Acústico MTV
Titãs
1997
Why This Album Matters
Acústico MTV, Titãs' second live album, released in 1997, represents a significant milestone in the band's career and in the Brazilian music scene. The project was conceived with the intention of 'radicalising', exploring orchestral arrangements and moving away from the group's traditional rock'n'roll, in a search for something 'totally different'. The band approached the recording as a challenge, seeking to prove that Titãs could be distinct from themselves whilst still maintaining the same artistic quality. The album, which celebrated the band's 15th anniversary, was a 'release' for the group, aiming to broaden their audience and return to the radio. Band members, such as Nando Reis, expressed the importance of being popular without making the work mediocre, recognising that their vocation was not to be underground. By transforming established hits into acoustic versions, Titãs took risks, and the result expanded the perception of their artistic capability, demonstrating a more sophisticated and versatile facet of their repertoire.
Context
Initially, Titãs showed great reluctance to participate in the Acústico MTV project, resisting the idea for about three to four years. The band only accepted after being convinced by the record label and MTV itself, who highlighted the format's success in other countries, imposing the condition that the performance be staged in their own way. The record label's president, André Midani, expressed scepticism, questioning the punk rock band's ability to adapt their songs to an acoustic format, hinting that it would be like playing 'bossa nova'. Nando Reis, then vocalist and bassist, believes that Titãs' Acústico set a new standard for the Acústico MTV series shows, especially regarding the inclusion of special guests. A critic at the time, Álvaro Pereira Júnior, went as far as accusing the band of being 'artificial' and always trying to be what they were not, comparing them to the pagode musicians of Negritude Júnior and stating that Titãs were shaped by pretentious MPB, trying different styles such as new wave, grunge, and punk throughout their career.
Recording
Titãs' Acústico MTV was recorded on 6 and 7 March 1997, at the prestigious Teatro João Caetano, in Rio de Janeiro, and was broadcast by MTV Brasil on 22 May of the same year. The project resulted in a CD and a VHS, with a DVD version released later in 2002. For the recording, the band collaborated with notable guests, including the Argentine Fito Páez, Marisa Monte, the Jamaican Jimmy Cliff, and former member Arnaldo Antunes. Fito Páez participated in the video version of 'Televisão' and sang on 'Go Back', whilst the CD version of 'Televisão', recorded in the studio, featured Rita Lee and Roberto de Carvalho. The CD also featured a vignette of 'Cabeça Dinossauro' with Marina Lima's voice. The conception of the brass and wind arrangements was entrusted to Jaques Morelenbaum. For rehearsals, the septet rented a house in Granja Viana, the residence of guitarist Marcelo Fromer. The album marked the band's reunion with producer Liminha, with whom they had previously worked up until Õ Blésq Blom, and who had reconnected with the band for the recording of the single 'Pela Paz'.
Songs
The album's repertoire was comprehensive, including tracks from almost all of the band's previous albums, with the notable exception of Tudo ao Mesmo Tempo Agora and Domingo. In addition to the re-recordings, Acústico MTV introduced four unreleased songs: 'Os Cegos do Castelo', 'Nem 5 Minutos Guardados', 'A Melhor Forma', and 'Não Vou Lutar'. Each of these new tracks was performed by one of the vocalists from the line-up at the time: Nando Reis, Sérgio Britto, Branco Mello, and Paulo Miklos, respectively. It is interesting to note that 'A Melhor Forma', 'Nem 5 Minutos Guardados', and 'Não Vou Lutar' were old compositions, rescued for the project, with the first two originally created for the album Õ Blésq Blom. There were plans for Marisa Monte to sing on 'Os Cegos do Castelo', and the recording was even carried out, but she ended up participating in 'Flores'. The song 'Go Back' was presented in a Spanish version, adapted by Martin Cardoso for Os Paralamas do Sucesso, to which Sérgio Britto added verses by Pablo Neruda. Britto also incorporated verses by Bob Marley into 'Homem Primata'. The version of 'Pra Dizer Adeus' was chosen to be broadcast on radio.
