Lula Cortes - Rosa de Sangue
1980
Reissued on Time La
The final chapter of Lula Cortes amazing run of music in 70s Brazil -- a small label release that brilliantly blends together a range of psychedelic influences -- all with a gritty edge that's quite different than what you might expect from the date of the album! Things here are every bit as tripped out as on some of Lula's other albums from years before -- trippily poetic, occasionally folksy, and sometimes touched with heavier electric moments that really offset the gentler, more organic moments. The reissue features full notes on the music by Cortes himself -- and the package offers a rare chance to hear an album whose original pressing was supposedly destroyed before it was ever released! Really great sound, and a lovely package that more than lives up to Lula's amazing music.
Review (of limited edition 180g vinyl) from Beltzarecords.com
The final chapter of Lula Cortes amazing run of music in 70s Brazil -- a small label release that brilliantly blends together a range of psychedelic influences -- all with a gritty edge that's quite different than what you might expect from the date of the album! Things here are every bit as tripped out as on some of Lula's other albums from years before -- trippily poetic, occasionally folksy, and sometimes touched with heavier electric moments that really offset the gentler, more organic moments. The reissue features full notes on the music by Cortes himself -- and the package offers a rare chance to hear an album whose original pressing was supposedly destroyed before it was ever released! Really great sound, and a lovely package that more than lives up to Lula's amazing music.
CORTES, LULA - ROSA DE SANGUE
Deluxe first ever reissue of this Brazilian private press monster rarity. Originally custom pressed in 1980, 'Rosa De Sangue' is the closing chapter of the amazing Recife psychedelic movement that flourished & centered around the work of Lula Cortes, beginning in 1973 with the release of Satwa, and the creation of Abracadabra, Lula's loose art/music/design collective. Leading up to 1980 Lula had produced & privately released Satwa in 1973 (Brazil's first private press LP) as well as Marconi Notaro's 'No Sub Reino Dos Metazoarios' LP that same year (featuring the recording debut of Ze Ramalho). He then started the legendary but incredibly short lived Solar label, releasing only two albums: 1975's 'Paebiru' double album, and a year later the lone album by Flaviola. As if that wasn't enough, he was also heavily involved in other productions and performed on many seminal albums coming out of the region, including many collaborations with Alceu Valenca... By the close of the 70s the heavily utilized Rozemblit recording studio / pressing plant had been destroyed by repeated floods, Abracadabra had run its course, and along with Lula's marriage, the Solar label was no more. So 'Rosa De Sangue' was conceived as a bookend & tribute to this closing era; as Lula himself states "I want to close all of this with a golden key"...And a golden key it is. Entering a small local studio with a head full of songs and his freshly road tested mountains band, Lula created an album simply overflowing with ideas. Along with his power trio backing, he was further assisted by many old friends dropping in, including, among many others : Alceu Valenca, Flaviola, Ze De Flauta & Paulo Rafael. With hints of the past era and of things to come, it is a truly wild audio experience, covering many styles & moods. From crazed ethno folkrock, to magical, gentle, jungle folk psych zones, to hard hitting, coke dusted fuzz rock, to insane mutant disco dance floor groove, to tweaked Americana, to acid vocal raga trance, and way beyond...All throughout Lula's beautiful tricordio work pins things down, and for the first time he is the main vocalist (this is, after all, his first "solo" album!) His is a smoke & booze steeped voice darting between crazed abandon, deep sadness, and glowing soulful humor. When things are mellow, you could easily imagine youre hearing an outtake from Marconi Notaro or Paebiru, but the next moment you're dropped into a raging street party or dimly lit booze drenched bar scene vibe...Frenzied guitars all over, including some tough fuzz, as well as powerful rolling bass groove, soaring violin, moog weirdness, dusted backup vocals, and great drum kit / regional percussion interplay. Psychedelic at heart, but brimming with flashes of tropicalia, punk, prog, and pure hot blooded rock & roll...A bizarre & amazing album. but of course, the story doesn't end there...At some point while the album was being recorded & pressed Lula signed a major label contract which would produce 1981's far tamer 'O Gosto Novo Da Vida' LP. When his new label got wind of Rosa De Sangue's eminent release, they were displeased to say the least. As soon as the pressing was complete, the entire small edition was seized & destroyed, making this album by far Brazil's rarest. So rare, in fact, that even among the most hardcore Brazilian collectors the original LP is often only rumored to exist, often cited as unreleased...A few copies did however survive, and now, 29 years later, the world can finally hear this 'golden key' from a truly visionary artist...Packaged in a heavy vintage style cover with exact reproduction original artwork, including the huge full color, double sided, foldout poster insert, plus an extra insert featuring new liner notes from Lula Cortes as well as translated song titles. 180gm audiophile virgin vinyl pressing with exact repro label art. Limited edition one time pressing of 1000 copies.
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