Legião Urbana
Encyclopedia
Legião Urbana were a Brazil
ian rock
band formed in 1982 in Brasília
, Distrito Federal
. The band primarily consisted of Renato Russo
(vocals), Dado Villa-Lobos
(guitar) and Marcelo Bonfá
(drums). In its earlier days, Legião Urbana also had a bassist
, Renato Rocha, but he would leave the band due to creative divergences.
Legião Urbana was disestablished de facto in 1996 because of frontman
Renato Russo's death, and de jure in 1997, but even to this day it is one of the most famous Brazilian rock bands.
(born Renato Manfredini, Jr.) created Legião Urbana in 1982, in Brasília
, after his short presence in an earlier band named Aborto Elétrico
("Electric Abortion"). Aborto Elétrico ceased to exist due to repeated disagreements between Russo and Fê Lemos. After Aborto Elétrico split and Russo created Legião Urbana, the two brothers would also go on to form another very popular Brazilian rock band, Capital Inicial
.
Legião Urbana was initially formed by Renato Russo, Marcelo Bonfá
(drums), Eduardo Paraná (guitars) and Paulo Paulista (keyboards), but Paraná and Paulista would quickly leave the band. Dado Villa-Lobos
replaced Paraná as the guitarist. In the beginning of 1985, Renato Rocha joined the group as the bass player, after Renato Russo couldn't play any instrument because of a suicide attempt that injured his wrist. Renato Russo would then focus on the vocals.
Many elements helped shape the identity of Legião Urbana. Consciously or not, Renato Russo was heavily influenced by The Smiths
and U2
, particularly The Smiths lead singer Morrissey
, with his extremely personal lyrics and idiosyncratic on-stage performance. He was also influenced by Joy Division
's Ian Curtis
.
Thematically, Russo and the other members were also influenced by literature, especially that of Portuguese poet Luís de Camões
, whose poetry is featured in more than one of the band's songs.
Legião Urbana's self-titled first album was recorded and released in 1985. The album included the hits "Será" ("I Wonder"), "Ainda É Cedo" ("It's Still Early") and "Geração Coca-Cola" ("Coca-Cola Generation"). The album was released on the EMI
label, and the band would stay with this record label for their entire career, with both positive and negative experiences. Most of the songs on the album sounded like U2
's first record Boy
, also using xylophones effects and The Edge
's distinctive guitar style.
In 1986, the band released Dois
("Two" - the album was planned to have two discs, but EMI refused to do it). The lyrics, melodies and personality of Renato Russo brought the band considerable notoriety in Brazil, especially among the younger generation which had grown under the fear of the authoritarian Brazilian Military Dictatorship (1964–1985). The songs Tempo Perdido ("Lost Time"), Quase sem Querer ("Almost by Accident"), Eduardo e Mônica, Andrea Doria and "Índios" ('"Natives"') were particularly popular.
The band's success was cemented in 1987, with Que País É Este ("What Country Is This"). They developed a devoted following, and the band came to carry the nickname "Religião Urbana" (meaning "Urban Religion"), something Renato Russo
professed to hate.
This was the heaviest album Legião Urbana released during its existence. The only one which can in fact be classified as Punk rock. Two of the songs, Conexão Amazônica ("Amazonic Connection" - censored to contain heavy texts about drugs traffic and its routes by Amazon, and critical intellectuals.) and Faroeste Caboclo - the latter with 168 different lines and ten minutes long - were censored because they contained what was then considered obscene content. Faroeste Caboclo was a huge success, nevertheless. Others, such as Que País é Este?, Eu Sei ("I Know"), Química ("Chemistry"), Angra dos Reis (an reference to a homonymous nuclear power plant that exists in Brazil
) and Mais do Mesmo ("More of the Same") were hits.
In the first concert in Brasília after the release of their first album, 200 people were wounded in a riot. The band would never again perform publicly in Brasília, the city from which Russo and other band members hailed.
