Caetano Veloso - A Foreign Sound

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In which uncle Caetano gives us his renditions of The Great American Standards, with some DNA and Nirvana thrown in for kicks. It's been out for quite a while now, but there's no thread on it and I just got into it, so I figured...

I like all the pretty voice & guitar stuff ("I Only Have Eyes For You", "There Will Never Be Another You"), Caetano's always been great for that.

Is that really his voice on that DNA cover? The booklet sez it is, but I can't believe it.

It's kinda cute how he does his best to incarnate the archetypal early 60's "gosh gee" teenybopper on "Diana". I'm not sure if it's listenable, but it's cute.

He really should have drawn the line at "Feelings", though.

Quite fond of "If It's Magic": Stevie Wonder and Caetano Veloso are kindred spirits, in a lot of ways, I think. Not sure if I'm capable of elaborating on that, tho.

I only just realised what assholes the narrator of "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" has for friends. "Ha ha, you got dumped, you got dumped, toldya so, toldya so!"

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 12:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Has ILM really become indifferent to Caetano Veloso?

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 21:53 (twenty-one years ago)

covering "feelings" is pretty cheeky as a gesture, not sure how it holds up as music though.

caetano singing in english is an acquired taste...which i haven't really acquired.

― amateur!st (amateurist), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 21:54 (twenty-one years ago)

i love caetano but not having heard the album, did not have anything to add.

btw, do you know if moreno has an album coming out any time soon?

― H (Heruy), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 21:56 (twenty-one years ago)

i bought this for my mom

― s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 21:58 (twenty-one years ago)

I always thought Caetano In English was weird because his lyrical style didn't translate, but this (and I've only heard a couple tracks)implies otherwise. I liked it, though.

― Sonny A. (Keiko), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 23:37 (twenty-one years ago)

what's the DNA cover like?

― stirmonster, Wednesday, 4 August 2004 23:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Caetano is very godlike. The soundtrack to Almodovar's TALK TO HER is worth it just for that amazing chamber pop thing he sings.

― ian g, Thursday, 5 August 2004 01:08 (twenty-one years ago)

three months pass...

I went to see his London show last night and it was very strange, kind of hard to make out. The very sweet and schmaltzy songs came across well, albeit punctuated with occasional attempts to remind us that he is the great Caetano, who dabbles in experimentation. The DNA song was brilliant, and made you wonder he doesn't spend more time with Arto Lindsay. For someone of his stature I found him somewhat awkward on stage, in his sensible sweater and with posh musicians to his right and his 'street' percussionist to his left.

His justifications of releasing an albums of US covers, both on stage and in his programme notes, were unconvincing to say the least. Especialy when he went on to say that, at the end of the day, 'a minha patria eh a lingua portuguesa', which he refused to translate for the audience saying it was untranslatable and should remain that way. [It means 'my homeland is the Portuguese language']. This was his way of introducing a couple of Brazilian standards. You know, we have a lot of Brazilian standards I'd like to cover, he said. Girl from Ipanema, Aquarela do Brasil... I felt like shouting out How about something by Caetano Veloso?!!

― Japanese Giraffe (Japanese Giraffe), Sunday, 7 November 2004 21:09 (twenty years ago)

I was there too, he shook my friend's hand before he did the DNA song.

― leigh (leigh), Monday, 8 November 2004 10:12 (twenty years ago)

What did you make of it all, leigh?

― Japanese Giraffe (Japanese Giraffe), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 13:18 (twenty years ago)

I really enjoyed it, was a little unsure about what to expect but he came up trumps in my book. My only reservation would be that he did ramble on a little between songs(and that he only played london). I was especially pleased that he did O Estrangeiro.

― leigh (leigh), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 16:01 (twenty years ago)

I found his ramblings ever so smug. Which one is O estrangeiro? Is it that reggae-ish one that goes on about Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles in the chorus? If so, yeah it sounded great. I also liked the slow slinky one whose chorus just repeats the word manhattan.

― Japanese Giraffe (Japanese Giraffe), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 17:19 (twenty years ago)

Yep, that's the one - doesn't sound reggae-ish on the record though, it's on the Arto Lindsay produced album of almost the same name.

― leigh (leigh), Thursday, 11 November 2004 13:33 (twenty years ago)

Thanks Leigh, I'll seek out that album. Just reading about O Estrangeiro - the album, it looks like exactly what i'm looking for in a caetano record.

― Japanese Giraffe (Japanese Giraffe), Monday, 15 November 2004 13:37 (twenty years ago)

Haven't heard this yet-- I dunno sometimes about Veloso. The videos I've seen of him live don't slay me, but he's good. I'm more of a Gilberto Gil fan myself. "O Estrangeiro" is nice but I think "Livro" is his best record myself. And the collab with Gil, "Tropicalía 2," is one great record.

― eddie hurt (ddduncan), Monday, 15 November 2004 15:15 (twenty years ago)

both Gilberto and Caetano are tremendously hit-or-miss...I think Jorge Ben tops them both, if just for "Africa Brasil"

― Space Is the Place (Space Is the Place), Monday, 15 November 2004 15:17 (twenty years ago)

Well said, Space, but don't overlook Livro, as Eddie says. There's a bigger Caetano discussion here: Caetano Veloso S and D

As for Gilberto Gil, well if Caetano is hit-or-miss, what does that make Gil? I bought a second hand copy of Realce the other day, and beyond a certain late 70s period-piece charm, it's serious sludgy, schmaltzy fare.

― Japanese Giraffe (Japanese Giraffe), Monday, 15 November 2004 17:08 (twenty years ago)

There is absolutely no fucking with early Gilberto Gil, from say 1968-1974 or so. Also, Caetano Veloso is an easy target for everyone now, but he is classic for all time in that a) he led the way for so many other artists to break away from the bossa/ samba uber alles nationalists, b) so many other artists have stolen ideas / stances from him, c) he has helped so many other groups and singers when he didn't really have to, and d) Livro really is a great record, better than Estrangeiro for sure. CV is unfairly overly-praised by Americans and unfairly underly-praised by Brasilians.

― I Used to Post Here, Monday, 15 November 2004 17:13 (twenty years ago)

Fair point about early Gil, but what a ropey career after the dates you mention. His reggae is horrible, for example.

CV has a great CV - a lot of adventurous music, tropicalismo, etc - and I don't think Brazilians under-praise him. In my experience there's a core anti-MPB faction over there who just won't hear any argument in favour of any MPB stars. The vast majority of average Brazilians that I've met venerate CV and his contemporaries with a fervour that brooks no leeway for the slightest criticism.

Coming back to the question, I don't think I'm going to buy A Foreign Sound. The show was just so unconvincing in many ways.

― Japanese Giraffe (Japanese Giraffe), Monday, 15 November 2004 23:05 (twenty years ago)

For what it's worth, my favorite album of the year.

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Monday, 15 November 2004 23:21 (twenty years ago)

True, Gil is spotty after '75 and "Refazenda." But I think all three of the "re" albums are good--the aforementioned, "Refavela" and "Realce." "Realce" is a great pop album. There are some good songs on "Um Banda Um." "Parabolic" was a nice return to form; "O Sol De Oslo" is quite good. For someone as prolific as Gil, I think he's done all right. Veloso is great--a bit arty at times. Jorge Ben is fantastic, kind of a different thing. The Ben/Gil album is a bit loose but well worth checking out.

― eddie hurt (ddduncan), Monday, 15 November 2004 23:47 (twenty years ago)

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