Araçá Azul

After an exile of 2 years in London, Veloso recorded Araçá Azul in São Paulo over a single week at Eldorado Studio, the only studio in Brazil equipped with 8-channel recording technology at that time. Veloso reports that he made the record alone, with help from a technician and his assistant, under permission of then president of PolyGram, André Midani. He used experimental techniques to record the album, recording "Épico" in an avenue in São Paulo.{{cite web|title=Experimentalismo, censura e partes íntimas: artistas revelam segredos de 5 capas clássicas da MPB|url=https://musica.uol.com.br/noticias/redacao/2013/07/03/experimentalismo-censura-e-partes-intimas-artistas-revelam-segredos-de-5-capas-classicas-da-mpb.htm|access-date=July 9, 2017|work=UOL|language=pt-BR}}

The album is characterized as experimental{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/ara%C3%A7%C3%A1-azul-mw0000526443|title=Araçá Azul - Caetano Veloso - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic|website=AllMusic|last=Jandovský|first=Philip}}{{cite web|last1=Feitosa|first1=Taynã|title=Quando a capa se torna mais famosa do que o conteúdo do disco|url=http://gazetaonline.globo.com/_conteudo/2013/06/noticias/cultura/1448210-quando-a-capa-se-torna-mais-famosa-do-que-o-conteudo-do-disco.html|website=A Gazeta|publisher=Rede Gazeta de Comunicações|access-date=August 6, 2014|language=pt|date=June 3, 2014|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304113733/http://gazetaonline.globo.com/_conteudo/2013/06/noticias/cultura/1448210-quando-a-capa-se-torna-mais-famosa-do-que-o-conteudo-do-disco.html|url-status=dead}} and avant-garde folk.{{cite web|title=Caetano Veloso - ARAÇÁ AZUL|url=http://osomdovinil.org/caetano-veloso-araca-azul|first=Tárik de|last=Souza|access-date=July 9, 2017|language=pt-BR}} It also draws influences from samba and psychedelic rock.{{cite web|title='S wonderful|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?fm20050420a1.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050420111826/http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?fm20050420a1.htm|archive-date=April 20, 2005|publisher=The Japan Times|first=Irma|last=Nunez|date=April 20, 2005|access-date=July 9, 2017}} It is influenced by Walter Franco.{{cite web|title=Walter Franco busca acerto de contas histórico|url=http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp/ilustrad/fq0910200918.htm|first=Marcus|last=Preto|date=October 9, 2009|access-date=July 26, 2017|language=pt-BR}}

The cover art is a photograph of Veloso, taken by photographer and director Ivan Cardoso,{{cite web|url=https://musica.uol.com.br/noticias/redacao/2013/07/03/experimentalismo-censura-e-partes-intimas-artistas-revelam-segredos-de-5-capas-classicas-da-mpb.htm|title=Experimentalismo, censura e partes íntimas: artistas revelam segredos de 5 capas clássicas da MPB|work=UOL|language=pt-BR|access-date=July 9, 2017}} and produced by Luciano Figueiredo and Oscar Ramos.

As registered in the first print of the LP, and confirmed by the artist himself and the record company, the album was released in November 1972 and broadly commercialized after January 1973.{{Cite book|title=Letra só; Sobre as letras / Caetano Veloso; organização Eucanaã Ferraz.|last=Veloso|first=Caetano|publisher=Companhia das Letras|year=2003|location=São Paulo|pages=326–327}} It was badly received by the general public, adding a mark as the most returned LP from that period.{{Cite book|title=Verdade Tropical|last=Veloso|first=Caetano|publisher=Companhia das Letras|year=2017|location=São Paulo|pages=473–478}}

{{Album ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1Score = {{Rating|3|5}}

