Õ Blésq Blom

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Õ Blésq Blom
Studio album by
Titãs
ReleasedOctober 16, 1989
RecordedJuly 1989 - September 1989[1]
GenreAlternative rock, funk rock, world music
Length34:50
LabelWEA
ProducerLiminha
Titãs chronology
Go Back
(1988) 		Õ Blésq Blom
(1989) 		Tudo ao Mesmo Tempo Agora
(1991)
Singles from Õ Blésq Blom
  1. "Flores"
    Released: 1989

Õ Blésq Blom is the fifth studio album by Brazilian rock band Titãs.[2]

Background[edit]

During the previous album's (Go Back) tour, in Recife's leg, Titãs met at the Boa Viagem Beach a couple of repentismo musicians, Mauro and Quitéria. After listening to them and appreciating their performance, they decided to record them right there, using a recorder they often carried in their trips. The recorded song was used as the opening and ending tracks of the album and of its subsequent tour.[3]

Mauro was a former stevedore at Recife Port and, being constantly exposed to foreigners, ended up learning several words in different languages. With the help of his wife, who started to guide him after he went blind in 1982, he would walk around the beach singing songs written in several languages at once - even though he wouldn't know the words' actual meanings - for some change. Due to their participation in the album, they received the sum of NCzS 6,000 (they would normally make between NCzS 40 and NCzS 100 a day with their public presentations).[4]

There were plans to invite the duo to their tour, but it wasn't possible due to production limitations.[5] At the tour's time, vocalist/saxophonist Paulo Miklos and guitarist Marcelo Fromer announced they planned to produce an album by Mauro and Quitéria via WEA.[6]

In July 1989, bassist/vocalist Nando Reis's mother died and he began the recording sessions still deeply affected by her death,[7] but he later commented that the work was essential to help him process the loss.[7][3]

During the album's sessions, they were visited by couple Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz, respectively the bassist and the drummer of Talking Heads.[3]

Song information[edit]

The song "Faculdade" came to Reis in a dream.[3]

Several other songs besides the ones that actually made it to the final tracklist were prepared for the album and were left out of it. Two of them were later recovered for the Acústico MTV live album: "Nem 5 Minutos Guardados" and "A Melhor Forma".[8] Six others (namely "Aqui É Legal", "Estrelas", "Eu Prefiro Correr", "Minha Namorada", "Porta Principal" and "Saber Sangrar") had their initial versions released later on the E-collection compilation (2001), along with other rare tracks.[9]

Release and promotion[edit]

The album was released on 16 October in a show at the São Paulo Museum of Image and Sound. As part of the album's promotional efforts, the band hired a group of graffiti artists called Tupi Não Dá (a pun on Tupinambá) to write the album's name in several strategic points of São Paulo. They also invited Caetano Veloso to write the album's press release;[2][3] his son Moreno wrote a PS.[3]

Title and cover[edit]

The name of the album means "the first men who walked on Earth" in the language of Mario and Quiteria[1] and it comes from the lyrics for the opening track; Reis claims he was probably the one who suggested using it as the title, and he's sure he was the one who suggested adding a tilde to the "o" letter.[3]

The cover art is a collage by vocalist Arnaldo Antunes, who produced five artworks and the band subsequently elected one for the final product.[3]

Impact and legacy[edit]

In two weeks, the album reached gold status, having sold 100,000 copies.[10] According to Dicionário Cravo Albin da Música Popular Brasileira, the album sold 230,000 copies.[11]

It was elected in 2007 by Rolling Stone Brasil as the 74th best Brazilian music album of all time.[12] Two years prior, its cover had been elected by Bizz magazine as the 100th main rock cover of all time.[13]

In an article published the year before in the same magazine, vocalist and keyboardist Sérgio Britto said he considered this album to be one of the best by the band, along with its predecessors Cabeça Dinossauro and Jesus não Tem Dentes no País dos Banguelas. He also said the work, "if it did not influence, at least it anticipated all that Mangue Beat wave and the mixture of MPB and nordestina music with elements of rock and electronic programming."[14]

