Camisa de Vênus
Encyclopedia
Camisa de Vênus was a Brazil
ian rock group from Bahia
whose peak of popularity was in the mid 1980s. Former lead singer, Marcelo Nova
would be the producer and partner of Raul Seixas
in his last years. The band has made several comebacks for short tours but is now defunct.
, Bahia
with Marcelo Nova
(vocals), Robério Santana (bass guitar),
Karl Hummel (guitar) and Gucstavo Müllen (drums). After the band made it to the mainstream, Gustavo picked the lead guitar and a new drummer, Aldo Machado, was hired. The band debuted in 1982 with a single (“Controle Total”/“Meu Primo Zé”) featuring most of the band's hallmarks.
The first, namesake was a punk rock
album, but drew media attention, especially for its shock value, with the song "Bete Morreu" (Beth is Dead) becoming an underground hit, and the group was invited to play on TV. They soon released a second album, Batalhões de Estranhos (Platoons of Strangers), which brought them their first mainstream hit: "Eu Não Matei Joana D'Arc" (I Didn't Kill Joan of Arc).
) than their contemporaries, especially for the guitar style. They also bring the rhythm section forward, like in their major hit, "Simca Chambord", featuring an interesting bass/guitar interplay with massive, nonstopping and thumping drums. Marcelo Nova's vocals are deep, rascant, full of improvisation and notoriously freestyle, showing more interest on interpreting the lyrics' content than on following thoroughly the melody.Camisa de Vênus has got a punk rock
influence too.
The lyrics are very mature, since the beginning, showing political attitude and critique of customs. They can also be quite offensive and explicit. When performing live the group used to point them with bad words for their shock value in a time when censorship still existed. Their lyrics touched sensitive points and made a great deal of noise in the eighties, especially "Eu Não Matei Joana D'Arc" (I Didn't Kill Joan of Arc), for its implicit allusions to free love
and lesbianism, "Sílvia", the first time ever the word "puta" (whore) was heard on a record, "Passamos por Isso" (We've Been Through That), which protests against the recording industry, and "Pronto Pro Suicídio" (Ready For Suicide), a nihilist protest.
That same year they issued Correndo o Risco (Taking the Risk), their most successful album ever, with the hits "Só O Fim" (Just The End), "Simca Chambord", "Deus me de Grana" and "A Ferro e Fogo" (By Iron and Fire) -- their only recording with a live orchestra (!), something quite unusual given their style.
However the band would not last long. In 1987, after a mild reception of their fifth album, Duplo Sentido (Double Meaning), the band split.
-- who had previously jammed with Camisa de Vênus and composed with them their hit "Muita Estrela, Pouca Constelação" (Too Many Stars, Too Few Constellations) from the album "Duplo Sentido".
They produced a quite underrated album called A Panela do Diabo (Devil's Saucepan) which is mostly famous for being Seixas' last recording. Raul was actually quite ill then and their live performances were pitiful, with Raul babbling the words and unable to play his guitar. He would die short after, supposedly of cirrhosis
, but he also had diabetes and had been addicted to several drugs and to alcohol for years.
Their comeback benefitted from their label promoting them steadily through the years, issuing two compilations, Liberou Geral (All Free), in 1988, and Bota Pra Fudê (Let's F**k It All Up), in 1990.
In 1996 they released Quem É Você? (Who Are You?), with Marcelo Nova, Karl Hummel, Robério Santana, Luiz Carlini, Frank Paolillo and Carlos Calazans. Despite good reviews, this was their last effort together (so far).
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 group from Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
whose peak of popularity was in the mid 1980s. Former lead singer, Marcelo Nova
Marcelo Nova
Marcelo Nova is a Brazilian singer born in the state of Bahia.He began his career in the group Camisa de Vênus in the 1980s and had recorded several hit songs such as "Bete Morreu", "Eu Não Matei Joana D'Arc" and "Silvia"...
would be the producer and partner of Raul Seixas
Raul Seixas
Raul Santos Seixas June 28, 1945 Salvador Northeast Brazil – August 21, 1989),was a Brazilian rock composer, singer, songwriter and producer.He is sometimes called the "Father of Brazilian Rock" and "Maluco Beleza"....
in his last years. The band has made several comebacks for short tours but is now defunct.
Early years
Camisa de Vênus was formed in 1980, in SalvadorSalvador, Bahia
Salvador is the largest city on the northeast coast of Brazil and the capital of the Northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia. Salvador is also known as Brazil's capital of happiness due to its easygoing population and countless popular outdoor parties, including its street carnival. The first...
, Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
with Marcelo Nova
Marcelo Nova
Marcelo Nova is a Brazilian singer born in the state of Bahia.He began his career in the group Camisa de Vênus in the 1980s and had recorded several hit songs such as "Bete Morreu", "Eu Não Matei Joana D'Arc" and "Silvia"...
(vocals), Robério Santana (bass guitar),
Karl Hummel (guitar) and Gucstavo Müllen (drums). After the band made it to the mainstream, Gustavo picked the lead guitar and a new drummer, Aldo Machado, was hired. The band debuted in 1982 with a single (“Controle Total”/“Meu Primo Zé”) featuring most of the band's hallmarks.
The first, namesake was a punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
album, but drew media attention, especially for its shock value, with the song "Bete Morreu" (Beth is Dead) becoming an underground hit, and the group was invited to play on TV. They soon released a second album, Batalhões de Estranhos (Platoons of Strangers), which brought them their first mainstream hit: "Eu Não Matei Joana D'Arc" (I Didn't Kill Joan of Arc).
