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The Jovem Guarda (Young Guard) movement, led by singer Roberto Carlos and
composer Erasmo Carlos, arrived in Brazil in 1965 when bossa nova had largely turned
to social and political themes. At that time, a majority of urban youth cared nothing about droughts in the Northeast or peasants without land. They worried about cars, romance, and clothes. The rock `n' roll of the Jovem Guarda spoke to their concerns. It translated and adapted rock to Brazil's language and culture.
Today a barrage of techno-type music has produced a backlash and re-kindled a desire for music from the 60's. A remarkable technology has at the same time made possible the recording, remastering, re-packaging, reissuing, and promotion of music ranging from a posthumous Beatles reunion to the Tantras of Tibetan Monks.
30 Anos de Jovem Guarda is a remastered five disc collection of seventy hits by the kings of the Jovem Guarda. Its strength is that it preserves the original arrangements. Acting as a barometer for this rebound, the collection sold over 250,000 CDs in the first month after its release. These sales and a slew of spectacular live shows by Jovem Guarda artists have brought Brazil's first wave of teenage rock music back from the tombs to reconquer today's teenagers. Despite the fact that many performers have come out of retirement, are gray-haired and in their 50's, they are still enjoying an enthusiastic resurgence of interest similar in intensity to that delivered 30 years prior by the parents of their new audience.
A good example is the Blues Band Five. The group is made up of former members of the Jovem Guarda band Os Incríveis. Their glory days behind them, the band attempted a Heavy Metal comeback in 1990 that met with little success. The group's drummer, Chuchu, believes that their current success is due to the disposition of many young people today who are more inclined to the romanticism and simplicity of the 60's. The group was invited to perform in São Paulo at the party which celebrated the release of the collection 30 Anos de Jovem Guarda. Blues Band Five now charges $3,000 to perform at dance parties for the upwardly mobile and are again basking in the rays of success.
Riding the same wave, the groups Os Vips, The Fevers, and The Jet Blacks have come back to the active scene full force. Accomplishing a calendar of shows that rival the shows of country darlings Leandro & Leonardo, Os Vips over a two week period performed at Domingueiras (Sunday parties) in Salvador (Bahia state), in Belém (state of Pará), and in São Paulo's elegant mountain resort city, Campos do Jordão. Wherever they perform, the audience is always comprised completely of dancing teenagers who know all the music by heart, sing along, and ask for autographs from idols who played Domingueiras for their parents 30 years ago..
More and more high school students, fans of Bon Jovi, are going out to dance at clubs where bands like Chuchu's are performing. These teens are throbbing to the rhythms of the 60's. Most have personal preferences for their favorite 60's artists and songs. Seventeen year old purist Flávia Brant Martins who favors originals over the numerous cover versions being recorded today says, "I prefer listening to "O Calhambeque" (Old Heap) sung by Roberto Carlos rather than "É Proibido Fumar" (No Smoking) by the group Skank."
As a matter of fact, there is nothing strange about a pop band like Skank drinking at the fountain of the Jovem Guarda. That style was the predecessor of all Brazilian rock. However, in the times of Roberto and his group, the music for young people lacked the arrogance that later audiences encountered. The music of the Jovem Guarda followed Chuck Berry's formula of softening the message. The inventor of rock `n' roll wanted to cross over into the white-money-market and triumphed by keeping away from risqué lyrics and singing about big cars, romance, and school.
Brazil's rock of the `80's started out this way, but as time went by, bands like Titãs and Legião Urbana became increasingly more sophisticated, employed lyrics full of images, and played with (according to some) an edge of arrogance. The CD Rei (King ), which brings several national rock groups together on one CD to reinterpret the music of Roberto Carlos, gives a very precise idea of that sophistication.
Brazilian rockers have, from time to time, successfully recorded cover versions of 60's music. Léo Jaime, for instance, covered "Gatinha Manhosa" (Foxy Lady) in the '80s. The group Patife Band (Rascal Band) covered "Tijolinho" (Little Brick) but employed a punk rhythmic feel. The group Não Religião (Not Religion) also converted "Coração de Papel" (Paper Heart) into a punk tune.
Even the group Sr. Banana, from the new harvest of rock bands, chose the successful "Ritmo da Chuva" ( Rhythm of the Rain) for their premier effort. By doing cover versions of former hits, newer bands have attempted not only to reach a larger teenage audience but also to snare a hit of their own with a proven success.
30 Anos de Jovem Guarda, Polygram's recently released five disc compilation of Jovem Guarda artists, commemorates the compositions of Roberto and Erasmo Carlos. The collection celebrates the influence their music has had over the last 30 years and contains hits like: "Festa de Arromba" (Wild Party), "Eu Sou Terrível" (I'm Impossible), "O Calhambeque," "É Papo Firme" (The Best There Is), and "Splish Splash."
