V (Legião Urbana album)
Encyclopedia
V is the fifth studio album
by the Brazil
ian rock
band Legião Urbana
. It was released in December 15, 1991.
's government and Renato Russo
's drug dependence. In 1991, Russo discovered he had AIDS
, just like Cazuza
. Russo wrote a song in his honor named "Feedback Song for a Dying Friend", present in Legião's previous album
. However, unlike Cazuza, Russo never assumed in public his disease.
Vs songs are characterized by a dark, medieval influence: the first track, "Love Song", is an adaptation of a love poem written in Galician-Portuguese
by Nuno Fernandes Torneol in the 13th century. The eerie setting continues in "Metal Contra as Nuvens", the longest song of the band, and "A Ordem dos Templários", who uses samples
of Guillaume de Machaut
's "Douce Dame Jolie".
"A Montanha Mágica" speaks about drug dependence. "O Teatro dos Vampiros" references the economic crisis of Brazil at the time and its intro was adapted from Pachelbel's Canon.
However, the last tracks of the album are slightly happier, such as "Sereníssima", "L'Âge d'Or", "O Mundo Anda Tão Complicado" and "Vento no Litoral", that was later re-recorded by Cássia Eller
. The last track of the album, "Come Share My Life", is an adaptation of an American
folk song.
V sold a little less than the previous album As Quatro Estações: only 700,000 copies. The tour that promoted the album was the shortest of the band, lasting only from July to September 1992, due to Russo's alcoholic crisis.
Additional personnel
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by the Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Legião Urbana
Legião Urbana
Legião Urbana were a Brazilian rock band formed in 1982 in Brasília, Distrito Federal. The band primarily consisted of Renato Russo , Dado Villa-Lobos and Marcelo Bonfá...
. It was released in December 15, 1991.
History
The album reflects two situations: the economic crisis Brazil suffered during Fernando Collor de MelloFernando Collor de Mello
Fernando Affonso Collor de Mello was the 32nd president of Brazil from 1990 to 1992, when he resigned in a failed attempt to stop his trial of impeachment by the Brazilian Senate...
's government and Renato Russo
Renato Russo
Renato Russo was a Brazilian singer and songwriter. His first band was a punk rock band called "Aborto Elétrico" . The band then broke up and split in two different ones: "Capital Inicial" and "Legião Urbana"...
's drug dependence. In 1991, Russo discovered he had AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, just like Cazuza
Cazuza
Agenor Miranda Araújo Neto, better known as Cazuza was a Brazilian composer and singer, born in Rio de Janeiro. Along with Raul Seixas, Renato Russo and Os Mutantes, Cazuza is considered one of the best exponents of Brazilian rock music....
. Russo wrote a song in his honor named "Feedback Song for a Dying Friend", present in Legião's previous album
As Quatro Estações
As Quatro Estações is the fourth studio album by Brazilian rock band Legião Urbana. It was released on October 26, 1989...
. However, unlike Cazuza, Russo never assumed in public his disease.
Vs songs are characterized by a dark, medieval influence: the first track, "Love Song", is an adaptation of a love poem written in Galician-Portuguese
Galician-Portuguese
Galician-Portuguese or Old Portuguese was a West Iberian Romance language spoken in the Middle Ages, in the northwest area of the Iberian Peninsula. It was first spoken in the area bounded in the north and west by the Atlantic Ocean and the Douro River in the south but it was later extended south...
by Nuno Fernandes Torneol in the 13th century. The eerie setting continues in "Metal Contra as Nuvens", the longest song of the band, and "A Ordem dos Templários", who uses samples
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
of Guillaume de Machaut
Guillaume de Machaut
Guillaume de Machaut was a Medieval French poet and composer. He is one of the earliest composers on whom significant biographical information is available....
's "Douce Dame Jolie".
"A Montanha Mágica" speaks about drug dependence. "O Teatro dos Vampiros" references the economic crisis of Brazil at the time and its intro was adapted from Pachelbel's Canon.
However, the last tracks of the album are slightly happier, such as "Sereníssima", "L'Âge d'Or", "O Mundo Anda Tão Complicado" and "Vento no Litoral", that was later re-recorded by Cássia Eller
Cássia Eller
Cássia Rejane Eller was a Brazilian musician. She performed a fusion of rock and MPB.- Biography :After spending most of her adolescence in Brasília, Eller dropped out of high school and returned to her birthplace of Rio de Janeiro, where she began a career as a recording artist...
. The last track of the album, "Come Share My Life", is an adaptation of an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
folk song.
V sold a little less than the previous album As Quatro Estações: only 700,000 copies. The tour that promoted the album was the shortest of the band, lasting only from July to September 1992, due to Russo's alcoholic crisis.
Track listing
Personnel
Legião Urbana- Renato RussoRenato RussoRenato Russo was a Brazilian singer and songwriter. His first band was a punk rock band called "Aborto Elétrico" . The band then broke up and split in two different ones: "Capital Inicial" and "Legião Urbana"...
: vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and keyboardsMusical keyboardA musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the... - Dado Villa-LobosDado Villa-LobosDado Villa-Lobos is a Brazilian musician, best known as the ex-guitarist of post-punk band Legião Urbana. Along with singer Renato Russo and drummer Marcelo Bonfá, he was one of the founding members of that band, who formed in Brasilia in 1982...
: electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker... - Marcelo BonfáMarcelo BonfáMarcelo Augusto Bonfá , also known simply as Bonfá, is a Brazilian musician. Famous for being the drummer of the famous rock band Legião Urbana, after its disestablishment he started to follow solo career, releasing three albums as of yet.-Biography:Bonfá was born in the city of Itapira, in the...
: drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
and percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
Additional personnel
- Bruno Araújo: electric bassElectric BassElectric bass can mean:*Electric upright bass, the electric version of a double bass*Electric bass guitar*Bass synthesizer*Big Mouth Billy Bass, a battery-powered singing fish...
Trivia
- V was the first album by Legião to not feature any music videoMusic videoA music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for its songs. - The track "A Montanha Mágica" shares its title with Thomas MannThomas MannThomas Mann was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and 1929 Nobel Prize laureate, known for his series of highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novellas, noted for their insight into the psychology of the artist and the intellectual...
's 19241924 in literatureThe year 1924 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* Ford Madox Ford publishes the first book of a four-volume work titled Parade's End published between 1924 and 1928.-New books:*Michael Arlen - The Green Hat...
novel The Magic MountainThe Magic MountainThe Magic Mountain is a novel by Thomas Mann, first published in November 1924. It is widely considered to be one of the most influential works of 20th century German literature....
.