Os Mutantes

The fact that Os Mutantes was ahead of its time is well illustrated by the fascination of late 90s North American alternative-rockers with the band’s mix-and-match aesthetic. Even in another language, the message is clear: everything’s fair game. For all the tripped-out sounds of the late 60s, there is little to compare to Os Mutantes’ combination of pop packaging and avant garde weirdness. Formed in 1965 by brothers Sérgio Dias (b. Sérgio Dias Baptista, 1 December 1951, São Paulo, Brazil) and Arnaldo Baptista (b. Arnaldo Dias Baptista, 6 July 1948, São Paulo, Brazil) and singer Rita Lee (b. Rita Lee Jones, 31 December 1947, São Paulo, Brazil) and with the technical expertise of another brother Cláudio behind them, the band first made a real impact backing singer Gilberto Gil at the 1967 TV Records song festival. They shocked the audience with their wild style and electric guitars. The following year at São Paulo’s International Song Festival, they accompanied Caetano Veloso as he performed ‘É Proibido Proibir’ (It’s Forbidden To Forbid), and the band’s psychedelic sound and progressive fashion sense (plastic clothes) again caused an outrage. That same year they recorded their self-titled debut album and also appeared with Gil, Veloso, Tom Zé, and others on the landmark Tropicália Ou Panis Et Circensis, the battle cry of the tropicália movement. On subsequent albums Mutantes (1969) and A Divina Comédia Ou Ando Meio Desligado (1970), they continued to plunder rock and Brazilian roots to stunning effect. During the early 70s, the band put out several more records, descending gradually into the realm of noodling progressive rock. Rita Lee left the band in 1972 following the release of E Seus Cometas No Pais Do Baurets and went on to a successful solo career. Arnaldo departed shortly thereafter in a cloud of acrimony, leaving Sérgio as the sole remaining founding member. Various line-ups continued to record under the Os Mutantes name before disbanding in 1978. The brothers patched up their differences to reunite for a live show at London, England’s Barbican Arts Centre on 22 May 2006.