Then vocalist Paulo Miklos, in a 2012 interview to the same magazine, added: "In front of our stage, debuting in Recife, there were everybody which would be from the manguebeat, in the front row. [Fred] Zeroquatro [from Mundo Livre S/A] and the whole gang. This was said to me by Chico Science. As such, that moment in which we took Mauro and Quitéria at the beach and recorded that album was a laboratory moment to make that aesthetic clash which generates something, pop rock mixed with nordestina music, with a dose of violent brazilianity and stuff."[15]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[16]
Jornal do Brasil[17]

Writing for Jornal do Brasil, Aponean Rodrigues called the album "correct, good to listen to and to dance to and with moments of critical poetry". He considered Cabeça Dinossauro the "establishment of a career", Jesus não Tem Dentes no País dos Banguelas the evolution of this establishment and Õ Blésq Blom the consolidation of this evolution. He also said that "following this path, in its resplendent ascension to the Brazilian rock's Olympus to claim the crown or the curse of best Brazilian band of the genre (...) Titãs have been doing a coherent and quality job." He also praised the production, the vocals and the tracks, amidst which he found nothing below the average.[17]

On the same newspaper, some issues later, critics Fábio Rodrigues, Tárik de Souza and Aldir Blanc also praised the album in the "O disco em questão" section.[18]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Introdução por Mauro e Quitéria" (Introduction by Mauro and Quitéria)Mauro e QuitériaMauro and Quitéria0:44
2."Miséria" (Poverty)Arnaldo Antunes, Paulo Miklos, Sérgio BrittoBritto and Miklos4:27
3."Racio Símio" (A word play with "Raciocínio" (reasoning) and "Símio" (simian))Antunes, Marcelo Fromer, Nando ReisReis3:19
4."O Camelo e o Dromedário" (The Camel and the Dromedary)Fromer, Reis, Miklos, Tony BellottoMiklos5:22
5."Palavras" (Words)Fromer, BrittoBritto2:33
6."Medo" (Fear)Antunes, Fromer, BellottoAntunes2:06
7."Natureza Morta" (Lit. "Dead Nature", though the term also refers to still life))Antunes, Liminha, Branco Mello, Fromer, Miklos, BrittoAntunes and Mello0:19
8."Flores" (Flowers)Charles Gavin, Miklos, Britto, BellottoMello3:27
9."O Pulso" (The Pulse)Antunes, Fromer, BellottoAntunes2:45
10."32 Dentes" (32 Teeth)Mello, Fromer, BrittoMello2:30
11."Faculdade" (Faculty/College)Antunes, Mello, Fromer, Reis, MiklosReis3:13
12."Deus e o Diabo" (God and the Devil)Reis, Miklos, BrittoBritto and Miklos3:28
13."Vinheta Final por Mauro e Quitéria" (Closing Fragment by Mauro and Quitéria)Mauro e QuitériaMauro and Quitéria0:35

Personnel[edit]

  • Tony Bellotto - Electric guitar, Acoustic guitar on "Flores", 12 string acoustic guitar on "32 Dentes"
  • Arnaldo Antunes - lead vocals on "Medo" and "O Pulso", co-lead vocals on "Natureza Morta", backing vocals on "Miséria", "Raciosimio", "O Camelo e o Dromedário", "Flores", "32 Dentes", "Faculdade" and "Deus e o Diabo"
  • Charles Gavin - drums
  • Marcelo Fromer - Electric guitar, acoustic guitar on "32 Dentes" and "Medo"
  • Nando Reis - Bass, lead vocals in "Raciosimio" and "Faculdade"
  • Branco Mello - lead vocals on "Flores" and "32 Dentes", co-lead vocals "Natureza Morta", backing vocals on "Miséria", "Raciosimio", "O Camelo e o Dromedário", "Medo", "O Pulso", "Faculdade" and "Deus e o Diabo"
  • Paulo Miklos - lead vocals in "O Camelo e o Dromedário", co-lead vocals "Miséria" and "Deus e o Diabo", Saxophone on "Flores", backing vocals on "Raciosimio", "Medo", "Flores", "O Pulso", "32 Dentes" and "Faculdade"
  • Sérgio Britto - Keyboards, lead vocals in "Palavras", co-lead vocals "Miséria" and "Deus e o Diabo", keyboard programming on "Miséria" and "Deus e o Diabo", additional backing vocals on "Flores"

