Legião Urbana: Difference between revisions
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In September 1996 the band released its last album with Renato Russo still alive: ''A Tempestade''. The CD has a very sad tone, directly connected to the fact that Russo and his health were deteriorating very quickly, both psychologically and physically. |
In September 1996 the band released its last album with Renato Russo still alive: ''A Tempestade''. The CD has a very sad tone, directly connected to the fact that Russo and his health were deteriorating very quickly, both psychologically and physically. |
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Renato Russo would die one month after the release of ''Tempestade'', in [[October 11]], 1996, from |
Renato Russo would die one month after the release of ''Tempestade'', in [[October 11]], 1996, from an [[AIDS]] related illness. One day later, Bonfá and Villa-Lobos announced that the band was officially disbanded. |
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''Uma Outra Estação'' was released in June [[1997]] and is the last album with previously unreleased songs, produced and finished by Villa-Lobos. In October [[1999]] EMI would release a Live album, ''Acústico MTV'', a concert which was presented on MTV Brasil in 1992. Another two albums, ''Mais do Mesmo'' and ''Como é que se diz eu te amo'', are best-of compilations that achieved relative success among the fans and people whose interest in Legião Urbana grew after the death of Russo. |
''Uma Outra Estação'' was released in June [[1997]] and is the last album with previously unreleased songs, produced and finished by Villa-Lobos. In October [[1999]] EMI would release a Live album, ''Acústico MTV'', a concert which was presented on MTV Brasil in 1992. Another two albums, ''Mais do Mesmo'' and ''Como é que se diz eu te amo'', are best-of compilations that achieved relative success among the fans and people whose interest in Legião Urbana grew after the death of Russo. |
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Revision as of 22:38, 21 April 2007
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Legião Urbana | |
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| File:Legiao3.jpg Left to right: Renato Russo, Renato "Negrete" Rocha, Dado Villa-Lobos, Marcelo Bonfá | |
| Background information | |
| Years active | 1983–1996 |
| Members | Renato Russo Dado Villa-Lobos Marcelo Bonfá |
| Past members | Renato Rocha |
Legião Urbana — "Urban Legion" in Portuguese — is one of the most successful rock bands in Brazil's history. Originally created in 1983, the band continued to exist until 1996, with the death of its vocalist, Renato Russo.
Early Years
Renato Russo (born Renato Manfredini Jr.) created Legião Urbana in 1983, in Brasília, after his short presence in an earlier band named Aborto Elétrico ("Electric Abortion"). Aborto Elétrico ceased to exist due to repeated disagreements between Russo and the brothers Fê and Flávio Lemos. After Aborto Elétrico split and Russo created Legião Urbana, the two brothers would also go on to form another very popular brazilian rock band, Capital Inicial, which remains a success in present days, but still behind what Legião Urbana accomplished. Curiously, some famous songs of Capital Inicial were early written by Renato Russo.
Legião Urbana was initially formed by Renato Russo, Marcelo Bonfá (drums), Eduardo Paraná (guitars) and Paulo Paulista (keyboards), but Paraná and Paulista would quickly leave the band. Dado-Villa Lobos replaced Paraná as the guitarist. In the beginning of 1985, Renato Rocha joined the group as the bass player, once Renato Russo couldn't play any instrument because of a suicide attempt that injured almost permanently his wrist. Renato Russo would then focus on the vocals.
Influences
Many elements helped shape the identity of Legião Urbana. Consciously or not, Renato Russo, the main singer, was heavily influenced by The Smiths, particularly Morrissey, in his extremely personal lyrics and idiosyncratic on-stage performance. He was also influenced by Joy Division's Ian Curtis.
Thematically, Russo and the other members were also influenced by literature, especially that of Portuguese poet Luís de Camões, whose poetry is featured in more than one of the band's songs.
Discography
Legião Urbana (1985)
Legião Urbana's first album, recorded and released in 1985. The album included the hits Será, Ainda é Cedo and Geração Coca-Cola, under the EMI label. The band would stay with this record label for their entire career, with both positive and negative experiences.
Dois (1986)
In 1986, the band released Dois ("Two"), which many consider to be the best rock Brazil has to offer. The powerful lyrics, striking melodies and sheer personality of Renato Russo brought the band considerable notoriety in Brazil, especially among the younger generation which had grown under the fear of the authoritarian Brazilian Military Dictatorship (1964-1985). The songs Tempo Perdido, Quase Sem Querer, Eduardo e Mônica, Andrea Doria and "Índios" were particulary popular.
Que País É Este 1978/1987 (1987)
The band's success was cemented in 1987, with Que País É Este ("What country is this?", meaning, what kind of country Brazil was). They developed a devoted following, and the band came to carry the nickname "Religião Urbana", (meaning "Urban Religion"), something Renato Russo professed to hate.
This album was heavy on rock influences with very heavy words. Two of the songs, Conexão Amazônica and Faroeste Caboclo - the latter with 159 different lines and ten minutes long - were censored because they contained what was then considered obscene content. Faroeste Caboclo was a huge success, nevertheless. Others, such as Que País é Este?, Eu Sei, Química, Angra dos Reis and Mais do Mesmo were hits.
In the first concert in Brasília after the release of their first album, 200 people were wounded in a riot. The band would never again perform publicly in Brasília, the city from which Russo and other band members hailed.