The project was generated by a meeting between the leader of Os Vips, Márcio Antonucci, and Max Pierre, director at Polygram. Antonucci has 210 Jovem Guarda hits cataloged on his computer, and Max Pierre's personal record library exceeds 7800 LPs. After generating the five discs, they say that there is still enough material left for two similar compilations. Consultants from the program Globo Repórter have guaranteed the success of the project.
The repertoire also includes many heart throbbers like "Nossa Canção" (Our Song), "Eu Daria a Minha Vida" (I Would Give My Life), "Eu Sou Terrível," "Parei na Contramão" (I've Stopped in the Wrong Way), and "Vem Quente Que Eu Estou Fervendo" (Come Hot Because I'm Boiling).
Some of the sessions on the collection came out better than the originals. Such was the case with "Filme Triste" (Sad Movie) performed by Trio Esperança whose singing is much more in tune than the singing on the original.
Also coming out better than the original and involving all of the project's artists is the Jovem Guarda's anthem "Quero Que Vá Tudo pro Inferno" (I Want All the Rest to Go to Hell). The tune had been a reply to the more nationalistic critics and musicians who didn't accept any pop mixture that defiled the "purity" of Brazilian music.
Although the repertoire is huge and will appeal to almost everyone, some singers were necessarily left out. Roberto Carlos had been invited to participate, but due to contractual restrictions with Sony could not be included. Ed Carnes, who in 1966 had a hit with "Estou Feliz" (I am Happy) which sold 160,000 records, said that he was sorry he hadn't been included.
Now, a restaurant operator in São Paulo, he longs to leave the restaurant, return to the artistic life, and take advantage of the current resurgence of interest in music of the Jovem Guarda.
The discovery of the Jovem Guarda by the new generation has lead record companies to develop specific marketing strategies. A large shopping center in São Paulo promoted a retrospective exhibit of the Jovem Guarda that displayed newspaper clippings, rare records, a Gordini automobile (a car of the time), and ornaments of clothing from the outfits of Jovem Guarda artists. Record stores in the area were amazed with the tremendous sales the exhibit generated, mostly to young people from 16 to 22 years old who yearn to bring back the Jovem Guarda.
These young people are curious to know why Roberto Carlos is a phenomenon that has endured for so many years. The way o Rei (the King i.e., Roberto Carlos) has continued pleasing so many people from diversified walks of life at different times is still inexplicable. Maybe why he is still a hit has to do with his charm or his charisma.
On the other hand, the longevity of the Jovem Guarda is easier to understand. It was the first movement in Brazilian music that was directed toward youth, and it is still that way after thirty years. The Jovem Guarda apparently has not aged with time. It was just on ice, frozen in time. The music hasn't aged, just its original audience. For those who remember that time the resurrection of the Jovem Guarda is like a high school reunion. For those who are arriving now, it is like watching a classic film.
While there is a rebirth of Brazil's interest in the music of the Jovem Guarda, the King is planning to take on the world. Roberto Carlos has launched a project to become an international star. The cover of the thirty-eighth recording by Roberto Carlos shows a picture of the singer bathed in blue light, with small details in white.
The back of the cover shows Roberto in blue jeans and wearing a Jean jacket. At a press conference held to launch the new album he also wore blue jeans and a blue Jean jacket. His blue imprint has on this occasion been extended not only to the new disc's cover graphics but also to the disc itself.
The thousands of fans who expect Roberto to be faithful and without change will not be disappointed. Only for Roberto (o Rei) is the absence anything new, and are the same repetitious arrangements not a sin. This is exactly what stirs his enormous following.
It is from this simplicity that the King makes his biggest conquests. He knows romantic ballads strike a chord with his fans and that the Brazilian Christian feeling always comes to the fore with sacred pop songs, such as "Jesus Salvador." In his latest album, the religious tune is "Quando eu Quero Falar com Deus" (When I Want to Talk to God).
Roberto also never forgets the common people, the working classes who are the base of his
success. He paid respect to truck drivers with "Caminhoneiro" on a 1984 release, and more recently, with "O Taxista," paid homage to taxi drivers.
With his constant partner Erasmo Carlos, he has found beauty and contributed to boost the self-esteem of fat and then little women. Now, in "O Charme de Seus Óculos" (The Charm of Your Glasses), he sings a rock tribute to women wearing eyeglasses.
Roberto has also inaugurated his own record label, Amigo Records. His contract renewal with Sony Music is a five record/disc deal plus two additional discs in Spanish and the opportunity to sing in Japanese. This contract ended the 20 million dollar tug-of-war between Sony and Polygram.
A top executive at Polygram frustrated with his defeat in the negotiations commented, "At least we inflated the offer Sony had to make." Roberto Carlos, as usual very diplomatic and not very talkative with questions of numbers, gave a conventional explanation, "We decided on a different contract with a joint venture."
