Titãs

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  • Genres: Rock

Biography

One of the most important groups of the Brazilian rock style that blossomed in the '80s, Titãs' singularity was affirmed by their intelligent lyrics, which sometimes resorted to concrete poetry and social criticism. The group eventually became mainstream and lost their cutting edge through orchestrations and a declared pop approach, simultaneously selling one million copies of their Acústico album. The band was formed in São Paulo in 1982 (at first called Titãs do Lê-iê) by Arnaldo Antunes (vocals and main songwriter), Ciro Pessoa (vocals), Paulo Miklos (vocal, saxophone), Marcelo Fromer (guitar), Sérgio Brito (keyboards), Toni Belotto (guitar), Branco Melo (vocals), Nando Reis (bass), and André Jung (drums).

In the late '70s, Fromer, Belotto, and Melo were the Trio Mamão. Four other musicians joined, and the new group formed was called Maldade. Reis and Miklos were in the group Sossega Leão. Reis also played with the Camarões, while Miklos also worked with the Bom Quixote. Paulo Miklos and Arnaldo Antunes also played in the Aguilar & Banda Performática. Melo, Pessoa, and Charles Gavin were the Jetsons. Gavin, who would later join the group, was playing with Ira.

In that period, a group of composers with popular inclination (like Arrigo Barnabé, Grupo Rumo, Itamar Assumpção, and Premê) constituted a core of vanguard musicians who became known as Vanguarda Paulistana (São Paulo city vanguard). They met at the Lira Paulistana theatre. In this encouraging atmosphere, new bands were formed and presented their works.

In August 1982, the Titãs do Lê-iê opened in that theatre (without Jung). Departing from a common background constituted by the Beatles and Tropicalia, they began to write their own material, which was quite strange, beginning with the song titles: "Bichos Escrotos," "Sonífera Ilha," and "Lilian, a Suja." As time passed, they began to incorporate other music into their sound, like funk, new wave, pop, reggae, and disco, always organizing their shows around a dance concept. Their stage presence was marked by an aggressive and rough choreography.

In 1983, the group was already known as Titãs and lost Pessoa, who departed for Cabine C. Before recording their first single, Titãs became regular TV attractions on shows like Chacrinha, Bolinha, Barros de Alencar, Raul Gil, and Hebe Camargo. The contrast of their experimental performances with the middle-class common sense of these shows (except Chacrinha, which can be understood as one of the best proponents of the Tropicalia spirit) made it evident that the group didn't fit -- not even in the Brazilian rock ranks, which were generally quite well-behaved compared to them.

In spite of the demos sent to recording companies, the best offers they received were to record compilations with several artists, but they refused, as they agreed that only one song wouldn't be enough to present the diversity of their work and they would run the risk of being tagged with that song's style. Their first LP came out in August 1984 through WEA. Titãs brought the naïve hits "Sonífera Ilha" and "Marvin," and sold only 50,000 copies. One of the reasons for the bad reception was the release of "Sonífera Ilha" as a single. This was followed by a national tour where the spontaneity of old times was abandoned. The group's choreography was now done by a professional. Before the end of the year, the band participated in a high-audience TV Globo special, and André Jung departed for Ira, at the same time that Ira's Charles Gavin joined Titãs.

In 1985, their second release, Televisão, was recorded. The album, with production by Lulu Santos and artistic direction by Liminha, was released in June. The record sold 100,000 copies and was lauded by critics who approved of their hardcore focus; crude aggressivity blended with corny, brega elements; and pop and contemporary grooves.

On November 13, 1985, Tony Belotto was arrested with 30 mg of heroin, which he confessed to getting from Arnaldo Antunes. The police searched Antunes' apartment and found 158 mg of the drug, arresting him immediately. Belotto was freed by bail as an addicted Antunes remained in jail until December 9. After their condemnations, both served their sentences in liberty. The denunciation, though it didn't provoke the splitting of the band, produced the cancellation of 13 shows. The situation was recorded on Gavin's "Estado Violência" (initially called "A Lei Que eu Não Queria").

