Forgotten Treasure: Lula Côrtes E Zé Ramalho “Paêbirú” (1975)

Paêbirú is an album by Brazilian artists Lula Côrtes and Zé Ramalho. The album was originally released in 1975 on Solar Records then reissued a few years ago on Mr. Bongo Records. It is one of the most sought after by collectors but also one of the most interesting records to come out of the 70’s Psychedelic music era.

According to the legend 700 copies from 1000 made were destroyed in a huge flood leaving us only 300 ones. 40 years later, it is now considered the most expensive Brazilian record, selling for up to 4,000 British Pounds for a Mint copy. The album is a collaboration between Brazilian artists Lula Côrtes and Zé Ramalho, with each of its original four sides named after the legendary four elements (earth, air, fire, water). A wonderfully off-kilter record full of fantastic hooky and strange tunes that range from full-on freakouts.

Zé Ramalho doesn’t consider it as a work by him, so much that he is celebrating 35 years of career in 2012 (which marks 35 years of the release of his first solo album), and not in 2010. Since its reissue, it has been widely acknowledged as a lost gem of the Brazilian psychedelic movement of the 1960s and 1970s.