[engl] Changing the original artwork of an album in certain territories was common practice back in the day, but using different band names in different countries is definitely something else. Die Anderen may or may not ring the bell, what about Kannibal Komix or Apocalypse? Well, they are exactly the same artists.They got together in the north of Germany after meeting in a talent show called Beat-Band-Ball in 1966. Jürgen Drews met the members of Chimes of Freedom, the winning band, and simply asked to join them as lead guitarist. Not long after, the manager renamed the group as Die Anderen and sent them to the recording studio with the great Giorgio Moroder, Ariola's in-house producer at the time, and a whole album was made. This was obviously much earlier than Moroder's Munich Sound days, so there are no traces of Italo disco gimmicks here but good portions of fuzzy guitars instead... In fact, the anthemic Kannibal Komix song 'Neurotic Reaction', produced by Moroder in these sessions, deserves to be included on a garage compilation next to classics like 'Try It' by The Standells... Maybe this explains why they were spotted at Hamburg's Star Club and picked by some American managers to sign a deal with Colossus Records. Their almost perfect vocal harmonies and soft psych tunes spiced with a pinch of fierce guitars made the band sound very interesting for the US market but the group needed a new name: Kannibal Komix (or Apocalypse in other territories). A second album followed but nothing really happened despite rising high expectations, and the band split by the end of 1969, almost at the same time that their second album hit the shops worldwide.While 'Neurotic Reaction' would be a perfect choice for an European "nuggets" comp, there is much more to this album than just that standout track. 'Cosy Rosy' leans towards prog sounds while keeping some solid pop elements that recall the best of the British Invasion, 'Elenor' is an almost perfect match between orchestral arrangements and the dramatic voice of band leader Jürgen Drews, resulting in a three minute psych-pop delight... And the remaining nine tracks are further top quality examples of the sort of sounds that made the late 60s such an exciting time, from tender moments to raw energy, always imaginatively arranged and performed.

[engl] Often overlooked, “Maravilhas Contemporâneas” is one of the greatest Brazilian albums of all time and one of the finest recordings on Som Livre.Just listen to Luiz Melodia singing to understand that his music escapes any attempt to strict labelling. Obviously, the Brazilian music tradition is very present on this record but Melodia’s rhythmic sense when using his vocal skills also brings it close to funk or jazz, an idea that is reinforced through the explosive brass arrangements that embrace the whole LP.This album was released in 1976 and marked the confirmation of Luiz Melodia as one of the best artists in Brazil at a time when the local music scene was synonymous with excellence. His first album, “Pérola negra”, released three years earlier, had featured the outstanding arrangements of Arthur Verocai and the performance of top musicians such as Hyldon or Meirelles, but this second album stands as another essential milestone in his career and further proof of his formidable talent. One of the tracks included here, ‘Juventude trasviada’, was featured in the soundtrack of a popular Brazilian soap opera, Pecado Capital, boosting the artist’s increasing popularity.The creative freedom and the wide range of influences managed by Luiz Melodia reach their peak in that wonder entitled ‘Baby Rose’, a song that evolves from cosmic psychedelia, including the sounds of the sitar, to the peaceful beauty of some kind of highly tuneful samba funk. Sublime.‘Questão de posse’ features fierce proggy guitars while ‘Veleiro azul’ adds Latin rhythms into this unique recipe, but again, it is the talented voice of Luiz Melodia what grants this recording a pass to another league.“Maravilhas Contemporâneas” deserves to be filed next to the finest albums by Caetano Veloso, Jorge Ben or Gilberto Gil.

[engl] Marcos Valle is one of the few artists you cannot miss if you have the slightest interest in Brazilian music. Whether your taste is focused on bossa jazz, samba, psych folk or soul, Valle has surely recorded a great album for you. By the late 60s he had already put out enough quality records to secure a place within the top Brazilian songwriters of all time, but his career luckily did not stop there and he continued releasing amazing music over the following decades. He settled in Los Angeles in the mid-70s, tired of living under Brazil's military dictatorship, and started to collaborate with such talented artists as Leon Ware or Chicago."Vontade de rever você" (1981) is his first album after moving back to Brazil and shows all the music influences received during his US years, especially boogie, soul and funk, featuring stellar collaborators: Sivuca, Chicago's Peter Cetera, Robson Jorge and even Azymuth's José Roberto Bertrami on the Rhodes. The opening track, 'A Paraíba não é Chicago', is Marcos Valle's own take on Leon Ware's 'Baby Don't Stop Me', making clear that what he accomplished while in LA would now make its way into Brazil.This is an essential album for lovers of boogie. Listen to the irresistible groove of 'Pecados de amor' (Valle's own composition although previously recorded by Cristina Camargo) or 'Velhos surfistas querendo voar' and you will soon realize that this album is one of the most solid efforts in his entire discography. Even when the pace is kept midtempo, as on the closing tune 'Não pode ser qualquer mulher', Valle's songs manage to shake the dancefloor with his very well achieved mix of Brazilian sounds and funky rhythms.

[engl] Garage and beat music fans are always fond of digging deep in the vaults of Latin American 60s labels in search for obscure bands to feed their appetite for rare recordings. While most of the unearthed stuff usually consists of cover versions of hits sung in their native Spanish/Portuguese language, we have a totally different case here. The members of The Walflower Complextion were actually American teenagers, children of US Government staff, attending high school in Bogotá, Colombia.Somehow they got a deal with local label Daro and released their first LP in 1966. The album shows an evident influence of the British Invasion bands, featuring four Stones covers and other classics such as 'Long Tall Shorty' via The Kinks, but it is in their own originals and instrumentals where the band showcases the best of their talent. 'Blue Bells', a druggy garage delight, or 'Chris's B's', leaning towards early surf music, display the raw sound of this bunch of teens: beautiful vocals, psych guitars, wild drums and tambourines shaken in the background.Although they recorded two albums (only distributed locally) and even appeared on Colombian TV, the band did not last long... They broke up in June 1967 after some of the members finished high school, and little else is known about the next steps in music of Fred and Rick Sampson, Chris Kryzs, Pat Sinex and Mark Lusk. Despite their short career, The Walflower Complextion have gained a cult status among those into Colombian bands such as Los Speakers or Los Young Beats. A must for garage collectors!