In 1989, before the release of As Quatro Estações
("The Four Seasons"), Renato Rocha decided to quit under pressure from Bonfá and Villa-Lobos. Although this album had the most financial success of any released by the group (and nearly every song on the disc garnered significant radio play), many fans disliked the big changes in the band's style, especially punk rock
fans. The songs would now talk about love and soul. "Pais e Filhos" ("Fathers and Sons"), about broken, intact, happy and dysfunctional families, included the lyrics "É preciso amar/as pessoas como se não houvesse amanhã/Porque se você parar/pra pensar/Na verdade não há" ("We must love people as if there was no tomorrow/Because when you stop to think about it/There really isn't"). In "Meninos e Meninas" ("Boys and Girls"), Russo hinted that he was bisexual, something he would confirm later.
was released in December 1991, considered the band's darkest and most introspective album until then; at this point, the band was appearing less and less in public, doing only a few (very contentious) concerts. The album ran a long gamut of emotions and topics, with songs about drug abuse, the confused sentiments of a soul consecrated to a life of celibacy, and even the bizarre, classic French film The Golden Age.
"Metal Contra as Nuvens" ("Metal Against the Clouds") clocked in at 11 minutes and is the longest song ever recorded by the band. Some of the more popular entries on the album are O Teatro dos Vampiros ("The Theater of the Vampires"), Sereníssima ("Most Serene"), Vento no Litoral ("Coastal Wind"), and O Mundo Anda Tão Complicado ("The World Has Been So Complicated"). One year after V, EMI released Música P/ Acampamentos
(Music 4 Camping), which is a compilation of rarities and live material. A previously unreleased song, A Canção do Senhor da Guerra ("Warlord Song"), which was to be in Dois and was rejected by EMI, turned into an immediate hit.
The band released O Descobrimento do Brasil
("The Discovery of Brazil", alluding both to Cabral
's discovery and to a new look at Brazil and its problems) in November 1993. "Giz" ("Chalk"), "Perfeição" ("Perfection"), "Vinte e Nove" ("Twenty Nine"), "Vamos Fazer um Filme" ("Let's Make A Movie") and "La Nuova Gioventù" ("The New Youth") are the main hits of the CD, though the album as a whole received a rather chilly critical reception.
"Perfeição" was a scathing rebuke of Brazilian government and society, inviting the listener to celebrate everything stupid, evil and ugly about the country. The song compares Brazil to a house of marked cards, a den of thieves, and a State that is not a nation, but the song explodes any pretensions of moral superiority towards the end by remarking, above all else, the stupidity of the person singing the song. After the energy and anger of the main body of the song, this final section is almost wistful. The music continues to race ahead, but the vocal seems to be trying to pull it back, simultaneously celebrating and undercutting the belief that perfection is achievable, at least in the heart. The song's popular success is emblematic of the political changes that had taken place in Brazil since the band's inception: it certainly could not have been distributed during the days of Brazil's military dictatorship.
The band members confessed that the track "Giz" was one of Renato Russo's favorite songs among all Legião Urbana's discography.
The same year, Russo released a solo album in English, The Stonewall Celebration Concert.
A Tempestade, ou O Livro dos Dias ("The Storm" or "The Book of Days") was recorded between January and June, 1996 and released on September 20, 1996. This would be the last album released before Renato Russo's death less than a month later. This album surpassed V in terms of introspection and sadness in the lyrics, probably related to the state of Russo's health.
A posthumous album recorded between January and June, 1996 and released on July 18, 1997. Most of the tracks are leftovers from A Tempestade, which was originally planned as a double album. Uma Outra Estação ("Another Season") was completed by the remaining members of the band plus keyboardist Carlos Trilha and the now late Tom Capone (guitar).
Acústico MTV
is an MTV Unplugged album. Recorded January 28, 1992. Released October 27, 1999.
In September 1996 the band released its last album with Renato Russo still alive: A Tempestade. The CD has a very sad tone, directly connected to the fact that Russo and his health were deteriorating very quickly, both psychologically and physically.
Renato Russo would die one month after the release of Tempestade, on October 11, 1996, from an AIDS
-related illness. One day later, Bonfá and Villa-Lobos announced that the band was officially disbanded.
