Os Mutantes - "A" E O "Z" (Reissue) (1973/1992)

OS MUTANTES was a Brazilian band formed in the late sixties, pretty much influenced in the beginning by the BEATLES and by the Brazilian musical scene at the time (the movement called Tropicalia, which they participated then). In the beginning, the band was formed by Rita Lee (vocals and percussion), Sergio Dias (guitar and vocals) and his brother Arnaldo Baptista (bass, keyboards and vocals), with Ronaldo "Dinho" Leme on drums as invited musician. They were very psychedelic at their first formation (sounding more or less to BEATLES´s "Sgt. Peppers"), filled with a touch of humour and experimentalism, then they "evolved" to a very progressive "like YES" style in the end.

Their first album, untitled "Os Mutantes", was a break down in the Brazilian scene, since they brought with their music the experimentalism that was missing in our music. They participated constantly in TV music festivals, and since they were one of the first Brazilian band to play with electric guitars in those festivals, the crowd (formed basically by close minded students and musicians) frequently boo then through the whole festival! Then they continuously keep evolving (and done one of the greatest psychedelic album that I ever have the pleasure to hear, called "A Divina Comédia or Ando Meio Desligado") till one album called "Hoje é o Primeiro Dia do Resto das Nossas Vidas", where they begin to show the prog influence brought by YES (actually this album is credit to Rita Lee, but since they all participated and produced it, it's considered to be a MUTANTES album). And with Rita Lee leaving the band to pursuit a solo career, Sergio and Arnaldo left the psychedelic style to fully embrace the prog style, with their last two studio albums: "O A e o Z" e "Tudo Foi Feito Pelo Sol" (this one was done with only one of their first members, Sergio Dias, since Arnaldo left the band due to LSD problems, pretty much like Syd BARRETT from PINK FLOYD).

It's a highly recommended band to everyone who enjoys experimentalistic psychedelic humorous kind of music of the late sixties and early seventies, and the last albums to those who also like YES prog style.