Just as the Tropicalia boom is beginning to wane in America, the long-forgotten English-language LP from Os Mutantes is issued by Universal. Recorded in 1970 but not released until this year, it's curiously available only as an import in the country it was originally intended for. Tecnicolor finds the band somewhat mellowed from the crazed cut-ups of their first couple albums, and reveals the Mutants as a band of simpler pleasures than might have been indicated by those releases.

I'll be damned if hearing Rita Lee, Sergio Dias, and Arnaldo Baptista belt out "Ando Meio Delisgado (I Feel a Little Spaced Out)" in English doesn't do a fair bit to diminish the mystique of this group. Your friends probably won't bat an eyelash at this one, while the Portuguese originals would be bound to generate some head-scratching. Basically, if you're into the Mutants for the sheer novelty of listening to foreign language psych-pop, you need not tread here.

Tecnicolor consists mainly of reworkings of earlier tracks, with a few new ones thrown in for good measure. Os Mutantes have largely abandoned the quick-cuts and schizophrenic pace of their early albums, delivering loose, relaxed performances in a seeming "live" atmosphere. Not all the material benefits, however.

Generally, the group sounds a lot more conventional here than on their first two albums, and they tend to rely on somewhat generic textures more than befits the material. "Panis et Circensis" loses much of its appeal, replacing the heady sonic rush of the original recording with a fairly bland pop approach. However, the band, backed by auxiliary members Dinho on drums and Liminha on bass, present some interesting retakes on psychedelic workouts like "Bat Macumba" and "I Feel a Little Spaced Out," which benefit from the instrumental muscle this expanded lineup wields. Most of the original tracks on this release also indicate the heavy Beatles influence the group was under at the time. "Virginia" and "Tecnicolor," while pleasant enough, are still just Abbey Road knock-offs.

Tecnicolor offers a good introduction to the group, certainly preferable to the David Byrne-compiled "best of" set, though not to the also freshly-reissued Os Mutantes or its follow up, Mutantes. (Don't get 'em confused, now.) The band was no doubt talented and deserves the recognition they seem to be getting over here of late. However, be advised that Os Mutantes sound a lot less out-there in English. Which might lead some to ask just what all the fuss about them was in the first place.

-D. Erik Kempke