Uma Outra Estação
was released in June 1997 and is the last album with previously unreleased songs, produced and finished by Villa-Lobos. In October 1999 EMI released a Live album, Acústico MTV, a concert which was presented on MTV Brasil in 1992. Another two albums, As Quatro Estações Ao Vivo and Como É Que Se Diz Eu Te Amo, are best-of compilations that achieved relative success among the fans and people whose interest in Legião Urbana grew after the death of Russo.
Despite the death of Russo and the group's disbanding, Legião Urbana continues to be the third best-selling artist in Brazil, with approximately 350,000 albums sold per year as of 2003. With almost 17 million records sold, the band continues to be very well known among young Brazilians. Legião Urbana remains loved because the songs remain timeless and the lyrics deal with universal subjects such as love, spiritualism, politics, family, sex, drugs, in a language that is highly accessible to Brazilian teenagers.
Compilation albums
Live albums
Soundtrack
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band formed in 1982 in Brasília
Brasília
Brasília is the capital city of Brazil. The name is commonly spelled Brasilia in English. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the...
, Distrito Federal
Brazilian Federal District
The Federal District is set apart for Brasília, the capital of Brazil. Located in a region called Planalto Central, or Central Plateau, the Federal District is divided in 29 administrative regions. Brasilia - place where the three branches of the Federal Government are located - is the main...
. The band primarily consisted of Renato Russo
Renato Russo
Renato Russo was a Brazilian singer and songwriter. His first band was a punk rock band called "Aborto Elétrico" . The band then broke up and split in two different ones: "Capital Inicial" and "Legião Urbana"...
(vocals), Dado Villa-Lobos
Dado Villa-Lobos
Dado Villa-Lobos is a Brazilian musician, best known as the ex-guitarist of post-punk band Legião Urbana. Along with singer Renato Russo and drummer Marcelo Bonfá, he was one of the founding members of that band, who formed in Brasilia in 1982...
(guitar) and Marcelo Bonfá
Marcelo Bonfá
Marcelo Augusto Bonfá , also known simply as Bonfá, is a Brazilian musician. Famous for being the drummer of the famous rock band Legião Urbana, after its disestablishment he started to follow solo career, releasing three albums as of yet.-Biography:Bonfá was born in the city of Itapira, in the...
(drums). In its earlier days, Legião Urbana also had a bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
, Renato Rocha, but he would leave the band due to creative divergences.
Legião Urbana was disestablished de facto in 1996 because of frontman
Lead vocalist
The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
Renato Russo's death, and de jure in 1997, but even to this day it is one of the most famous Brazilian rock bands.
1980s
Renato RussoRenato Russo
Renato Russo was a Brazilian singer and songwriter. His first band was a punk rock band called "Aborto Elétrico" . The band then broke up and split in two different ones: "Capital Inicial" and "Legião Urbana"...
(born Renato Manfredini, Jr.) created Legião Urbana in 1982, in Brasília
Brasília
Brasília is the capital city of Brazil. The name is commonly spelled Brasilia in English. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the...
, after his short presence in an earlier band named Aborto Elétrico
Aborto Elétrico
Aborto Elétrico was a Brazilian punk band formed in 1978 in Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil. The band primarily consisted of future Legião Urbana frontman Renato Russo , André Pretorius and future Capital Inicial drummer Fê Lemos...
("Electric Abortion"). Aborto Elétrico ceased to exist due to repeated disagreements between Russo and Fê Lemos. After Aborto Elétrico split and Russo created Legião Urbana, the two brothers would also go on to form another very popular Brazilian rock band, Capital Inicial
Capital Inicial
Capital Inicial is a Brazilian rock band that flourished in the 1980s, saw a resurgence in the late '90s, and extended into the 2000s.-History:...
.
Legião Urbana was initially formed by Renato Russo, Marcelo Bonfá
Marcelo Bonfá
Marcelo Augusto Bonfá , also known simply as Bonfá, is a Brazilian musician. Famous for being the drummer of the famous rock band Legião Urbana, after its disestablishment he started to follow solo career, releasing three albums as of yet.-Biography:Bonfá was born in the city of Itapira, in the...