Legacy
Titãs' Acústico MTV achieved tremendous commercial success, earning diamond certification with over 1.7 million sales, becoming the second best-selling album in the Acústico MTV series in Brazil, only behind Kid Abelha. The album sold 180,000 copies in less than a month, reached 500,000 by August 1997, and in a few days, exceeded 700,000, becoming the band's best-selling album to that point in their career. By October 1997, the one million copies mark had already been surpassed. Critical reception was polarised. Luiz Antônio Ryff, from Folha de S.Paulo, praised the work as 'excellent', highlighting the show's energy and the band's ability to deliver a vigorous performance without electric guitars, stating that some tracks surpassed the original versions. Marcos Augusto Gonçalves, also from Folha, credited the album with the band's 'resurgence', which, in his view, 'was plunging into a crisis that could have finished it off'. However, other critics such as Pedro Alexandre Sanches classified it as a 'commercial move' and criticised the mischaracterisation of songs like 'Polícia' and 'Cabeça Dinossauro'. Álvaro Pereira Júnior even considered it 'the worst album of 1997'. Despite the negative reviews, the majority of Folha de S.Paulo's 870 readers voted the album, the show, and the band as the best of the year, and the song 'Pra Dizer Adeus' was voted the best. However, in 2018, Lucas Brêda, from Vice magazine, classified Titãs' Acústico as the worst in the Acústico MTV series in a list of 31 albums from the project. Sérgio Britto revealed that the band was surprised by the project's rapid and widespread success, which resulted in a 'radical renewal' of their audience, attracting younger people and a larger number of women, which made them feel like the most popular group of that year.
Rankings
Tracks
Credits
Jaques Morelenbaum, Marcelo Martins
Paschoal Perrota
Liminha
Arnaldo Antunes, Branco Mello, Charles Gavin, Ciro Pessoa, Marcelo Fromer, Martin Cardoso, Nando Reis, Paulo Miklos, Sérgio Britto, Tony Bellotto, Torquato Neto
Branco Mello
Nando Reis
Paulo Miklos
Sérgio Britto
Tony Bellotto
Marcelo Fromer
José Canuto
Eduardo Morelenbaum
Cássia Passarotto, Maria Flavia Martins
Charles Gavin
Philip Doyle
Cristina Braga
Marcos Suzano
Marcelo Martins
Vitor Santos
Flávio De Melo
Antonella Pareschi, Mariana Salles
Podcasts
Sons e Histórias · Daniel Queiroz
Raildo Vasconcelos, Junior Beatle e Daniel Queiroz contam histórias e curiosidades sobre o disco Acústico MTV dos Titãs
Maloqueiros do Rock Podcast · Maloqueiros do Rock
Quando um álbum é clássico, ele merece ser destrinchado de cabo a rabo. Neste episódio os Maloqueiros analisam, faixa a faixa, o Acústico MTV dos Titãs, um dos maiores e mais bem sucedidos programas acústicos produzidos pela saudosa MTV Brasil, que rendeu recordes de venda na discografia dos Titãs. Cola na grade pra descobrir com a gente todos os detalhes deste célebre disco!
Titãs 40 Anos · Julio Luz Flores
Décimo terceiro episódio do podcast Titãs 40 Anos, que é uma homenagem à Melhor Banda de Todos os Tempos da Última Semana. Nesse episódio Julio Luz Flores recebe como convidado Guilherme (ou Gui, que participa do podcast PodKISS) para analisar todas as faixas do disco Acústico MTV de 1997. Quem quiser pode seguir o perfil @podicasttitas40anos no Instagram pra gente trocar uma ideia sobre os Titã
Videos
TITÃS - ACÚSTICO MTV (1997) [AM#15] #565 - Análise do Disco [ALBUM REVIEW]
Guitardo Songs🎵
Titãs 'Acústico MTV' faz 24 anos + DICA DE QUALIDADE
Crítica Musical
Books
Analyses
Acústico MTV – Wikipedia
Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia
A música que gerou desentendimento entre membros dos Titãs, mas se ...
whiplash.net
Lançado em maio de 1997, "Acústico MTV" é o segundo disco ao vivo da banda brasileira Titãs (o primeiro é "Go Back", de 1988). Como é possível perceber pelo seu título, o álbum em questão...
Há 27 anos os "Titãs" lançavam o clássico "Acústico MTV"
culturalizabh.com.br
O "Titãs - Acústico MTV" vendeu mais de 2 milhões de cópias e marcou, também, o início de uma nova fase na banda, que incorporou novos sons aos seus trabalhos posteriores.
Grandes Discos Brasileiros | 'Acústico MTV' - Titãs (1997)
colunablah.blogspot.com
O CD foi lançado junto com o VHS em maio de 1997 e se tornou um fenômeno de vendas e era possível escutar em várias casas e nas rádios algumas das faixas que foram um enorme sucesso.
Crítica Musical | Titãs 'Acústico MTV' faz 24 anos + DICA DE QUALIDADE ...
pordentrodeminas.com.br
O trabalho que fez parte da franquia bem-sucedida da MTV na venda dos álbuns foi gravado em março do ano de 1997 no Teatro João Caetano, um dos mais tradicionais do Rio de Janeiro.
Discogs
Acústico MTV – Discogs
discogs.com