Additional personnel[edit]

  • Liminha - Electronic drums in "Miséria", "Deus e o Diabo" and "Faculdade", electric guitar in "O Pulso" and "Deus e o Diabo", electronic percussion in "O Camelo e o Dromedário", keyboard programming in "O Pulso", "Miséria" and "Deus e o Diabo"

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Alexandre Matias. "Õ Blésq Blom". Retrieved 22 June 2008.
  2. ^ a b Rodrigues, Aponean (18 October 1989). "O novo LP dos Titãs" (PDF). Jornal do Brasil. Ano XCIX Nº 193: 2 (Caderno B). Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Nando Reis - 51 fatos sobre os Titãs (Parte III): Go Back e Õ Blésq Blom. YouTube. 10 March 2021. Event occurs at 21:25-22:41 (Mauro & Quitéria), 22:46-23:13 (mother's death), 24:45-25:23 ("Faculdade"), 31:17-31:58 (Weymouth & Frantz's visit), 31:56-32:52 (title and cover), 32:55-33:15 (Velosos). Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  4. ^ Lins, Letícia (31 October 1989). "Rock da Boa Viagem" (PDF). Jornal do Brasil. Ano XCIX Nº 206: 6 (Caderno B). Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  5. ^ Rodrigues, Aponean (23 November 1989). "Choque cultural" (PDF). Jornal do Brasil. Ano XCIX Nº 229: 7 (Caderno B). Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  6. ^ Rodrigues, Aponean (17 June 1990). "Antenas do cotidiano" (PDF). Jornal do Brasil. Ano C Nº 70: 4, 5 (Programa). Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  7. ^ a b Bergamo, Mônica (30 July 2017). "Manteiga derretida". Folha de S.Paulo. 32 (260). Grupo Folha: C2. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  8. ^ Sérgio Britto: O single "Epifania" e as histórias de "Õ blésq blom" - Entrevista - Alta Fidelidade. YouTube. 6 December 2020. Event occurs at 30:22-31:35. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  9. ^ França, Jamari (14 February 2001). "Raridades de Titãs e Kid Abelha" (PDF). Jornal do Brasil. Ano CX Nº 312: 8 (Caderno B). Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  10. ^ Souza, Tárik (2 November 1989). "Serra Pelada" (PDF). Jornal do Brasil. Ano XCIX Nº 208: 7 (Caderno B). Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  11. ^ "Titãs - Dados Artísticos". Dicionário Cravo Albin da Música Popular Brasileira. Instituto Cultural Cravo Albin. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  12. ^ "Os 100 maiores discos da música brasileira" (in Portuguese). Umas Linhas. 2007-12-20. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
  13. ^ Ribeiro, Lúcio (31 March 2005). "Não significa não". Folha de S.Paulo. Grupo Folha. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  14. ^ Britto, Sérgio (November 2006). "Cabeça Dinossauro". Rolling Stone Brasil (in Portuguese). Grupo Spring de Comunicação.
  15. ^ Santo, José Julio do Espírito (October 2012). "A Festa Parece uma Vida". Rolling Stone Brasil (73). Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  16. ^ Allmusic review
  17. ^ a b Rodrigues, Aponean (18 October 1989). "Um disco a caminho do Olimpo" (PDF). Jornal do Brasil. Ano XCIX Nº 193: 2 (Caderno B). Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  18. ^ Rodrigues, Fábio; Souza, Tárik de; Blanc, Aldir (27 October 1989). "O disco em questão" (PDF). Jornal do Brasil. Ano XCIX Nº 202: 10 (Caderno B). Retrieved 1 August 2021.
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