Two Friends One Century of Music

This album offers to a wider audience the smooth, mellifluous tones of these two Brazilian national treasures! A great selection of live recordings introduces the Northern Hemisphere to some of the most soulful music ever performed. Bravo!

Probably one of their

Two legends, two guitars, two voices, one masterpiece.

Legends. The music expresses so much of the Brazilian experience.

Simple. Profound. Sensual.

[There are multiple listings of this album; one is with the Portuguese title, Dois Amigos: Um Século de Müsica.] Friends in music, philosophy, and politics since college days in Bahia, Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso are among the titans of Brazilian music, founders in the 1960s of the tropicália movement and pioneers of músical popular brasiliera (MPB). This 2-disc live concert album has both performing in duets and solo, playing their guitars. Nearly all the songs are their own compositions, including one in English, but they include an Ary Barroso tune, a Spanish song of Simon Díaz, and Mario Panzeri's Come Prima. Both men are presently age 73, and while Gil's voice is now strained, occasionally shifting into falsetto or deep baritone, Velosos' is still strong and smooth; this album serves as a living retrospective of their long careers. MPB owes much to the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper album, and the men blended rock into samba and baião forms; hence the songs here are largely ballads and soft rock with northeastern influences. Their lives had a rocky start, as both in 1969 were arrested, imprisoned, and later obliged into temporary exile chiefly because of their nonconformity in music and dress. Later, Gil entered city politics in Salvador with interest in environmental and cultural matters and served as Brazil's Minister of Culture 2003-2008. Meanwhile, Caetano became more international in his music. The album's sound is from their concert amplifier feed, but all is perfectly clear with spatial echo. The virtual audio space between the musicians is narrow. Some popular milestone tunes are among their selections and the audience responds with the familiarity. We listeners also appreciate the body of their work and rejoice in this fine, happy, friendly album.

Don't understand them very well, but it's good, solid, music made the old fashioned way: with talent and some instruments. Thanks NPR for the spot on All Things Considered.

Beautiful music!!!

I gave this as present to my son in law and he says it is marvelous. He listen to it all the time and is very grateful.

Great music from two geniuses.

Cinquenta anos de história - escrita e cantada - pelas mãos e vozes dos maravilhosos, incríveis, fantásticos gênios - Caetano e Gil.

Schlecht

Respeto y agradecimiento a estos dos exponenetes de la canción brasileña mas poetica del siglo XX. Un excelente testimonio de esta gira mundial y un recuerdo para los que han tenido el placer de asistir a alguno de estos conciertos.