(drums), Eduardo Paraná (guitars) and Paulo Paulista (keyboards), but Paraná and Paulista would quickly leave the band. Dado Villa-Lobos
Dado Villa-Lobos
Dado Villa-Lobos is a Brazilian musician, best known as the ex-guitarist of post-punk band Legião Urbana. Along with singer Renato Russo and drummer Marcelo Bonfá, he was one of the founding members of that band, who formed in Brasilia in 1982...
replaced Paraná as the guitarist. In the beginning of 1985, Renato Rocha joined the group as the bass player, after Renato Russo couldn't play any instrument because of a suicide attempt that injured his wrist. Renato Russo would then focus on the vocals.
Many elements helped shape the identity of Legião Urbana. Consciously or not, Renato Russo was heavily influenced by The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
and U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, particularly The Smiths lead singer Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
, with his extremely personal lyrics and idiosyncratic on-stage performance. He was also influenced by Joy Division
Joy Division
Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis , Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris .Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences...
's Ian Curtis
Ian Curtis
Ian Kevin Curtis was an English singer and lyricist, famous for leading the post-punk band Joy Division. Joy Division released their debut album, Unknown Pleasures, in 1979 and recorded their follow-up, Closer, in 1980...
.
Thematically, Russo and the other members were also influenced by literature, especially that of Portuguese poet Luís de Camões
Luís de Camões
Luís Vaz de Camões is considered Portugal's and the Portuguese language's greatest poet. His mastery of verse has been compared to that of Shakespeare, Vondel, Homer, Virgil and Dante. He wrote a considerable amount of lyrical poetry and drama but is best remembered for his epic work Os Lusíadas...
, whose poetry is featured in more than one of the band's songs.
Legião Urbana's self-titled first album was recorded and released in 1985. The album included the hits "Será" ("I Wonder"), "Ainda É Cedo" ("It's Still Early") and "Geração Coca-Cola" ("Coca-Cola Generation"). The album was released on the EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
label, and the band would stay with this record label for their entire career, with both positive and negative experiences. Most of the songs on the album sounded like U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
's first record Boy
Boy (album)
Boy is the debut album from Irish rock band U2, released October 20, 1980. Produced by Steve Lillywhite, the album received generally positive reviews. Common themes among the album's songs are the thoughts and frustrations of adolescence. The album included the band's first United Kingdom hit...
, also using xylophones effects and The Edge
The Edge
David Howell Evans , more widely known by his stage name The Edge , is a musician best known as the guitarist, backing vocalist, and keyboardist of the Irish rock band U2. A member of the group since its inception, he has recorded 12 studio albums with the band and has released one solo record...
's distinctive guitar style.
In 1986, the band released Dois
Dois (album)
Dois is the second studio album by Brazilian rock band Legião Urbana. It was released in July 1986.-Release history:...
("Two" - the album was planned to have two discs, but EMI refused to do it). The lyrics, melodies and personality of Renato Russo brought the band considerable notoriety in Brazil, especially among the younger generation which had grown under the fear of the authoritarian Brazilian Military Dictatorship (1964–1985). The songs Tempo Perdido ("Lost Time"), Quase sem Querer ("Almost by Accident"), Eduardo e Mônica, Andrea Doria and "Índios" ('"Natives"') were particularly popular.
The band's success was cemented in 1987, with Que País É Este ("What Country Is This"). They developed a devoted following, and the band came to carry the nickname "Religião Urbana" (meaning "Urban Religion"), something Renato Russo
Renato Russo
Renato Russo was a Brazilian singer and songwriter. His first band was a punk rock band called "Aborto Elétrico" . The band then broke up and split in two different ones: "Capital Inicial" and "Legião Urbana"...
professed to hate.
This was the heaviest album Legião Urbana released during its existence. The only one which can in fact be classified as Punk rock. Two of the songs, Conexão Amazônica ("Amazonic Connection" - censored to contain heavy texts about drugs traffic and its routes by Amazon, and critical intellectuals.) and Faroeste Caboclo - the latter with 168 different lines and ten minutes long - were censored because they contained what was then considered obscene content. Faroeste Caboclo was a huge success, nevertheless. Others, such as Que País é Este?, Eu Sei ("I Know"), Química ("Chemistry"), Angra dos Reis (an reference to a homonymous nuclear power plant that exists in Brazil
Angra Nuclear Power Plant
Angra Nuclear Power Plant is Brazil's sole nuclear power plant. It is located at the Central Nuclear Almirante Álvaro Alberto on the Itaorna Beach in Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil...