In April 1986, the band recorded Cabeça Dinossauro. Under the impact of the police episode, the album brought "Estado Violência" and "Polícia." The songs yielded a generalized criticism against the institutions named in the titles -- "Igreja" (church) and "Família" (family) -- along with other controversial tunes, such as "Porrada" and "Dívidas." "Bichos Escrotos," from their early times, was vetoed by censorship due to its profanity, but circumstance obviously propelled the success of the song, which was soon played on several radio stations in edited versions. The album, released in June, was received as a masterpiece. The album sold 380,000 copies and was elected by the major newspaper Jornal do Brasil (Rio), along with some artists, as the best album of the '80s. In Rio, they played with great success at the Teatro Carlos Gomes, and their trail of aggressiveness followed them there, where their fans destroyed the theatre's seats.

In November 1997, Jesus Não Tem Dentes no País dos Banguelas was released. The album sold 250,000 copies with the introduction of programmable electronics and more sophisticated arrangements. "Nome Aos Bois" lists a row of fascists and "Lugar Nenhum" assaults the notion of a nation. This album was also well-received by critics. The album was presented in Rio on January 6, 1988, and in São Paulo six days later, both during the Hollywood Rock Festival, where they surpassed their competition, who included the Pretenders. This phase introduced packed stadiums in the band's day-to-day life.

On July 8, the band recorded the live album Go back with their hits in a performance at the Montreux Festival, on a rock night shared with T'Pau and 10,000 Maniacs. The show's audience was very cold, but the album sold 320,000 copies in Brazil.

In 1989, the band recorded their sixth album, Ô Blésq Bom, which recovered elements very dear to Tropicalia, mixing a duo of Northeastern cantadores with lyrics about diseases ("O Pulso") and morbidity ("Flores"). The album sold 230,000 copies, and a national tour followed.

In 1992, Antunes left the group to follow his solo career. Titãs continued their successful path with the WEA albums Tudo ao Mesmo Tempo Agora, Titanomaquia, Domingo, and Acústico, which sold one million copies. ~ Alvaro Neder, Rovi
Titãs

Titãs performing live in Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, in 2006. From left to right: Paulo Miklos, Sergio Britto, Tony Bellotto, Charles Gavin and Branco Mello.
Background information
Origin São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Genres Alternative rock, post-punk, new wave, punk rock, Brazilian rock
Years active 1981–present
Labels Warner Music Group
Walt Disney/Hollywood (US)
Abril Music
Sony Music
Arsenal Music
Associated acts Os Camarões
Kleiderman
Trio Mamão
Cabine C
Banda Performática
RPM
Ira!
Tribalistas
Nando Reis e os Infernais
Radio Taxi
Website http://www.titas.net/
http://www.endino.com/titas/
Members
Paulo Miklos
Tony Bellotto
Branco Mello
Sérgio Britto
Past members
André Jung
Arnaldo Antunes
Nando Reis
Ciro Pessoa
Marcelo Fromer
Charles Gavin

Titãs are a rock band from São Paulo, Brazil. Their best-known line up is the one in the album Cabeça Dinossauro (1986): Nando Reis (bass guitar, vocals), Branco Mello (vocals), Marcelo Fromer (guitar), Arnaldo Antunes (vocals), Tony Bellotto (guitar), Paulo Miklos (sax, mandolin, harmonica, vocals), Charles Gavin (drums) and Sérgio Britto (keyboards, vocals). Out of these, only Mello, Bellotto, Miklos, and Britto remained in the band as of today.

