One of the quirkiest, strangest and most adventurous (not to mention, one of the greatest!) psychedelic bands of all time came not from the United States or Europe, but Brazil. Conceived in 1964 -- while Brazil was controlled by a military dictatorship -- by brothers Arnoldo Dias Baptista and Sergio Dias Baptista along with Arnoldo’s high school sweetheart Rita Lee Jones; Os Mutantes (Portuguese for “The Mutants”) began as a political band, by performing music at a time when electric guitars were considered by the Brazilian government to be the “tools of imperialist devils,” closely aligned with the student left.

The Tropicalismo (a.k.a. Tropicalia) movement began in Brazil, shortly after the conception of Os Mutantes, with stalwarts Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil. Os Mutantes became the “house band” of the movement. Veloso and Gil were exiled to England in 1968 for “anti-government activity” when the Institutional Act Number Five was enacted by the Brazilian government, instantaneously disintegrating Tropicalismo. Os Mutantes trudged along nonetheless releasing two Tropicalismo classics (Os Mutantes and Mutantes), despite constant borages of spineless political threats. By 1970, they abandoned their Tropicalismo roots altogether and released the purely psychedelic masterpiece A Divina Comedia ou Ando Meio Desligado.

When her year long marriage ended with Arnoldo, Jones was fired from the band in 1972 at which time she began a successful solo career. Arnoldo left Os Mutantes a couple years later due to psychological problems (resulting from a prolonged overindulging in LSD). The brothers’ relationship completely collapsed, they didn’t communicate for many years…until over 30 years later when London’s Barbican Arts Centre invited Os Mutantes to play a reunion show on May 22, 2006. Now there is undeniable proof that (to borrow the title of the Os Mutantes compilation, impeccably amassed by David Byrne, released by Luaka Bop in 1999) Everything Is Possible. They took their reunion show across the Atlantic to New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Chicago and Miami.

This two-disc (21-song) live album of their historic reincarnation (with the original band members sans Jones and bassist Arnolpho Lima Filho) at the Barbican sounds like it could have been recorded in 1972. The band is tight and the vocals are nearly flawless; most importantly their kinetic energy and propensity for playfulness remain perfectly intact.

There’s little room to debate their set list as well; they perform all of their hits and many, many more. And what’s a reunion performance without Devendra Banhart (who seems to have his mitts in every quintessential reunion coming down the pike)? He and Noah Georgeson provide backing vocals on “Bat Macumba.” Not everything can be perfect though. Most notably, the vocal quality of Jones’ replacement (Zelia Duncan) is distracting and disappointing. Her voice, though perfectly fine in its own right, is too overpowering and deep (in comparison to Jones’ soft, timid vocals) for the delicate female vocals of Os Mutantes. It flat out doesn’t work.

This release is great for any fans who already own the first three (absolutely vital) Os Mutantes LPs; however, Everything Is Possible is a significantly more essential and rewarding introduction for Os Mutantes virgins. I for one am patiently awaiting the soon-to-be-released DVD of the 2006 Barbican performance (plus many extras), since I personally failed to bare witness to their reunion tour…undeniably the only worthwhile 21^st century performance by a 60s psychedelic band - a claim that promises to stand unmatched until the end of time (then again, everything is possible).

In September 2007, Arnoldo and Duncan left the band (both to pursue solo careers); yet nothing is stopping Sergio now. He is scheduled to record the first new Os Mutantes album in over thirty years (with an open invitation for all past members to join him).