Sunday 20 August 2017

1 9 6 8 in politics

1968 was the last year Brazil had a semblance of free-speech. In December 1968 the Military Junta that had been ruling Brazilians with an iron fist closed all possible doors to a democratic society with the issue of the infamous AI 5 - Institutional Act 5. 

All pop music festivals would suddenly come to a halt; newspapers and radio stations were submitted to previous censorship; citizens could be arrested any time with no explanation whatsoever. Murder Incorporated which already enjoyed full protection from the spurious government before the 'coup within the coup' became pervasive. 

1968 had been a particular feverish year with many song-festivals happening here, there and everywhere reaching a climax with Geraldo Vandré's 'P'ra não dizer que não falei de flores' aka 'Caminhando' being sung by almost 100,000 who packed Maracanazinho arena in Rio de Janeiro in defiance of the Military Establishment that had already declared the song 'subversive'. 'Caminhando' was utterly banned by the regime's new hard-line men in December 1968.

Brazil went into a period of harsh political repression known as the 'Lead years' (anos de chumbo)...

Thursday, 26 June 1968.




Edu Lobo & Chico Buarque (wearing sun shades)
Chico Buarque & Gilberto Gil 
Torquato Neto, Gilberto Gil, Nana Caymmi...

Tonia Carrero... Vinicius de Moraes...


Best selling 1968 songs according to Ariovaldo Skrapec *


1. Hey Jude The Beatles (Odeon) 
2. Ultima canção - Paulo Sergio (Caravelle)
3. Eu te amo, te amo, te amo - Roberto Carlos (CBS)
4. A pobreza - Leno (CBS)
5. (Sittin’ on) The dock of the bay - Otis Redding (Atco-Philips)
6. Viola enluarada - Marcos Valle & Milton Nascimento (Odeon)
7. Pata pata - Miriam Makeba (Reprise-Philips)
8. Canzone per te - Roberto Carlos (CBS)
9. Summer rain - Johnny Rivers (Liberty-RCA)
10. Love is blue (L'amour est bleu) - Paul Muriat (Philips)

11. Sou louca por você - Elizabeth (Caravelle)
12. Baby - Gal Costa (Philips)
13. Tenho um amor melhor que o seu - Antonio Marcos (RCA)
14. P’ra nunca mais chorar - Vanusa (RCA)
15. Do you wanna dance? - Johnny Rivers (Liberty-RCA)
16. Andança - Beth Carvalho & Golden Boys (Odeon)
17. Light my fire - José Feliciano (RCA)
18. To sir with love - Lulu (Odeon)
19. Mrs. Robinson - Simon & Garfunkel (CBS) 
20. Quando - Roberto Carlos (CBS)

21. Como é grande o meu amor por você - Roberto Carlos (CBS)
22. Sá Marina - Wilson Simonal (Odeon)
23. Segura esse samba, Ogunhê - Osvaldo Nunes (Equipe)
24. Para não dizer que não falei de flôres (Caminhando) - Geraldo Vandré (Som Maior)
25. Vesti azul - Wilson Simonal (Odeon)
26. A chuva que cai (È la pioggia che va) - Os Caçulas (RCA)
27. Molambo - Os Incríveis (RCA)
28. Os verdes campos de minha terra - Agnaldo Timóteo (Odeon)
29. Eu sou terrível Roberto Carlos (CBS)
30. Ele falava nisso todo dia - Gilberto Gil (Philips)

31. Ai de mim, Copacabana - Caetano Veloso (Philips)
32. Magical mistery tour - The Beatles (Odeon)
33. Nobody but me - The Human Beinz (Odeon) 
34. Honey - Bobby Godlsboro (UA-Copacabana)
35. Sounds of silence - Simon &Garfunkel (CBS)
36. Judy in disguise (with glasses) - John Fred & His Playboy Band (Continental)
37. It’s too late - Johnny Rivers (Liberty-RCA)
38. Soy loco por ti América - Caetano Veloso (Philips)
39. Domingou - Gilberto Gil & Mutantes (Philips)
40. Januária -Chico Buarque de Hollanda (RGE)

41. Ela desatinou - Chico Buarque de Hollanda (RGE) 
42. Mony mony - Tommy James & the Shondells (Roulette-RGE)
43. The ballad of Bonnie & Clyde - Georgie Fame (CBS)
44. The rain, the park  and other things - The Cowsills (MGM-Philips) 
45. The fool on the hill - Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 (A&M-Odeon)
46. Minha primeira desilusão - Silvinha (Odeon)
47. Hello, goodbye - The Beatles (Odeon)
48. Lady Madonna - The Beatles (Odeon)
49. The world we knew (Over and over) - FrankSinatra (Reprise-Philips)
50. Malayisha - Miriam Makeba (Reprise-Philips)

51. Playboy - Silvinha (Odeon)
52. Massachusetts - Bee Gees (Polydor)
53. São São Paulo, meu amor - Tom Zé (RGE)
54. Divinho, maravilhoso - Gal Costa (Philips)
55. Theme from “Valley of the dolls” - Dionne Warwick (Scepter-Rozenblit)
56. Hurdy Gurdy man - Donovan (CBS)
57. Retrato em branco e prêto / Sabiá - Chico Buarque de Hollanda (RGE)
58. Sem fantasia - Chico Buarque & Cristina (RGE)
59. Angel of the morning - Merrilee Rush & the Turnabouts (Odeon)
60. Free again - Barbra Streisand (CBS)