Titãs are one of the most successful bands in Brazil, having sold more than 6.3 million albums[1] and having been covered by several well-known Brazilian artists and a couple of international singers.[2]

They started their career with nine members on its line-up. Apart from Reis, Mello, Fromer, Antunes, Bellotto, Miklos and Britto, they had also Ciro Pessoa as lead singer. However, he quickly left the band even before the first album, Titãs was released. André Jung was the current drummer in the beginning, but just after Titãs was released, he also quit and was replaced by current drummer Charles Gavin. This formation kept the same until 1992, when Antunes left the band to pursue a solo career. Same did Reis in 2002, after the release of A Melhor Banda de Todos os Tempos da Última Semana. Before that, however, Fromer was killed in July 2001 when a motorcycle rammed him at Avenida Europa, São Paulo. In 2010, Gavin left the band due to personal reasons.

The band has released their new album in June 2009, titled Sacos Plásticos (Plastic Bags).[3] The first single from the album was "Antes de Você" ("Before You"),[4] and it received radio airplay on May 7.[5] The second single was "Porque Eu Sei que É Amor" ("Because I Know It's Love") and it reached #16 at Brasil Hot 100 Airplay [6]

Contents

History

Beginnings and first works

Most of the band members met at Colégio Equipe in São Paulo at the end of the seventies and, after their first live performance at the school itself in 1981, the band began to perform live in several night clubs around the city. The first formation was: Arnaldo Antunes (vocals), Branco Mello (vocals), Marcelo Fromer (guitar), Nando Reis (bass), Paulo Miklos (sax and vocals), Sérgio Britto (keyboards and vocals), Tony Bellotto (guitar), Ciro Pessoa (vocals) and André Jung (drums). It was a pop/New Wave-styled band, with a rather conventional sound and odd looks, with tender and little ball neckties. In 1984, without Ciro Pessoa, who left over a disagreement about André Jung's drumming skills, the band signed with the WEA label to record their first album, Titãs, produced by Pena Schimdt, and featuring songs previously recorded with Pessoas's vocals. Although poorly promoted and hardly a success, the band spawned their first hit: "Sonífera Ilha", later recorded by singer Moraes Moreira.

In 1985, with Charles Gavin replacing André Jung on drums (the latter going on to Ira!), their second album, Televisão, produced by Lulu Santos, was released with tighter arrangements than their debut album. Not only was the title track a great hit, the album was more heavily promoted than the first one and brought more opportunities to the group.

Up to the Spotlights

In November 1985, Tony Bellotto and Arnaldo Antunes were arrested for heroin traffic and transportation.[7] The episode made so much of an impact in the band, the next album, Cabeça Dinossauro, released in June 1986, contained a lot of tracks criticizing the public institutions ("Estado Violência" and "Polícia"), as well as other "pillars" of the Brazilian society and indeed society in general ("Igreja" and "Família"). The heavy and punk-influenced rhythms and the forceful lyrics, characteristic of the band in this phase, are fully represented in this album which is considered by the critics one of the best works of the group and one of the landmarks of the Brazilian rock.

Jesus Não Tem Dentes No País Dos Banguelas, released at the end of 1987, continued in the same vein as the previous album in tracks like "Nome aos Bois", "Lugar Nenhum" and "Desordem", however adding samplers in tracks like "Corações e Mentes", "Todo Mundo quer Amor", "Comida" and "Diversão". After some international performances, the band recorded some of their hits in live Montreux Festival and released Go Back in 1988. The biggest hit to come out of Go Back was a live version of the song "Marvin" which is a re-invented version of "Patches" by Dicky Lee made famous by Elvis.

The producer Liminha (a former adjunct member of Os Mutantes) was always an important associate of the band since Cabeça Dinossauro, and this association arrived to its climax in Õ Blésq Blom, one of the most popular productions of the band by that time. Some of the prominence tracks: "Miséria", "Flores", "O Pulso" and "32 Dentes". One of the prominent features of this work was the special guest appearance of a couple of improvisors, called Mauro and Quitéria, discovered by the band in a beach in Recife.

