Brazil Classics, Vol. 1: Beleza Tropical

1	Ponta de Lança Africano (Umbabarauma) / Ben Jr. 3:52
2	Sonho Meu / Gal Costa 2:52
3	Só Quero Um Xodó / Gilberto Gil 4:53
4	Un Um Canto de Afoxé Para O Cloco de Ilê (Ilê Ayê) / Caetano Veloso 3:03
5	O Leãozinho / Caetano Veloso 3:06
6	Caçada / Chico Buarque 3:03
7	Calice / Milton Nascimento 4:03
8	Equatorial / Lô Borges 3:12
9	San Vicente / Milton Nascimento 2:42
10	Quilombo, O el Dorado Negro / Gilberto Gil 4:42
11	Caramba! ... Galileu da Galiléia / Ben Jr. 2:29
12	Caixa de Sol / Nazare Pereira 3:27
13	Maculele / Nazare Pereira 2:29
14	Queixa / Caetano Veloso 4:24
15	Andar Com Fe (To Walk With Faith) / Gilberto Gil 3:19
16	Fio Maravilha / Ben Jr. 2:15
17	Anima / Milton Nascimento 4:12
18	Terra / Caetano Veloso 6:43

Barnes & Noble

Americans had been fascinated with the weightless elegance of Brazilian bossa nova since Stan Getz hooked up with Joao Gilberto in 1964, but David Byrne's groundbreaking 1989 compilation, Brazil Classics 1: Beleza Tropical, presented an entirely new vision of Brazilian pop. Culling together '70s and '80s tracks by avant-garde artists (Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, Caetano Veloso) as well as Afrocentric soulsters (Milton Nascimento, Jorge Ben), Byrne presented a polyglot pop that was as blithe as '60s bossa nova and as adventurous as his own work with the Talking Heads. On Beleza, the bossa rhythm is turned into an elastic springboard for wild experimentation -- from Jorge Ben's gritty funk to Caetano Veloso's stately art-pop to Gilberto Gil's airy crooning and Nazare Pereira's entrancing party jams. Throughout, state-of-the-art production and a very postmodern sense of eclecticism effect an album that was (and is) as constantly challenging as it is endlessly satisfying. Loopy and lush, stylish and scintillating, this is the kind of album whose constantly varying hues and textures will always present the listener with fresh perspectives. Jon Dolan

All Music Guide

Brazil Classics, Beleza Tropical is the first in a series compiled by Talking Heads singer David Byrne that preceded the big wave of interest in Tropicalia during the late '90s by almost a decade. Performers include such influential Brazilian figures as Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, and Jorge Ben, with several songs from each. The selected recordings span the 1970s and '80s, also including tracks from Milton Nascimento, Nazare Pereira, and more. The liner notes feature the original lyrics as well as their English translations. Joslyn Layne