Gilberto Gil

Gilberto Gil’s second album is packed with some of the best songs of his career; jubilant pop extravaganzas like Domingo No Parque, Pega a Voga, Cabeludo, and Frevo Rasgado that were equally inspired by the irresistible, brassy bombast of Carnaval and intelligent rock and roll from America and Britain. Even more than the other Tropicalistas, though, Gil blends his rock and native influences seamlessly, resulting in songs like Ele Falava Nisso Todo Dia, which chart an intriguing fusion of Brazilian and British Invasion (before he breaks into Portuguese for the first verse, the intro sounds exactly like a few early Rolling Stones productions). Gil’s occasional backing band, the teenage Tropicalia breakouts known as Os Mutantes, join in on the feelgood Brazilian pop anthem Domingou. Enjoyable and never as experimental as his work would soon become, Gilberto Gil 1968 is one of the best Tropicalia albums ever released.