The First Changes

The band had arrived to a decisive point in its history and the next album, Tudo Ao Mesmo Tempo Agora mark a strong yaw at the musicians' style, searching for heavier, alternative and authorial sound, along with scatological lyrics. The members themselves produced the album and the work was possibly the final reason for Arnaldo Antunes to leave for a solo career. The following album, Titanomaquia, in 1993, continued the previous work in a way, with heavy instrumentation and aggressive lyrics, only now produced by Jack Endino, producer of important bands like Nirvana, which contributioned for the grunge-influenced sound.

The MTV Unplugged Era

Titãs, as depicted in their MTV Unplugged album. Standing, from left to right: Marcello Fromer, Paulo Miklos, Branco Mello and Nando Reis. Sitting, from left to right: Sergio Britto, Charles Gavin and Tony Bellotto.

In 1995 the band decided to take a break for one year during which many of its members decided to work solo or work with other bands (most notably Nando Reis), or to do different activities. Tony Bellotto, for example, wrote his first book.

By releasing Domingo at the end of 1995, the band definitively took up a pop sound, but its popularity only reached a second climax on the commemorative work, Titãs - Acústico MTV (MTV Unplugged), their most successful album, released in 1997, which sold 1,7 million copies. Recorded Live, MTV Acustico not only revisited their career up to that point but it also had a song which became an immediate hit named "Pra dizer Adeus".

This record was followed by Volume Dois, modelled in the same way of their unplugged album, only recorded in studio.

The record of covers of others artists in As Dez Mais wasn't very sucssesful (despite Aluga-se's and Pelados em Santos' charting) and the band decided to make another interval in 2000.

On June 11, 2001 Marcelo Fromer was rammed by a motorcycle[8] in São Paulo and died two days later of Brain death.[9] It was a hard stroke to the band, which started recording their new album the day after. A Melhor Banda de Todos os Tempos da Última Semana was released at the end of 2001 and brought "Epitáfio" as the prominence song (a-side of the title track) which could represent the moment lived by the band that, after losing Marcelo Fromer, saw the departure of Nando Reis, who currently leads a successful solo career with many singles prominent in Brazilian charts (including songs penned for other artists) fronting his own band Nando Reis e os Infernais.

Regarding the death of Marcelo, this statement was published on June 20, 2001 at Titãs official site:[10]

Despite the pain that Marcelo's absence has caused, we have decided to enter the studio to record this record that we created and arranged together with him, about which we were -- and still are -- enthusiastic. We feel that the best way to overcome this difficult moment is to continue with what always held us together: the music. Once again, thanks for all the support and kindness from fans and friends.


After Nando's departure

The band hired the bassist Lee Marcucci (from Radio Taxi) to play in their album Como Estão Vocês? (How Are You?). As this album was released, the five remaining members continued to write the history of more than 20 years of the band. With self-help hits as "Enquanto Houver Sol", questions on relevance remain on Titãs' side, which faced declining sales and the ageing of their fanbase.


In 2005, they released another MTV-branded album, only this time in a non-acoustic live performance. This album generated a new hit for the group, called "Vossa Excelência", that basically criticizes the hypocrisy and lack of care from politicians, thus bringing the band back to its roots. It was seen as another opportunistic stunt by Brazilian critics, as the song was released exactly when Lula's government was facing manifold accusations of corruption.

On February 18, 2006, Titãs opened the Rolling Stones free concert at Copacabana beach, Rio de Janeiro for an audience of some 1.5 million people.[11]

In 2007, the band started a tour, entitled 25 Anos de Rock (25 Years of Rock), joining Os Paralamas do Sucesso to celebrate the 25th anniversary of both bands, as well as the 25th anniversary of the rising of 1980s Brazilian rock bands. The two line-ups played together most of the time on the shows, presenting also some invited musicians, like Arnaldo Antunes, Andreas Kisser and Dado Villa-Lobos. The concert in Rio de Janeiro, which took place at January 26, 2008, was recorded and filmed. The resulting CD and DVD from the show were released five months after.

