#wanderlea

Roberto Carlos: Em Ritmo de Aventura (1967)

Not to be confused with the World Cup champion footballer, this Roberto Carlos is arguably the best-known, best-selling Brazilian singer of all time (120 million albums and counting), and thus he is known as “O Rei,” or “The King,” much like your “King,” Elvis Presley.

And, just like Elvis, whom he idolized, Roberto was systematically neutered and coopted by the Brazilian entertainment establishment, which transformed him from rebellious rock & roll trailblazer to mawkish ballad singer, TV pretty boy (hosting the hugely influential Jovem Guarda variety show) and B-movie leading man. 

1967’s Em Ritmo de Aventura literally translates to “In the Rhythm of Adventure,” and was the de facto soundtrack for Roberto’s first major motion picture: part Viva Las Vegas, part A Hard Day’s Night, part Dr. No -- all low-budget teen idol exploitation flick. (*)

The songs here support this line of thought, as ballads outnumber rockers two to one, but that doesn’t preclude the emergence of a few Brazilian pop music gems, many of them written by Roberto, sometimes with his fellow artist and longtime collaborator Erasmo Carlos (no relation).

Among the rocking notables, there’s the big band-backed “Eu Sou Terrível” (basically, “I’m a Bad-Ass”), the acid folk of “De Que Vale Tudo Isso” (“What is this All Worth”), the swinging “Quando” (“When”), and the fuzz-laden garage rocker “Você Não Serve pra Mim” (“You’re no Good for Me”). 

And a few romantic numbers also stand out, including the vulnerable “Como é Grande o Meu Amor Por Você” (“How Big is My Love for You”), “Por Isso Corro Demais” (“That’s Why I Drive too Fast”), which wraps a nifty Wurlitzer around auto-racing sound effects, and the endearing teenage lament of “Só Vou Gostar de Quem Gosta de Mim” (“I’m Only Going to Like those Who Like Me Back”).

All in all, Em Ritmo de Aventura is very much a snapshot of its era -- and a Third World country experiencing the swinging ‘60s under Military rule, no less -- so it’s virtually impossible to comprehend or relate to today; you simply had to be there, and I wasn’t, 'cos, well, I hadn’t been born yet.

But take my word for it: O Rei, Roberto Carlos, is a larger-than-life figure in Brazil, on par with Pelé and Gisele Bündchen, even if you’d never heard of him until today and if Google search results surface a footballer ahead of him. (**)

* The plot: Roberto, playing himself, is shooting a film when an international gang tries to kidnap and force him to write songs in the United States.

** Here’s the remarkable part: at age six, Roberto was hit by a steam locomotive and had his right leg amputated below the knee, forcing him to wear a prosthesis ever since -- something he kept secret for decades, lest he suffer society’s ignorant prejudice against the physically impaired, all of which makes his incredible success an even more inspiring story of overcoming the odds.

Wanderléa  - Vou lhe Contar (1967)