Cadáver Pega Fogo Durante o Velório
Fernando Pellon
1984
Why This Album Matters
Cadáver Pega Fogo Durante o Velório, released in 1984, is an album that stands out in Brazilian Popular Music for its unusual and transgressive lyrical approach. With this work, Fernando Pellon refused to tread the conventional path of the phonographic market, delivering a repertoire that flirts with death, the pains of the oppressed, and blatant morbidity, characteristics that make it unique in its style. The work is considered an anthological album and a musical reference, known for its impactful title and for its lyrics that name social 'diseases', reminiscent of the writing of Augusto dos Anjos. The album navigates between samba and MPB, but with its own language that shocked the 'generalised hypocrisy' sold as good taste at the time, as pointed out by critic Tárik de Souza.
Context
Fernando Pellon began his artistic career in 1974, at the age of 18. Cadáver Pega Fogo Durante o Velório was produced during the most creative phase of the artists' collective Malta da Areia, a group of poets and musicians from Niterói, in the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Region, of which Pellon was a part. The album's release occurred during the final period of the military dictatorship in Brazil (1964-1985), which brought significant challenges. The song "Com Todas as Letras" was vetoed by Federal Censorship, and the album was only released after about eight months of a long process, with the intervention of musicologist and researcher Ricardo Cravo Albin in the Superior Censorship Council.
Recording
The album was produced by journalist and music critic Roberto M. Moura (1947-2005) and featured musical direction from guitarist João de Aquino (1945-2022). For the instrumental foundation, the album brought together excellent musicians, such as Raphael Rabello on seven-string guitar, Helvius Vilela on piano, Marcelo Bernardes on wind instruments, and Oscar Bolão on drums, in addition to João de Aquino himself. The album was released by the independent label Vento de Raio.
Songs
The album's nine songs, such as "Porta Afora", "Altivez", "Com Todas as Letras", "Carne no Jantar", "Cicatrizes", "Vã Esperança", "Tal Como Nazareth", "Prazer Qualquer" and "Flores de Plástico ao Amanhecer", reveal a composer who refuses clichés. The lyrics are marked by profound pessimism, existential angst, and an obsession with death, often with acid humour. The track "Com Todas as Letras", for example, explicitly addresses the theme of suicide, which resulted in its initial censorship by the dictatorship. Another highlight is the song "Carne no Jantar", which, in a chorus like "Disfarça e olha" (Pretend not to notice and look), condenses life's contradictions, recognising the magnetism of misfortune and the social modesty in confronting it.
Legacy
Cadáver Pega Fogo Durante o Velório is considered a 'cult' album and continues to be highly praised by music critics, revered by fans, including rock enthusiasts. The work earned Fernando Pellon the Chiquinha Gonzaga trophy. The album is cited in lists of the best independent authorial works in MPB and is part of an online series by Rádio UFMG Educativa as one of four Brazilian 'classic, important, and influential' albums from each year starting in 1965. The album's sound and themes consolidated a tradition of 'blatant morbidity' in Brazilian popular music, with lyrics that shock between humour and death, drawing parallels with authors such as Augusto dos Anjos, Nelson Rodrigues, and Rubem Fonseca.
Rankings
Tracks
Credits
João de Aquino, Paulinho Lemos
Roberto Moura
Tárik de Souza
Videos
CADÁVER PEGA FOGO DURANTE O VELÓRIO: análise do álbum cult de Fernando Pellon.
Roberto Bozzetti
Resenha de Cadaver Pega Fogo Durante Velório
Sonzeira Da Massa
Metavirtual 10mg - Cadáver Pega Fogo Durante o Velório (1984)
Tamires Menezes
Analyses
Samba que pinga sangue: 40 anos da obra-prima de Fernando Pellon
henriquebalbi.substack.com
A atitude revela ainda mais sagacidade quando se recupera o contexto do disco. Mais do que George Orwell, ao menos na distopia brasileira, o ano de 1984 marca a decepção com a campanha das Diretas Já - cuja emenda foi morta pelo Congresso, e enterrada de vez com Tancredo Neves.
Um disco que faz história e sobrevive ao tempo - Fernando Pellon
fernandopellon.com.br
Há 40 anos, em meio a uma longa queda de braço com a censura da ditadura militar (1964-1985), o compositor Fernando Pellon gravou o disco "Cadáver pega fogo durante o velório", que é considerado até hoje um dos trabalhos musicais mais importantes da sua carreira.
Cadáver pega fogo durante o velório - Fernando Pellon
fernandopellon.com.br
Ano: 1984 Gravadora: Selo independente "Vento de Raio" Destaque: Primeiro disco da carreira de Fernando Pellon sofreu nas malhas da censura do regime da ditadura militar (1964-1985).
Fernando Pellon - Cadáver Pega Fogo Durante o Velório
umcatalogo.substack.com
Lembro que o nome do disco do Pellon me pegou de cara, "Cadáver Pega Fogo Durante o Velório", que todos havemos de concordar ser um dos melhores nomes de álbuns da história da música popular brasileira.
IMMuB | Notícia - Disco vinil "Cadáver pega fogo durante o velório ...
immub.org
Passados 40 anos do seu lançamento, em 1984, o icônico disco em vinil "Cadáver pega fogo durante o velório", do compositor Fernando Pellon, continua sendo citado na lista dos melhores trabalhos autorais independentes da música popular brasileira.
Discogs
Cadáver Pega Fogo Durante o Velório – Discogs
discogs.com