Documentary and Sacos Plásticos

Paulo Miklos (left), Branco Mello (center) and Tony Bellotto (right) performing live in 2008.

The band released a documentary of the 25 years of their career. The documentary features 90 minutes of images collected since the beginning of the band, including recording of albums, live performances, and more. It is titled "Titãs - A Vida Até Parece Uma Festa".[12]

For most of 2008 and early 2009, the band recorded their latest studio album, the Latin Grammy-winner[13] Sacos Plásticos. The album was released on June 3, 2009, through Arsenal Music. The producer, Rick Bonadio, had already worked with artists such as Fresno and NX Zero.[14] The first single from the album was "Antes de Você" ("Before You"). It was featured at the Caras & Bocas (current 19pm Rede Globo telenovela) soundtrack.[4] The second single was "Porque Eu Sei que É Amor" (Because I Know It's Love) which was featured in Cama de Gato (a Brazilian telenovela that also features the song "Pelo Avesso" as opening theme, from their 2003 album Como Estão Vocês?).

In an interview to Jornal da Tarde, and regarding the music of the new album, Bonadio stated:[15]

They have an endless talent. I don't want to make just another album of Titãs, don't want it to be similar to the others. I ended up proposing some electronic stuff, and they accepted it immedeatly. There are songs with no drums, songs with various electronic elements. That's an example of how to become mature and keep this professional conscience. They are ethic with their sound, but are not dumb.


Gavin's departure, tour and 30th birthday

On February 12, 2010, Titãs announced in their official website that drummer Charles Gavin would leave the band for personal reasons.[16] Gavin later stated that he was physically and mentally exhausted because of the tours and album releases.[17] The quartet will continue their performances of the Sacos Plásticos tour with drummer Mario Fabre.[16]

During an interview, keyboardist Sérgio Britto said the band is planning to start recording a new album in 2011.[18]

On January 2012, the band announced a live performance in company of ex-members Arnaldo Antunes, Nando Reis and Charles Gavin.[19] The show will celebrate the 30 years of career of the band, and will include guest performances of other friends of the band, and may be released as a DVD[19]. According to vocalist, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Paulo Miklos[19]:

We are going to call ex-Titãs and other great friends and contemporaries to a great party. Everyone who was part of our history will be invited. We cannot give more details, because we need to concatenate schedules to turn this dream of ours into reality.


Members

Current members

Past members

Touring members

  • Emerson Villani (1998, 2001–2007) - Guitar, backing vocals
  • André Fonseca (2007–2009) - Guitar
  • Lee Marcucci (2002–2009) - Bass
  • Mário Fabre (2010–present) - Drums

