Uma Outra Estação (transl.A Different Season) is the eighth and final studio album by Brazilian rock band Legião Urbana. Released in July 1997, nine months after Renato Russo's death, it sold over 250,000 copies and received a Platinum Certification by Pro-Música Brasil.[3]

Uma Outra Estação
Studio album by
ReleasedJuly 18, 1997
RecordedAR Records, Rio de Janeiro City
1996-1997
Genre
Length60:22[1]
LabelEMI
Producer
Legião Urbana chronology
A Tempestade ou O Livro dos Dias
(1996)
Uma Outra Estação
(1997)
Mais do Mesmo
(1998)
Singles from Uma Outra Estação
  1. "As Flores do Mal"
    Released: 1997

Background

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On 22 October 1996, eleven days after the death of vocalist, acoustic guitarist and keyboardist Renato Russo, guitarist Dado Villa-Lobos, drummer Marcelo Bonfá and EMI Music artistic manager João Augusto announced the end of Legião Urbana, which still owed three albums to the label.[4]

In March of the following year, Villa-Lobos decided to work on songs that were left out of the previous album, A Tempestade ou O Livro dos Dias. 28 tracks were recorded, but only 15 made it to the final record.[4] The guitarist signed the production with Tom Capone, who had already helped the band record the previous album, when he was the manager of AR Estúdios, although he wasn't credited.[2]

Song information

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The first track, "Riding Song", features the band's former bassist, Renato Rocha, who was a member from 1984 to 1989. The lyrics contain only two verses: "Eu já sei o que eu vou ser / Ser quando crescer" (I already know what I am going to be / To be when I grow up", written and sung by Villa-Lobos. It contains a few sections of an interview from the Dois album, in which the four members (including Rocha) introduce themselves.[5]

"La Maison Dieu" speaks about the atrocities committed during the military dictatorship period of Brazil.[6]

The previous album's title track was only featured on this one.[2] Other songs previously rejected include "Clarisse", also created for the previous album and telling the story of a 16-year-old girl who slits her own wrists with a switchblade locked in the bathroom. It was deemed too dark back then.[2] Another example is "Dado Viciado", created in the band's early times and dealing with the transformation that a heroin addict experiences, but rejected out of fear that people would think it referred to Dado Villa-Lobos.[2]

The ending track, "Travessia do Eixão", is the only one (along with instrumentals "Schubert Ländler" and "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me)") not composed by the band. It has a guest appearance by Os Paralamas do Sucesso's bassist Bi Ribeiro. He played acoustic bass on it and on "Antes das Seis".[2]

"Schubert Ländler" is an instrumental jingle composed by Franz Schubert, and performed by Carlos Trilha, being the shortest track ever by the band at 1:09. This version was chosen by Russo after dozens of takes. Trilha went to the National Library of Brazil to obtain a copy of the song's sheet music and he never understood why Russo wanted him to play it.[7]

"Sagrado Coração", despite having its lyrics displayed in the booklet, contains no vocals, since Russo wouldn't live to record his part. It was co-composed by Trilha (who cried after listening the final version without Russo's voice[7]), but his co-authorship was only recognized by Russo's family in 2009, after a fan of Russo sent Trilha an informal interview with Russo done by journalist Marcelo Fróes, in which he says he did the song with Trilha.[7]

In October 2010, the album was re-released in a special box set and also in vinyl. This edition brings a modified booklet and some texts by journalist Christina Fuscaldo, written with help from all musicians involved in the production of the band's eight albums.[8]

The main songs played on the radio were "Flores do Mal", "Antes das Seis" and, to a lesser extent, "Marcianos Invadem a Terra".[9][10] This last one was created during Russo's "Trovador Solitário" (Solitary Troubadour) era and was only recorded in studio in 1993, when Dinho Ouro Preto (Capital Inicial) recorded his second, self-titled solo album.[11]

Artwork and booklet

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The cover of the album features a drawing by Bonfá inspired by Brasília, where the band was formed.[2]

The booklet's first page had the sentence: "Listen to this album from the first track to the last one. This is the story of our lives".[12] The penultimate page had a list of institutions and the message: "Feel good contributing to the following institutions which need your help".[2] The booklet also featured the returning sentence Urbana Legio Omnia Vincii ("Legião Urbana wins everything", in latin), which was featured in all albums by the band except for A Tempestade ou O Livro dos Dias.[12]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Dado Villa-Lobos, Renato Russo and Marcelo Bonfá, except where noted[1]

No.TitleEnglish titleLength
1."Riding Song" 3:02
2."Uma Outra Estação"Another Season/Station3:58
3."As Flores do Mal"The Flowers of Evil4:32
4."La Maison Dieu"The House of God6:53
5."Clarisse" 10:32
6."Schubert Ländler" (instrumental; written by Franz Schubert) 1:09
7."A Tempestade"The Storm4:14
8."High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me)" (instrumental; written by Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington) 1:29
9."Comédia Romântica"Romantic Comedy2:55
10."Dado Viciado" (Russo)Drug-Addicted Dado (a pun on the term for "Loaded Dice")2:32
11."Marcianos Invadem a Terra" (Russo)Martians Invade Earth2:36
12."Antes das Seis" (Villa-Lobos, Russo)Before 6 O'clock3:10
13."Mariane" (Russo) 3:15
14."Sagrado Coração" (Russo)Sacred Heart6:29
15."Travessia do Eixão" (Nicolas Behr and Nonato Veras)Crossing of the Eixão [13]3:36
Total length:60:22[1]

Personnel

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Legião Urbana

Additional personnel

Sales and certifications

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Country Certification Sales
  Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)

Platinum[14]

300.000+[15]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Fuscaldo 2016, p. 105.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Fuscaldo 2016, p. 103.
  3. ^ Legião Urbana at ABPD (in Portuguese)
  4. ^ a b Fuscaldo 2016, p. 100.
  5. ^ Fuscaldo 2016, p. 101-102.
  6. ^ MEPR. "Um justo protesto da Legião Urbana". mepr.org.br. Retrieved 2016-02-02.
  7. ^ a b c Fuscaldo 2016, p. 102.
  8. ^ Álbuns da Legião Urbana são relançados em CD e Vinil
  9. ^ "CERTIFICADOS – Pro-Música Brasil".
  10. ^ "NÚMEROS DO MERCADO – Pro-Música Brasil".
  11. ^ Fuscaldo 2016, p. 159.
  12. ^ a b Fuscaldo 2016, p. 104.
  13. ^ "Eixão" (literally, "Big Axis") is a colloquial name for the Monumental Axis located in Brasília
  14. ^ "Legião Urbana". ABPD. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
  15. ^ "DISCO DO LEGIÃO É TESTAMENTO PARA OS FÃS". Legiao.skooterweb. 7 August 1997. Retrieved 7 October 2016.