}}

Upon release, Araçá Azul was acclaimed by critics. Antônio do Amaral Rocha of Rolling Stone Brazil placed the album at number 97 in the list of the 100 best Brazilian albums.{{cite web|url=http://grandeabobora.com/rolling-stone-brasil-elege-os-100-melhores-discos-de-musica-brasileira.html |title=Os 100 maiores discos da música brasileira |date=December 20, 2007 |publisher=Umas Linhas |language=pt |access-date=July 9, 2017 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20091008045334/http%3A//grandeabobora%2Ecom/rolling%2Dstone%2Dbrasil%2Delege%2Dos%2D100%2Dmelhores%2Ddiscos%2Dde%2Dmusica%2Dbrasileira%2Ehtml |archive-date=October 8, 2009 }} John Bohannon of PopMatters compared the album to Jean-Luc Godard's film Breathless, stating that both "were made at critical turning points in the histories of their mediums, and both stand as testaments to the innovative approaches of their creators."{{cite web|title=Finding Common Ground|url=http://www.popmatters.com/feature/finding-common-ground|publisher=PopMatters|first=John|last= Bohannon|date=June 25, 2008|access-date=July 9, 2017}}

Philip Jandovský of AllMusic gave it a less positive review, as he felt the album was too experimental and relying too much on sound effects, but said it was a good record "for a fan of experimental music or for someone in the right mood".

{{tracklist

| headline = Side one

| title1 = Viola, Meu Bem

| note1 = traditional

| length1 = 0:49

| title2 = De Conversa/Cravo e Canela

| note2 = Caetano Veloso, Milton Nascimento, Ronaldo Bastos

| length2 = 5:44

| title3 = Tu Me Acostumbraste

| note3 = Frank Domínguez

| length3 = 2:58

| title4 = Gilberto Misterioso

| note4 = Veloso, Sousândrade

| length4 = 4:50

| title5 = De Palavra em Palavra

| note5 = Veloso

| length5 = 1:20

| title6 = De Cara/Eu Quero Essa Mulher

| note6 = Veloso, Monsueto, Lanny Gordin, José Batista

| length6 = 4:14

}}

{{tracklist

| headline = Side two

| title7 = Sugar Cane Fields Forever

| note7 = Veloso, Sousândrade

| length7 = 10:15

| title8 = Júlia/Moreno

| note8 = Veloso

| length8 = 3:19

| title9 = Épico

| note9 = Veloso

| length9 = 4:06

| title10 = Araçá Azul

| note10 = Veloso

| length10 = 1:20

}}

Adapted from Discogs.{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/viewimages?release=382529|title=Images for Caetano Veloso - Araçá Azul|work=Discogs}}

• "De Conversa/Cravo e Canela" is listed as "Cravo e Canela" in the inner sleeve.
• "Gilberto Misterioso" is listed as "Gil Misterioso" in the inner sleeve.
• "De Cara/Quero Essa Mulher" is listed as "Quero Essa Mulher Assim Mesmo" in the inner sleeve.
• "Araçá Azul" is listed as "Araçá Blue" in the inner sleeve.

Adapted from Discogs.{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Caetano-Veloso-Ara%C3%A7%C3%A1-Azul/release/382529|title= Caetano Veloso – Araçá Azul |work=Discogs}}

{{div col}}

• Antonio Perna — piano {{small|(track 7)}}
• Caetano Veloso — producing
• Edith de Oliveira — vocals {{small|(tracks 1, 7)}}
• Ivan Cardoso — photograph
• Lanny — guitar {{small|(track 6)}}
• Luciano Oliveira — pandeiro {{small|(tracks 1, 7)}}
• Luciano Figueiredo — artwork
• Marcus Vinicius — technician
• Moacyr Albuquerque — bass {{small|(tracks 6, 7, 8)}}
• Milton Nascimento — cowriting
• Oscar Ramos — artwork
• Ronaldo Bastos — cowriting
• Rogério Duprat — arranging{{cite web|title=Rogério Duprat, 74, Producer of Defining Tropicália Albums, Dies|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/03/obituaries/rogerio-duprat-74-producer-of-defining-tropicalia-albums-dies.html|work=The New York Times|first=Ben|last=Ratliff|date=November 3, 2006|access-date=July 9, 2017}}
• Tusé de Abreu — flute {{small|(track 7)}}
• Tuti Moreno — percussion, drums, vibraphone {{small|(tracks 4, 6, 7, 8)}}

{{div col end}}

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Category:1972 albums

Category:Caetano Veloso albums

Category:1970s Portuguese-language albums

Category:PolyGram albums

Category:Philips Records albums

Category:Albums produced by Caetano Veloso

Category:Experimental music albums by Brazilian artists