The King's choice was apparently well worth the time spent in discussions over the recent agreement. Sony Music wants to transform him into a star of world stature (Sony currently distributes Roberto's discs only in Brazil). For this endeavor, the most ambitious of his career, Roberto will be teamed with Argentine producer Beba Silvetti, the man responsible for the mammoth success of Mexican singer Luis Miguel. Together they will record in Spanish with the objective of tapping the immense Spanish language market. Roberto's thirty-three year old manager, Dody Sirena, estimates that the record will sell three million copies, five times more than he currently sells in Spanish language countries. "We are going to be aggressive," says Sirena. "If we need to have Elton John on the recording to promote it, we will. It is not going to be a record of songs by Roberto like previous ones. It will include tangos and boleros."
Roberto's vision for growth includes tours in Europe and the Orient. To attract potential buyers on the other side of the world, Roberto will be prepared to sing in Japanese. "It will be the great turning point for Roberto. He will be concentrating more than ever on markets outside Brazil," affirms Sirena. At 53 years old, Roberto appears to have the vitality to meet this challenge. By July his tour, which started in March of 1995, will have made 200 performances in Brazil and abroad. Roberto's wavering over the contract, according to his manager, was due to his indecision over the two possible courses for the direction of his career that were being offered by each company. One option paid well but would have transformed him into the Latin Frank Sinatra, stagnant and performing sporadically. The other would lead to the challenge of new markets outside Brazil. Roberto Carlos preferred the road, but at 300 miles an hour.
Brazilian rockers recognize the obvious, that Roberto Carlos from the Jovem Guarda was the singer that brought Brazil into the panorama of young peoples' music internationally.
However, for three decades they twisted their noses at the idol of Romantic music. They would say that they were promoting the modernization of Brazilian music.
The CD Rei brings these same rockers together to perform the music of Roberto Carlos. The CD is a deserved homage to Brazilian rock, to the one who is in truth its patriarch and innovator. Comparing the old and the new it is not hard to guess who is going last. It's doubtful that 30 years from now anyone will be recording cover versions of most of these groups' work.
Despite his humble beginnings Roberto was the first Brazilian artist to have his career promoted and represented by an agent. He wrote "Broto do Jacaré" (Young Girl from Jacaré) in 1964. Following Chuck Berry's lead, cars and women were seldom forgotten in his music. The woman was occasionally the girlfriend of a friend, and everyone knew the situation had to remain platonic. An artist today with the same product and unpretentious image would be laughed at by record companies. This is one reason that the groups who perform on Rei are not above paying tribute to The King.
The tracks on the disc Rei which are the best are the ones that preserve Roberto's original style. The performers who tried to rephrase and restate Roberto's music, those whose music is generally more sophisticated, missed the target. These tracks are foreign to Roberto's image, his working blueprint. Thus the best tracks are the ones performed by Paulo Miklos, Barão Vermelho, and Blitz. Paulo Miklos from Titãs gave a new vitality to "Sua Estupidez" (Your Stupidity). The same tune also has a memorable interpretation by Gal Costa. Barão Vermelho (the R&B group that Cazuza played with before going solo) handled "Quando" (When) in their typical first-rate manner.
Blitz (the group created by underground theater actor Evandro Mesquita and the first rock group to play at Rio's most important concert hall Canecão) decided on music that had been successfully sung by Erasmo, "Sentado à Beira do Caminho" (Sitting at the Edge of the Road).
The version contains some embellishments that were not on the original; nevertheless, the tune works nicely. The band Vexame (Shame) decided they would better the King and tried to make a mockery of him with "Cavalgada" (Rodeo), but the effort failed.
Carlinhos Brown and Chico Science created interesting versions that border on experimentalism, but reflect more their own styles rather than the easily assimilated pop characterized by Roberto.
Marina, taken by the style of Sade, recorded a too cool version of "Por Isso Corro Demais" (Because of That I Run Too Much) that interweaves a Sade-type treatment but lacks the emotional feeling that the lyrics convey. The CD Rei required an investment of $70,000 and another $100,000 in promotion. "We intend to sell 250,000 copies in one year," says José Eboli, director of marketing.
It has been one year since the directors of Sony Music in Brazil got together to evaluate the popularity of Roberto Carlos. It was realized at that time that of Roberto's one million faithful buyers, 70% are over thirty-five years old.
From these findings Sony decided to launch the new program to rejuvenate the work of Roberto. The intention was to rescue his music from the 60's and bring it to the ears of the 90's. Before promoting the CD Rei, Sony sent early clips of Roberto remixed with a funk groove to MTV.
