar – Toni Torres (2) (tracks: A1c)
Soprano Saxophone – Zé Da Flauta (tracks: C2)
Voice – Inácia (tracks: D4)
Voice, Drum [Elflu] – Zé de Torubamba (tracks: D1)
Whistle [Aves Do Céu] – Fernando Lira (tracks: B1)


Recorded at Rozenblit Studios between October and December 1974

Paêbirú is an album by Brazilian artists Lula Côrtes and Zé Ramalho. The album was originally released in 1975 on Solar Records then reissued a few years ago on Mr. Bongo Records. It is one of the most sought after by collectors but also one of the most interesting records to come out of the 70’s Psychedelic music era.

According to the legend 700 copies from 1000 made were destroyed in a huge flood leaving us only 300 ones. 40 years later, it is now considered the most expensive Brazilian record, selling for up to 4,000 British Pounds for a Mint copy. The album is a collaboration between Brazilian artists Lula Côrtes and Zé Ramalho, with each of its original four sides named after the legendary four elements (earth, air, fire, water). A wonderfully off-kilter record full of fantastic hooky and strange tunes that range from full-on freakouts.

Zé Ramalho doesn’t consider it as a work by him, so much that he is celebrating 35 years of career in 2012 (which marks 35 years of the release of his first solo album), and not in 2010. Since its reissue, it has been widely acknowledged as a lost gem of the Brazilian psychedelic movement of the 1960s and 1970s.

This is one of my favorite records of all time and I'll say that it took me a time to review it since It's my first review but lets see how it turned out to be.

The Legendary Paêbirú... Amazing Psychedelic Folk / Freak Folk Album by Lula Cortês, Zé Ramalho and many other musicians.

An Album that really shows Lula's and Zé's Hability.

Paêbirú is an album that was an Idea from a Mushroom Trip on Pedra do Ingá, and both were on Mushroom efects while Producing, Recording and Composing the Songs from Paêbirú.

The Idea of Paêbirú was to make a double album on which every side of the record was one of the 4 lements, the songs from on every side were supposed to sound like the elements of the side, Making this album sounds really different on each side, with songs that have anger and also peaceful songs.

Paêbirú is very inspired by other Psychedelic Folk albums, Indian Music, Tribal Music e etc, being a mix of it all.

Description of Every Side:

Earth.

Earth is ocupied by 3 continus songs, much like a Suite, Suite being type of song that is splitted in some parts, every part with it own name.

This Side starts with "Trilha de Sumé", a Psychedelic Rock Song mixed with various tribal elements. It tells the story of a legend that was told by the Indians of the Cariri Tribe in Ingá, the story is about a mythical creature called Sumé, a creature that supposedly got down from the sky, taught teachings to the Cariri Tribe, Told them his name, drew symbols on a big rock that is today known as Pedra do Ingá, the symbols' meaning is still unknown to this date and were a big inspiration to the creation of this album.

This Part ends with a Saxophone Solo that is the Transition to the other part of the Continuous song, this one being named "Culto à Terra", a very tribal rhythm driven part (kind of ritualistic) that is paired with a very psychedelic guitar improvisation on the background of the song. After some time, the guitar stops and then comes a brass instrument later followed by a piano that becomes the transition to the next part of the song.

This part is sort of a little break of what we had since the first track, its a much more peaceful track and is called "Bailado das Muscarias".

In this part, the voice is given to a flute while on the background, a piano and a guitar make a guitar accompany the beautiful flute work. Later on comes another instrument to the background an Electric bass, and Lula's Tricórdio that becomes the voice of the song, an instrument that has a bit of an Indian sound to it.

After this 3 part continuous track end, it's time to another side of the album.

Air.

Air side is also a very peaceful, much like the last part of the Earth Side, Bailado das Muscarias, but can be considered the most calm side of this album, serving as a break from all that is still to come. It is a side on which most on most of the songs, there will be more focus on the Air instruments and String Instruments.

It starts with a Track named "Harpa dos Ares" on which there will be a Guitar doing a progression for the most part of the song on the background, the voice on this song goes to the Tricórdio, Flute and also another Guitar following Lula's Tricórdio. Through the song there will be some reproductions of sounds of some animals, most being Birds and a Monkey.

Second song is named "Não Existem Molhado Igual ao Pranto" and is probably my favorite song of this album, a choice that was very hard to do and I'm still not sure of it. There is lots of Various instruments here that make a beatiful sound together with a the voices of Zé, Lula and their friends that also were part of the project, a beatiful sound that I can not even explain, it can only be understanded when listened to. The Instruments Consists of:

Berimbau, 6 Strings Guitar, 10 Strings Guitar, Tricórdio, Saxophone, 12 Strings Guitar, Bass, Flute and Percussion.

