The fabulous Rita Lee rocketed to fame as a member of the wildest alumni (and now the best known) of Tropicalia, Os Mutantes! Their amazing albums and controversial antics set out a stall for Tropicalia in no uncertain terms and the widespread rediscovery of their work in the '90s and their current reformation (after 30 years of not talking) continue to fan the flames of the myth. After Os Mutantes' early groundbreaking albums, Rita Lee decided to create her own space by launching a concurrent career as a solo singer. Unfortunately, her slightly wayward Rogerio Duprat-arranged debut failed to launch a straight pop career as well as neglecting almost everything people loved about Os Mutantes. After going back to the drawing board in 1972, Rita recruited her Os Mutantes colleagues Arnaldo and Sergio Baptista as well as other members of the music/art commune in which they all lived, to produce the follow-up. As different as day is from night, written by the original Os Mutantes trio of Rita, Arnaldo and Sergio and 'produced and directed' by Arnaldo, this second album is a masterpiece of Tropicalia/psychedelia with the spooky, comedown atmosphere of "Smiley Smile" to boot. To all intents and purposes, a virtual 'lost' fifth Os Mutantes album with Rita the dominant force. An amazing return to the perfect organised chaos of their first two albums and a total must have!
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