Os Paralamas do Sucesso continues fueling Brazilian rock movement

Os Paralamas do Sucesso

Brazilian rock bands like Os Paralamas do Sucesso don’t usually receive the international exposure they deserve.

And that’s largely due to the almighty mainstream commercial machine, which often devours non radio-friendly acts before they get any public attention.

But as the most populous country in Latin America, as well as one of the most populous in the world (In 2003, the United Nations estimated Brazil’s population at 178,470,000, which placed it fifth in population among the 193 nations of the world), Brazil is home to legions of music fans.

And where there’re music fans, there's a rock fever.

Today in Brazil, many rock acts like Os Paralamas are national icons, despite the fact that many young Brazilians grew up listening to Antonio Carlos Jobim, Vinicious de Moraes and Toquinho.

True. Brazil is internationally known for a myriad of other things, not as a rock mecca: Its endangered Amazon jungle, raunchy street carnival, world-class soccer team and decadent beaches, as well as for ‘caipirinhas,’ the country’s most popular drink.

But there’s a side of the land of Edson Arantes do Nascimento (better known in soccer circles as Pelé) that few people outside the Latin music scene know about.

And that is that Brazil truly rocks.

Its lively rock scene is as popular and highly competitive as any other circuit throughout Latin America, including Spain, Mexico and Argentina – three solid Spanish rock strongholds.

The only difference between them is that Brazilian rock is usually sung in Portuguese. Yet rock’s main ingredients are present in Brazilian rock, as well as its influences, which range from Elvis Presley to English rock bands like The Beatles and Led Zeppelin.

Like many other countries, Brazil wasn’t immune to the rock ‘n’ roll frenzy that took the world by storm in the late 1950s. Many artists in Bahia and Rio de Janeiro began to experiment with rock elements and in 1957 Miguel Gustavo penned the first original rock song, “Rock ‘n’ roll em Copacabana.”

From the ‘60s up until today, Brazil breathes rock - thanks to the works of artists like the late Raul Seixas, Rita Lee, Roberto Carlos and the group of troubadours that inspired the Tropicalia art movement, especially Joao Gilberto, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil and Gal Costa.

One good example of a popular Brazilian rock band that has conquered the masses is Os Paralamas do Sucesso, one of the country’s top five rock bands of all time, along with Angra, Sepultura and Legiao Urbana.

Os Paralamas draws elements from Bob Marley, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and The Police, together with other popular U.S. ‘80s rock bands and Afro-Brazilian beats, to concoct a unique and amazing sound that has captivated Brazilian audiences for more than three decades.

Led by singer-songwriter and guitarist Herbert Vianna, the band was formed in the late 1970s, and it has released over 10 albums, including the 1999 “MTV Unplugged,” which sold over 500,000 copies and gained a Latin Grammy for best Brazilian rock album.

Originally, Os Paralamas’ sound was heavily influenced by U.K.-oriented, white rock, but it later incorporated Afro-Bahian rhythms into its mix, following the explosion of funk, hip-hop and rap internationally in the 1970s.

The band’s landmark work is “Severino (1994),” the so-called “Sgt. Pepper's of 80’s generation” of Brazilian rock. Others popular ‘80s records are “Big Bang (1989) and “Bora-Bora(1988).”

One of my favorite Os Paralamas albums, though, is “Uns Dias Ao Vivo (2004),” an awesome live set that features great  - and extended – renditions of “O caliber,” “Meu Erro,” “Alagados” and “Lourinha Bombril.” There’s nothing like the burst of energy and solid execution of a live show.

Since a 2001 plane crash accident that killed his wife and left him in a wheel chair, the band’s frontman, Vianna, has recorded three albums with Os Paralamas: “Longo Caminho (2002),” “Hoje (2005) and “Uns Dias Ao Vivo (2004).”

As a fertile breeding ground for rockers for decades, Brazil continues to produce new rock talent every year, and the growing number of Latin Grammy categories that have been added recently to represent the new wave of rockers only attests to its international critical acclaim and staying power.

It may have taken Os Paralamas 20 years to obtain the recognition it sought, but its work has paid off.