These clips caused the entire Roberto catalog to jump in monthly sales from 7,000 to 70,000. Barring the antics and politics of promoting the Roberto of the Jovem Guarda on CD, the decision should be applauded for the way that it has replaced to his rightful throne the creator and best composer of Brazil's first wave of rock.
Bruce Gilman plays cuíca for samba school Mocidade Independente Los Angeles, has a masters degree from California Institute of the Arts, and teaches English and ESL in Long Beach, California.
(This classic Jovem Guarda tune names 23 participants of the iê-iê-iê movement)
Vejam só em que festa de arromba
Noutro dia eu fui parar
Presentes no local
O rádio e a televisão
Cinema, mil jornais
Muita gente, confusão
Quase não consigo na entrada chegar
Pois a multidão estava de amargar
Ê, ê
Que onda que festa de arromba
Logo que eu cheguei notei
Ronnie Cord com um copo na mão
Enquanto o Prini Lorez bancava o anfitrião
Apresentando a todo mundo Meire Pavão
Wanderléa ria e Cleide desistia
De agarrar um doce
Que do prato não saía
Ê, ê
Que onda que festa de arromba
Renato e seus Blue Caps
Tocavam na piscina
The Clevers no terraço
Jet Blacks no salão
Os Bels de cabeleira
Não podiam tocar
Enquanto a Rosemery
Não parasse de dançar
Vejam quem chegou de repente
Roberto Carlos com seu novo carrão
Enquanto Tony e Demetrius
Fumavam no jardim
Sérgio e Zé Ricardo
Esbarravam em mim
Lá fora um corre-corre
Dos brotos do lugar
Era o Ed Wilson
Que acabava de chegar
Ê, ê
Que onda que festa de arromba
De madrugada, quando eu já ia embora, ainda estava chegando gente: The Jordans, Golden Boys, Trio Esperança, Rossini Pinto, ah!, caramba!, até o Simonal, o Jorge Ben e o meu amigo Jair Rodrigues.
Look at what wild party
I ended up another day
Present in the local
There were radio and television
Movie, all papers
Many people, a mess
I almost couldn't get in
Because the crowd was too big
Eh, eh
What a gas, what a wild party
As soon as I arrived I noticed
Ronnie Cord holding a glass
While Prini Lorez played the host
Presenting Meire Pavão to everyone
Wanderléa laughed and Cleide gave up
Getting a cookie
Which didn't get off the plate
Eh, eh
What a gas, what a wild party
Renato and his Blue Caps
Played in the swimming pool
The Clevers in the porch
Jet Blacks in the dance floor
The Bels with their long hair
Couldn't play
Before Rosemery
Would stop dancing
See who suddenly arrived
Roberto Carlos with his new gas guzzler
While Tony and Demetrius
Smoked in the garden
Sérgio and Zé Ricardo
Did trip over me
Outside there was a rush
From the place's little girls
It was Ed Wilson
Who had just arrived
Eh, eh
What a gas, what a wild party
In the morning, when I was already leaving, there were people still arriving: The Jordans, Golden Boys, Trio Esperança, Rossini Pinto, ah! whew, even Simonal, Jorge Ben and my friend Jair Rodrigues
Querem acabar comigo
Nem eu mesmo sei porque
Enquanto eu tiver você aqui
Ninguém poderá me destruir.
Querem acabar comigo
Isso eu não vou deixar
Me abrace assim, me olhe assim
Não vá ficar longe de mim.
Pois enquanto eu tiver
você comigo...ô....ô.....
Sou mais forte
E para mim não há perigo...ô....ô.....
Você está aqui
E eu estou também
Com você eu não temo ninguém.
Você sabe bem de onde eu venho
E no coração o que eu tenho
Tenho muito amor
E é só o que interessa...ô....ô.....
Sempre aqui pois a verdade
é essa...ô....ô.....
They want to finish me
I don't know why
While I have you here
Nobody will be able to destroy me.
They want to finish me
This I am not going to allow
Embrace me in this way
Look at me in this way
Don't stay far from me.
Because while I have you with me
I am stronger
And for me there will be no danger
You are here,
And I am here too
With you I am not afraid of anybody.
You know very well
Where I'm coming from
In my heart what I have
I have a lot of love
And this is what counts
I am always here because that is truth.
Avião - (literally: plane) big American car
Barra limpa - (clean edge) cool person
Bandidão - (big bandit) nice guy
Barra pesada - (heavy edge) troublemaker
Bicão - (big beak) gate-crasher
Bidu - bigwig
Bolha - (bubble) moron
Brasa - (ember) great.
Chatô - (castle) house
Estar por fora - (to be in the outside) to not know
Fogueira - (bonfire) something very good
Gata - (pussy cat) pretty girl
Mil gentes - (thousand peoples) a crowd
Mora - (lives) dig it
Papo firme - (firm gizzard) worthwhile
Papo furado - (punctured gizzard) idle talk, lie
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