61. Cinderela Rockefela - Esther & Abi Ofarim (Philips)
62. Sabiá - Cynara & Cybele (CBS)
63. Lapinha - Elis Regina (Philips)
64. Caminhante noturno - Os Mutantes (Philips)
65. É proibido proibir - Caetano Veloso (Philips)
66. Panis et circenses - Mutantes (Polydor)
67. Batmacumba - Gilberto Gil & Mutantes (Philips)
68. Minha menina - Mutantes (Polydor)
69. Suddenly you love me - Tremeloes (CBS)
70. Mc Arthur Park - Richard Harris (RCA)

71. Do you know the way to San Jose? -  DionneWarwick (Scepter-Rozenblit)
72. Gimme a little sign - Brenton Wood (Som Maior)
73. Bend me, shape me - American Breed (Dot-RGE)
74. Samba do crioulo doido - Quarteto em Cy (Elenco)
75. A volta do pic nic - Os Caçulas (RCA)
76. Canzone per te - Sergio Endrigo (Cetra-Fermata)
77. Legend of Xanadu - Dave Dee, Dozzy, Beaky, Mitch & Tich (Philips)
78. Não fico mais sem seu carinho - Antonio Marcos (RCA)
79. Vai ser triste - Os Caçulas (RCA)
80. Pior p’ra você, bem pior p’ra mim - Martinha (AU-Rozenblit)

81. P’ra chatear - Ronnie Von & Caetano Veloso (Polydor)
82. Sei lá Mangueira - Elza Soares (Odeon)
83. América, América - Cesar Roldão Vieira (RGE)
84. I say a little prayer - Dionne Warwick (Scepter-Rozenblit)
85. Helena, Helena, Helena - Taiguara (Odeon)
86. Parabéns, querida - Roberto Livi (CBS)
87. Cry like a baby - The Box Tox (Odeon)
88. Quero lhe dizer cantando - Agnaldo Rayol (Copacabana)
89. Para, Pedro - José Mendes (Copacabana)
90. Casa de bamba - Martinho da Vila (RCA)

91. Nem vem que não tem - Wilson Simonal (Odeon)
92. La denière valse - Mireille Mathieu (Barclay-RGE)
93. Superbacana - Caetano Veloso (Philips)
94. Perto dos olhos, longe do coração - Dori Edson (RGE)
95. Words - Bee Gees (Polydor)
96. Woman, woman - Gary Puckett & The Union Gap (CBS)
97. Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo) - Manfred Mann (Mercury-Philips)
98. The good, the bad and the ugly - Hugo Montenegro Orchestra (RCA)
99. Eu daria a minha vida - Martinha (AU-Rozenblit) 
100. The millionaire (O milionário) - Os Incriveis (RCA) 

(*)  Ariovaldo Skrapec was a friend of mine who enjoyed collecting Hit Parade lists like myself. He compiled a list of 'Best Selling Records' every year's end. As with all lists & compilations there is a bit of bias here and a few discrepancies there - especially when one knows that some of the songs included here have never been released as a single. Well, never mind. Ariovaldo called it 'best selling songs'... and songs come as singles, extended-plays or in albums so this Hit Parade is pretty okay! Just to make sure, the songs in bold type have never been released as a single.


Ariovaldo Skrapec is the smiling fellow wearing a light-blue shirt looking at the camera in a snapshot taken in September 2003. Walter Tetsuo & Giorgio Nova talk on the left.

Additional songs played on Top-40 oriented Radio Excelsior & Radio Difusora in S.Paulo in 1968

1. Chain of fools - Aretha Franklin (Atco-Philips)
2. Green tambourine - The Lemon Pipers (Buddah) 
3. Carpet man - The 5th Dimension (RCA)
4. Simon says - 1910 Fruitgum Co (Buddah)
5. Yummy yummy yummy - Ohio Express (Buddah) 

6. Dance to the music - Sly & the Family Stone (CBS)
7. The look of love - Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 (A&M-Odeon)
8. Jumpin' Jack Flash - Rolling Stones (London) 
9. I say a little prayer for you - Dionne Warwick (Scepter-Mocambo)
10. Jennifer Juniper - Donovan (CBS)

11. I've gotta get a message to you - Bee Gees (Polydor) 
12. Over you - Gary Puckett & the Union Gap (CBS)
13. Baby come back - Equals (RCA)
14. Delilah - Tom Jones (London) 
15. Help yourself - Tom Jones (London)

16. Tramp - Otis Redding & Carla Thomas (Atco-Philips)
17. Baby, now that I found you - The Foundations (Pye-Musidisc) 
18. Back on my feet again - The Foundations (Pye-Musidisc)
19. Build me up buttercup - Foundations (Pye-Musidisc)
20. Homburg - Procol Harum (Deram) not released by Odeon

21. There is a mountain - Donovan (CBS) 
22. Young girl - Gary Puckett & the Union Gap (CBS) 


Os Mutantes come of age... 


Os Mutantes album released in June 1968 was ground-breaking. It showed Brazilian rock could be almost as good as the American and British counterparts. It showed that Brazilians didn't have to make do with the likes of Lafayette's tinny organ sound as acompaniment for rock songs (those dreadful CBS recordings that flooded the market since 1965). Arranger Rogerio Duprat was Brazil's answer to Britain's George Martin and Os Mutantes approach to Brazilian culture through their liason with Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso & Jorge Ben made them a little less 'americanized' which was good for their music. 


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