Discography

Awards

References

  1. ^ Number of records sold at País dos Banguelas
  2. ^ Titãs' covers by other artists at País dos Banguelas
  3. ^ Sacos Plásticos - Titãs official website
  4. ^ a b "Com novo álbum quase pronto, Titãs anuncia primeiro ‘single’" (in Portuguese). Canal Pop. 2009-01-29. Archived from the original on 2009-07-24. http://web.archive.org/web/20090724111201/http://geocities.com/Hollywood/Land/3290/. Retrieved 2009-01-29. 
  5. ^ Correa, Paola (2009-05-06). ""Antes de você" lança nova fase do Titãs" (in Portuguese). O Diário de S. Paulo. http://oglobo.globo.com/diariosp/toqueadiante/posts/2009/05/06/antes-de-voce-lanca-nova-fase-do-titas-183538.asp. Retrieved 2009-05-08. 
  6. ^ Brasil Hot 100 Airplay
  7. ^ Titãs history at the official website
  8. ^ Rondon, José Eduardo (2001-06-12). "Marcelo Fromer, do Titãs, é atropelado em SP e está em estado grave" (in Portuguese). Folha Online. http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/folha/ilustrada/ult90u14401.shtml. Retrieved 2008-04-19. 
  9. ^ "Exames clínicos comprovam morte cerebral do músico Marcelo Fromer" (in Portuguese). Folha Online. 2001-06-13. http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/folha/ilustrada/ult90u14464.shtml. Retrieved 2008-04-19. 
  10. ^ MARCELO FROMER (03 Dec 1961 - 13 June 2001) - A True Titan - Jack Endino's official website
  11. ^ "Titãs ! Live in Concert ! Brazilian Rock !". SF Station. http://www.sfstation.com/tit-s-live-in-concert-brazilian-rock-e26357. Retrieved 2009-01-29. 
  12. ^ Alencar, Juliana (2008-05-15). "Documentário sobre os 25 anos dos Titãs resgata história da banda em imagens inéditas" (in Portuguese). O Globo. http://oglobo.globo.com/cultura/mat/2008/05/14/documentario_sobre_os_25_anos_dos_titas_resgata_historia_da_banda_em_imagens_ineditas-427380434.asp. Retrieved 2008-07-09. 
  13. ^ Los ganadores del Latin GRAMMY
  14. ^ Camargo, Raquel (2008-10-17). "Com gravadora nova, Titãs trabalha em seu próximo lançamento" (in Portuguese). Cifraclub.com. http://cifraclub.terra.com.br/noticias/8378-com-gravadora-nova-titas-trabalha-em-seu-proximo-lancamento.html. Retrieved 2008-10-23. 
  15. ^ Bezzi, Marco (2009-02-16). "'Los Hermanos é a banda mais chata que eu já escutei'" (in Portuguese). Jornal da Tarde. http://txt.jt.com.br/editorias/2009/02/16/var-1.94.12.20090216.1.1.xml. Retrieved 2009-02-19. 
  16. ^ a b "Comunicado Titãs". Titãs' official site. February 12, 2010. http://www.titas.net/news/index.php?acao=view&id=822&interface=0. Retrieved February 12, 2010. 
  17. ^ Nascimento, André (14 February 2010). "Titãs: Charles Gavin revela motivos de saída da banda" (in Portuguese). Whiplash.net. http://whiplash.net/materias/news_866/102915-titas.html. Retrieved 16 February 2010. 
  18. ^ Campanharo, Carol; Marmo, Hérica (May 25, 2010). "Titãs: Sérgio Britto fala sobre a saída de Charles Gavin" (in Portuguese). Extra.com. http://extra.globo.com/lazer/sessaoextra/posts/2010/05/25/titas-sergio-britto-fala-sobre-saida-de-charles-gavin-294554.asp. Retrieved 12 July 2010. 
  19. ^ a b c Matos, Carlos Eduardo (21 January 2012). "21/01/2012 22h29 - Atualizado em 21/01/2012 22h37 Titãs anunciam show de 30 anos com ex-integrantes no palco" (in Portuguese). Manaus: G1. http://g1.globo.com/amazonas/noticia/2012/01/titas-anunciam-show-de-30-anos-com-ex-integrantes-no-palco.html. Retrieved 22 January 2012. 
  20. ^ Troféu Imprensa 1987
  21. ^ Troféu Imprensa 1988
  22. ^ a b "Troféu Imprensa 1997" (in Portuguese). http://www.chancedegol.com.br/hugo/1997.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-01. 
  23. ^ Troféu Imprensa 1998
  24. ^ a b c d e f g h "Prêmio Multishow 2008" (in Portuguese). http://www.multishowfm.globolog.com.br/archive_2008_07_08_43.html. Retrieved 2009-01-01. 
  25. ^ Filme / Doc. Musical do Ano

External links


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Copyrights:

Mentioned in

Como Estão Vocês? (2004 Album by Titãs)
12 de Janeiro (1995 Album by Nando Reis)
Cabeça Dinossauro (1986 Album by Titãs)
Titanomaquia (1993 Album by Titãs)
Sérgio Britto (World Artist, '80s-2000s)