Gal Costa

Not to be confused with Gal Costa’s self-titled solo debut, this is the Tropicália star’s second album, originally released in 1969. The bursts of feedback and wah-wah guitar that animate most of the songs share the wild psychedelic vibe of the colourful cover painting. Vocally, Costa largely abandons the sweet, girlish delivery that originally made her name. On Jorge Ben’s “Tuareg”, she adds a bit of North African flavour and she delivers the Gilberto Gil-penned “Cultura e Civilização” with an aggressive edge. Even the album’s most conventional pop song, “Meu Nome é Gal”, is a cosmic exploration—by the time it builds to its crazed ending, the singer repeatedly screams the song’s title over Rogério Duprat’s lavish orchestral arrangement.