The Third and Last Song of the Air Side is "Omm" that is a song that Lula said to be inspired by the sounds of frogs. The Song was improvised by Lula, who did Tricórdio and Harp, And Zé, that did Ukulele, Piano and the Vocal effect that sometimes appear on the song. Aside from that Instruments, a 10 String Guitar and a Baritone Sax also play on the track, from around 3:40 the song changes to a a par have the focus on the Harp and Piano, from there, the song stays on a improvisation with that instruments till the end of the song and of the side.

Fire.

As you already can Imagine this is the most aggressive and fast side of the album, this side makes a lot of use of distortion on the Guitar, it's a very fast side on which you can almost feel the fire on the songs with the crazy psychedelic guitar solos and electric organ.

The First song is "Raga dos Raios", on this song, that was also improvised, there will be a very fast and Psychedelic Eletric Guitar with Distortion making Crazy Solos during the whole song while and Ukulele and a Tricórdio play some chords.

The Second Song is "Nas Paredes da Pedra Encantada" and it is another song that talks about the Myth of Sumé. It is the First song on which a Drum Set is used. It's a Crazy song that got the vocal melody from a very old folk song by an Unknown author. It's the heaviest song from the album and can be headbanged to even not being a metal song. On this song is used an Electric Organ, Drums as previously stated, Soprano Sax, Electric Bass, and Vocals by Zé Ramalho.

At last but not least Important there is "Maracás de Fogo" a song on which the focus is on the almost ritualistic Vocals of many of the members of this project, a guitar that switches trought the music between clean and distorted, and there is also a great tribal inspired percussion on the song that ends the Fire side to take us to the last side of this Record.

Water.

Entering on the last side of this record we have another two part continuous song, Starting with a praise song to an African-Brazilian Religion Saint, called Iemanjá which on that religion is a Saint that haves relation with Water. The name of the Song is "Louvação a Iemanjá" and it consists of a group of people singing this Praise song sung on a language that was used by Brazil Native Indians called Nagô, and tribal percussion, simple as that. The Second part of this Track is also another improvisation and is Called "Regato da Montanha", on which is a mostly done with acoustic instruments only with a fuzzy electric guitar on the background contribuiting to the ambient of the song and also doing some solos. During the song there will be some recordings water falling.

Here is a short totally acoustic track that is also a more happy song than the previous ones, here is "Beira Mar". It was also improvised and oh man, this guys really know how to do great improvisations, damn. It Starts with the sound of water falling that fades away and at the end comes back to finish the song.

Third song is called "Pedra Templo Animal" and it's a song on which the focus and on the voice and lyrics sung by Zé Ramalho. There will be a bass riff that will repeat a lot during the song but don't worry, it doesn't get tiring. On the background, there will be Percussion and a Guitar and Tricórdio that will be doing chords.

The Last song of this album is a very calm song and a great way to finish the album. This song that was improvised just haves 2 Instruments, Guitar that remembers me a bit of the playing style of Nick Drake and Lula's Tricórdio. The Song also haves a bit of a melancholic sound to it, very nice to end an album like that.

Thanks to cult-creating stories about how nearly all original copies of this Brazilian double-album effort from 1975 were lost in a fire, Paebiru is one of those records that has to overcome a reputation -- it has to actually be good because it's good, not because it's rare. The 2005 re-release on Shadoks gave a chance for that concern to be addressed, and it must be said: Paebiru really is a fantastic album. With each of its original four sides named after the legendary four elements (earth, air, fire, water), Paebiru looks to aim high and does so pretty well, but the more telling thing about the album is how well Lula Côrtes and Zé Ramalho's work fits in the present day. Thanks to the continually reviving psych/freak/acid folk/jam scene, one could play most of this album next to the Sunburned Hand of the Man and Animal Collective discs with nobody blinking -- but the key difference is probably that Cortes and Ramalho, plus their many collaborators, are really sharp musicians and arrangers. There's a talented, easy fluidity about Ramalho's singing that, if rougher, isn't far removed from classic Brazilian pop singers of his time, while the most intense moments, such as the building multi-percussive/feedback freakout of "Culto a Terra," stand up readily now as they did then. Elsewhere, the beautiful, almost serene compositions interspersed throughout ("Bailado das Muscarias," which definitely is a dance tune regardless of lack of percussion; the blending of harp, flute, sax, and more on "Omm") create something pastoral and with a romantic late-night lounge feeling. The resultant blend of approaches and the variety throughout the album become more apparent even while each song is simply captivating on its own, and when they decide to conventionally rock out on "Nas Paredes da Pedra Encantada," the result is almost Can-like.