As Quatro Estações (1989)
In 1989, before the release of As Quatro Estações (The Four Seasons), Renato Rocha decided to quit under pressure from Bonfá and Villa-Lobos. Although this album had the most financial success of any released by the group (and nearly every song on the disc garnered significant radio play), many fans disliked the big changes in the band's style, especially punk-hardcore rock fans. The songs would now talk about love and soul. In Meninos e Meninas ("Boys and Girls"), Russo would suggest that he was bisexual. He would later confirm the rumour.
V (1991)
V was released in December 1991, considered the band's darkest and most introspective album; at this point, the band was appearing less and less in public, doing only a few (very contentious) concerts. The album ran a long gamut of emotions and topics, with songs about drug abuse, the confused sentiments of a soul consecrated to a life of celibacy, and even the bizarre, classic French film The Golden Age.
Metal Contra as Nuvens clocked in at 11 minutes and is the longest song ever recorded by the band. Some of the more popular entries on the album are O Teatro dos Vampiros, Sereníssima, Vento no Litoral, and O Mundo Anda Tão Complicado.
Música P/ Acampamentos (1992)
One year after V, EMI would release Música P/ Acampamentos, which is a compilation of rarities and live material. A previously unreleased song, A Canção do Senhor da Guerra, which was to be in Dois and was rejected by EMI, turned into an immediate hit.
O Descobrimento do Brasil (1993)
The band released O Descobrimento do Brasil in November 1993. "Giz", "Perfeição", "Vinte e Nove", "Vamos Fazer um Filme" and "La Nuova Gioventú" are the main hits of the CD, though the album as a whole received a rather chilly critical reception. "Perfeição" was a scathing rebuke of Brazilian government and society, inviting the listener to celebrate everything stupid, evil, and ugly about the country. The song compares Brazil to a house of marked cards, a den of thieves, and a State that is not a nation, but the song explodes any pretensions of moral superiority at its end by remarking, above all else, the stupidity of the person singing the song. The song's popular success is emblematic of the political changes that had taken place in Brazil since the band's inception: it certainly could not have been distributed during the days of Brazil's military dictatorship.
The band members confessed that the track "Giz" was one of Renato Russo's favorite songs among all Legião Urbana's Discography.
The same year, Russo released a solo album in English, The Stonewall Celebration Concert.
A Tempestade ou O Livro dos Dias (1996)
Recorded between January and June, 1996. Released September 20, 1996. This would be the last album released before Renato Russo death.
Uma Outra Estação (1997)
A postumous album recorded between January and June, 1996 and released July 18, 1997. Most of the tracks are leftovers from A Tempestade, which was originally planned as a double album. Uma Outra Estação was completed by the remaining members of the band plus keyboardist Carlos Trilha and the now late Tom Capone (guitar).
Mais do Mesmo (1998)
Compilation album that includes tracks from each of Legião Urbana's studio albums.
Acústico MTV (1999)
An MTV Unplugged album. Recorded January 28, 1992. Released October 27, 1999.
Renato Russo's Death
In November 1995 the band performed its last concert. In December Renato Russo would release his second solo album, Equilibrio Distante, sung in Italian.
In September 1996 the band released its last album with Renato Russo still alive: A Tempestade. The CD has a very sad tone, directly connected to the fact that Russo and his health were deteriorating very quickly, both psychologically and physically.
Renato Russo would die one month after the release of Tempestade, in October 11, 1996, from an AIDS related illness. One day later, Bonfá and Villa-Lobos announced that the band was officially disbanded.
Uma Outra Estação was released in June 1997 and is the last album with previously unreleased songs, produced and finished by Villa-Lobos. In October 1999 EMI would release a Live album, Acústico MTV, a concert which was presented on MTV Brasil in 1992. Another two albums, Mais do Mesmo and Como é que se diz eu te amo, are best-of compilations that achieved relative success among the fans and people whose interest in Legião Urbana grew after the death of Russo.
Reasons for the Success
Despite the death of Russo and the group's disbanding, Legião Urbana continues to be the third best-selling artist in Brazil, with approximately 350,000 albums sold per year as of 2003. With more than 13 million records sold, the band continues to be very well-known among young Brazilians. Legião Urbana was, and remains, loved because of the songs whose words told of many aspects: love, spiritualism, politics, family, sex, drugs. The raw reality of these issues struck a chord with many, including Russo himself.
A well-known characteristic of the band is that they made very few music videos, and by the low quality of the few ones they agreed to make. Renato Russo hated to make them.
Renato Russo was the former creator of the band, vocalist, played guitars, bass or keyboards, and wrote or co-wrote most of the band's songs.
Legião Urbana's albums sold
- Legião Urbana (1985) - 970,000
- Dois (1986) - 1,800,000
- Que País é Este 1978/1987 (1987) - 1,300,000
- As Quatro Estações (1989) - 2,000,000
- V (1991) - 900,000
- Música Para Acampamentos (1992) - 820,000
- O Descobrimento do Brasil (1993) - 875,000
- A Tempestade ou O Livro dos Dias (1996) - 1,000,000
- Uma Outra Estação (1997) - 525,000
- Mais do Mesmo (1998) - 1,000,000
- Acústico MTV (1999) - 1,250,000
- Como é que se diz eu te amo (2001) - 750,000
- As Quatro Estações - Ao Vivo (2004)