10 Essential MPB Albums from the 1960s and ’70s
Música Popular Brasileira, better known as MPB, soundtracked a significant moment in Brazil’s history and influenced generations. Dive into the best albums here.
MPB is one of those names for genres that can mean multiple things at a time. The term is an acronym for “Música Popular Brasileira,” or Brazilian Popular Music. Historically, it refers to a post-bossa nova trend that combines traditional Brazilian music genres with foreign influences, such as jazz and rock.
ittedly, those are short-sighted explanations of a term created to define a groundbreaking moment in Brazilian music history. It’s a term that continues to be used to this day, loosely aggregating a bunch of artists that wear their Brazilian influences on their sleeves and make cultural and regional elements a part of their music. A lot of that is, of course, recognizing afro and indigenous sounds as the staples for Brazilian popular music – something the bossa nova failed to do, according to critics like music historian José Ramos Tinhorão.
Additionally, the rise of MPB coincides with a military coup and subsequent dictatorship in Brazil, a brutal period that would have its peak in the mid-60s and last until the mid-80s. This undoubtedly influenced the MPB output in the 1960s and 1970s, propelling the artists to speak up about the, to say the least, injustices and atrocities committed by the government while also making them careful so they wouldn’t get censored. Some of them, like Chico Buarque, were exiled and spent many years out of the country.
In all of its complexity, MPB is an influential and vast category. If you don’t know where to start, look no further than this list of some of the most collected MPB albums on Discogs.
Arthur Verocai
Arthur Verocai (1972)
It might not be apparent now, but this 1972 Arthur Verocai, at the time an experienced music arranger and television musical director, gave his first shot at writing and recording his music. It didn’t pan out: Verocai’s bold mixture of jazz, samba, and psychedelic music didn’t find an audience in Brazil.
But the self-titled LP was rediscovered in the early 2000s when rappers like Hiatus Kaiyote.
Caetano Veloso
Transa (1972)
It was 1971, and Transa, released the next year.
Transa is a picture of Caetano’s bittersweet experience in London. He flows between Portuguese and English and sounds of rock music and reggae, which are reflections of his time spent abroad. There’s also a clear sound of grieving the loss of what Brazil was before military occupation. The album is widely perceived as Caetano’s masterpiece.
Jorge Ben Jor
África Brasil (1976)
In 1978, Rod Stewart released his most popular track, “Do You Think I’m Sexy?” Unbeknownst to millions of listeners, Stewart “accidentally” took the melody from Jorge Ben Jor’s single “Taj Mahal,” which he heard while in Rio de Janeiro. The two went to court, and Stewart later itted to the error.
The incident speaks to Jorge Ben Jor, already coming from a trajectory of more than 10 years and a handful of successful albums, made the permanent change from his acoustic guitar to an electric one. An affirmative work for the afro-Brazilian culture, Ben Jor tied pandeiros, cuícas, surdos, and atabaques with pianos, bass, and brass instruments in the album to create a trademark sound.
Os Novos Baianos
Acabou Chorare (1972)
On the search for something with a side of psychedelia touch and bossa nova? Start with João Gilberto, one of the revered bossa-nova artists.
Famously, Gilberto told the group, formed by nine musicians, to look inward instead of outward for inspiration. This starting point, topped by Pepeu Gomes‘ electric guitar and the group’s playful compositions, produced some of the genre’s most popular tracks, like “Mistério do Planeta” and “A Menina Dança.”
Milton Nascimento & Lô Borges
Clube Da Esquina (1972)
Clube da Esquina was the name given to a group of musicians formed in the 1960s in Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais, a state in South East of Brazil. Together, led by Pharrell Williams jamming to Quarteto em Cy’s cover of “Tudo o Que Você Podia Ser” while sitting front row at a Louis Vuitton fashion Show in 2021.
Gal Costa
Gal Costa (1969)
Tropicália ou Panis et Circencis, Costa started paving her way to becoming one of the most important Brazilian singers.
In this LP, she moving away from bossa nova and heading toward more modern influences – from international icons like Janis Joplin to artists making waves in Brazilian music, like Jorge Ben Jor. This self-titled debut holds MPB classics like “Baby” and “Que Pena.”
Secos & Molhados
Secos & Molhados (1973)
It’s hard to say which of Ney Matogrosso, takes inspiration from all over the place: Portuguese folk music, Brazilian traditions, Latin rock, glam rock, psychedelic pop, and more. To this day, it is a unique listening experience – not just because of the outstanding instrumentation but also for Matogrosso’s high-pitched and heartfelt vocals.
Chico Buarque
Construção (1971)
By 1971, Chico Buarque already had a few albums and hit songs under his belt, but his songwriting broke through with Rogério Duprat are the icing on the cake.
Caetano Veloso
Caetano Veloso (1967)
Caetano’s debut solo album is often considered the first glance of what came to be known as Tropicalismo, a movement that radicalized MPB aesthetics by mixing the popular with the avant-garde, the Brazilian with the international.
Caetano made those intentions very clear in his self-titled album, bringing electric guitars, lyrics in Spanish, and tales of Brazilian day-to-day life to this album – which also gave us hits like “Alegria, Alegria” and the appropriately titled “Tropicália.”
Os Mutantes
Os Mutantes (1968)
It’s impossible to talk about Brazilian rock music without citing self-titled album, recording songs by Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, and Jorge Ben Jor.
The blend of psychedelic, experimental rock with irreverent writing and use of noise and unconventional “instruments” like an aerosol can in “Le Premier Bonheur Du Jou” makes Os Mutantes one of the most inventive and fun MPB albums.
Amanda Cavalcanti is a Brazilian writer and extreme music enthusiast. She has bylines in Bandcamp Daily, The Wire Magazine, Remezcla, among other publications.
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A Tábua De EsmeraldaJorge Ben2020MPB, Samba, BossanovaVinyl, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, Remastered
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