Style
Musically, Camisa de Vênus draws more heavily from early rockers (like Chuck BerryChuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
) than their contemporaries, especially for the guitar style. They also bring the rhythm section forward, like in their major hit, "Simca Chambord", featuring an interesting bass/guitar interplay with massive, nonstopping and thumping drums. Marcelo Nova's vocals are deep, rascant, full of improvisation and notoriously freestyle, showing more interest on interpreting the lyrics' content than on following thoroughly the melody.Camisa de Vênus has got a punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
influence too.
The lyrics are very mature, since the beginning, showing political attitude and critique of customs. They can also be quite offensive and explicit. When performing live the group used to point them with bad words for their shock value in a time when censorship still existed. Their lyrics touched sensitive points and made a great deal of noise in the eighties, especially "Eu Não Matei Joana D'Arc" (I Didn't Kill Joan of Arc), for its implicit allusions to free love
Free love
The term free love has been used to describe a social movement that rejects marriage, which is seen as a form of social bondage. The Free Love movement’s initial goal was to separate the state from sexual matters such as marriage, birth control, and adultery...
and lesbianism, "Sílvia", the first time ever the word "puta" (whore) was heard on a record, "Passamos por Isso" (We've Been Through That), which protests against the recording industry, and "Pronto Pro Suicídio" (Ready For Suicide), a nihilist protest.
The heyday
After three years touring and composing, the group had reached a level of maturity that most other Brazilian rock groups had only dreamt of. In 1986 they issued Viva! (Live!) -- maybe the first true "live" album by a Brazilian artist, without any post-production, edition or overdubs. This record showed to the country the band's true face: punkish, dirty and noisy. It is also famous for the use of several explicit words that had been censored in the original studio versions. "Eu Não Matei Joana D'Arc", for instance had the line "Nós só nos encontramos para passear no parque" (we only met to walk through the park) replaced by "Nós só nos encontramos para trepar no parque" (we only met to fuck in the park).That same year they issued Correndo o Risco (Taking the Risk), their most successful album ever, with the hits "Só O Fim" (Just The End), "Simca Chambord", "Deus me de Grana" and "A Ferro e Fogo" (By Iron and Fire) -- their only recording with a live orchestra (!), something quite unusual given their style.
However the band would not last long. In 1987, after a mild reception of their fifth album, Duplo Sentido (Double Meaning), the band split.
Marcelo Nova and Raul Seixas
Marcelo Nova chose to work with Raul SeixasRaul Seixas
Raul Santos Seixas June 28, 1945 Salvador Northeast Brazil – August 21, 1989),was a Brazilian rock composer, singer, songwriter and producer.He is sometimes called the "Father of Brazilian Rock" and "Maluco Beleza"....
-- who had previously jammed with Camisa de Vênus and composed with them their hit "Muita Estrela, Pouca Constelação" (Too Many Stars, Too Few Constellations) from the album "Duplo Sentido".
They produced a quite underrated album called A Panela do Diabo (Devil's Saucepan) which is mostly famous for being Seixas' last recording. Raul was actually quite ill then and their live performances were pitiful, with Raul babbling the words and unable to play his guitar. He would die short after, supposedly of cirrhosis
Cirrhosis
Cirrhosis is a consequence of chronic liver disease characterized by replacement of liver tissue by fibrosis, scar tissue and regenerative nodules , leading to loss of liver function...
, but he also had diabetes and had been addicted to several drugs and to alcohol for years.
The comeback
In 1995 Marcelo Nova and some of the original members reformed the band for a successful country-wide tour, captured in Plugado! (Plugged!), that same year.Their comeback benefitted from their label promoting them steadily through the years, issuing two compilations, Liberou Geral (All Free), in 1988, and Bota Pra Fudê (Let's F**k It All Up), in 1990.
In 1996 they released Quem É Você? (Who Are You?), with Marcelo Nova, Karl Hummel, Robério Santana, Luiz Carlini, Frank Paolillo and Carlos Calazans. Despite good reviews, this was their last effort together (so far).
Legacy
Camisa de Vênus played an important role during the last days of the Brazilian dictatorship by ridiculing censorship and introducing clever criticism of the customs of pop music. Marcelo Nova was also responsible for keeping Raul Seixas visible in the media in his last days, which helped revalue his work after his death.Famous Hits
- "Eu Não Matei Joana D'Arc" -- A kind of a "spy story": a young man is charged with the murder of a young woman whose burnt corpse has been found in a park. He blames the CIA, the KGBKGBThe KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
and the Catholic Church. - "Simca Chambord" -- A young man recalls his childhood, before the 1964 coup d'étatCoup d'étatA coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
, (when his father had a Simca Chambord car) and blames the armed forces for crushing his childhood dreams. - "Passamos Por Isso" -- A singer tells the story of his band, and all trials and tribulations they had to overcome to be "allowed" to play rock and roll instead of MPB.
- "Lena" -- A man scolds his ex-girlfriend, now a prostitute who "works" with famous men.
- "Só O Fim" -- A prophet preaches in the streets that social tension and stressStress (medicine)Stress is a term in psychology and biology, borrowed from physics and engineering and first used in the biological context in the 1930s, which has in more recent decades become commonly used in popular parlance...
are symptoms that the end of the worldEschatologyEschatology is a part of theology, philosophy, and futurology concerned with what are believed to be the final events in history, or the ultimate destiny of humanity, commonly referred to as the end of the world or the World to Come...
is near.
Records
- "Camisa de Vênus" (Condom)-- 1983
- "Batalhões de Estranhos" (Battalion of Stranges) -- 1984
- "Viva" (Live!) -- 1986
- "Correndo o Risco" (Taking the Risks)-- 1986
- "Duplo Sentido" (Double Meaning) -- 1987
- "Liberou Geral" (compilation) -- 1988
- "Bota Pra Fudê" (Fuck it Up) (compilation) -- 1990
- "Plugado!" (Plugged In) -- 1995
- "Quem É Você?" (Who're you?) -- 1996