Diamonds in the mud (1)

_“Polished diamonds can be found also in the settled sludge on bottom of the river; just turn up your sleeves, reach out and grab one for yourself. And then share it with others.”_

Os Mutantes ● A Divina Comédia ou Ando Meio Desligado (1970) ● Nevertheless the widely fixed notion, hallucinogenic haze of the sixties didn’t hit only the new continent - on the wings of secretly imported vinyl tapes, radio waves and subtropical monsoons it reached also the sultry streets of São Paulo where it was transformed into a group that really justified its name. A Divina Comédia ou Ando Meio Desligado, in translation The Divine Comedy or I Walk a Bit Disconnected, was already the third album of these eccentric colour-bearers of the tropicalia movement; album on which they took their characteristic sound brew-up of the decade to an absolute perfection. Of course, echoes of the for-the-likes-of-us outlandish Brazil pop can still be found here, thank god, as well as other musical arsenal typical for Os Mutantes, but now everything is bubbling below the surface of the pure rock psychedelia. Right away the first tune, Ando Meio Desligado, with a bouncing piano and joplinish climax, shows us that nowadays classical line-up – brothers Arnaldo and Sérgio Dias Baptista and legendary Rita Lee - were at their very best when working on this gem. Mind-bending ride Quem Tem Medo de Brincar de Amor just confirms the previous statement so the rest of the record can flow without distractions: whether as a sweet pop (Desculpe, Babe), at the first sight seriously meant Janet-like song with a talkative title (Meu Refrigerador Não Funciona), fair return to the roots in five words (Preciso Urgentemente Encontrar Um Amigo), or ultimate show-down with local musical scene (Chão de Estrelas). All of it without a slightest faltering and with an unseen concentration of great ideas on a square meter. Quien a buen árbol se arrima buena sombra le cobija :-) ● 10 / 10