) and Mais do Mesmo ("More of the Same") were hits.
In the first concert in Brasília after the release of their first album, 200 people were wounded in a riot. The band would never again perform publicly in Brasília, the city from which Russo and other band members hailed.
In 1989, before the release of As Quatro Estações
As Quatro Estações
As Quatro Estações is the fourth studio album by Brazilian rock band Legião Urbana. It was released on October 26, 1989...
("The Four Seasons"), Renato Rocha decided to quit under pressure from Bonfá and Villa-Lobos. Although this album had the most financial success of any released by the group (and nearly every song on the disc garnered significant radio play), many fans disliked the big changes in the band's style, especially punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
fans. The songs would now talk about love and soul. "Pais e Filhos" ("Fathers and Sons"), about broken, intact, happy and dysfunctional families, included the lyrics "É preciso amar/as pessoas como se não houvesse amanhã/Porque se você parar/pra pensar/Na verdade não há" ("We must love people as if there was no tomorrow/Because when you stop to think about it/There really isn't"). In "Meninos e Meninas" ("Boys and Girls"), Russo hinted that he was bisexual, something he would confirm later.
1990s
VV (Legião Urbana album)
V is the fifth studio album by the Brazilian rock band Legião Urbana. It was released in December 15, 1991.-History:The album reflects two situations: the economic crisis Brazil suffered during Fernando Collor de Mello's government and Renato Russo's drug dependence. In 1991, Russo discovered he...
was released in December 1991, considered the band's darkest and most introspective album until then; at this point, the band was appearing less and less in public, doing only a few (very contentious) concerts. The album ran a long gamut of emotions and topics, with songs about drug abuse, the confused sentiments of a soul consecrated to a life of celibacy, and even the bizarre, classic French film The Golden Age.
"Metal Contra as Nuvens" ("Metal Against the Clouds") clocked in at 11 minutes and is the longest song ever recorded by the band. Some of the more popular entries on the album are O Teatro dos Vampiros ("The Theater of the Vampires"), Sereníssima ("Most Serene"), Vento no Litoral ("Coastal Wind"), and O Mundo Anda Tão Complicado ("The World Has Been So Complicated"). One year after V, EMI released Música P/ Acampamentos
Música P/ Acampamentos
Música P/ Acampamentos is a double-disc compilation album by Brazilian rock band Legião Urbana. It was released in 1992. It features live and acoustic songs performed for radio, television and shows between 1986 and 1992...
(Music 4 Camping), which is a compilation of rarities and live material. A previously unreleased song, A Canção do Senhor da Guerra ("Warlord Song"), which was to be in Dois and was rejected by EMI, turned into an immediate hit.
The band released O Descobrimento do Brasil
O Descobrimento do Brasil (album)
-Covers:Argentinian punk rock band Attaque 77 made a cover of "Perfeição". They also made a cover of Legião's "Fábrica", of the album Dois.-Trivia:* Renato Russo said in 1994 that he considered the track "Giz" his masterpiece....
("The Discovery of Brazil", alluding both to Cabral
Pedro Álvares Cabral
Pedro Álvares Cabral was a Portuguese noble, military commander, navigator and explorer regarded as the discoverer of Brazil. Cabral conducted the first substantial exploration of the northeast coast of South America and claimed it for Portugal. While details of Cabral's early life are sketchy, it...
's discovery and to a new look at Brazil and its problems) in November 1993. "Giz" ("Chalk"), "Perfeição" ("Perfection"), "Vinte e Nove" ("Twenty Nine"), "Vamos Fazer um Filme" ("Let's Make A Movie") and "La Nuova Gioventù" ("The New Youth") are the main hits of the CD, though the album as a whole received a rather chilly critical reception.
"Perfeição" was a scathing rebuke of Brazilian government and society, inviting the listener to celebrate everything stupid, evil and ugly about the country. The song compares Brazil to a house of marked cards, a den of thieves, and a State that is not a nation, but the song explodes any pretensions of moral superiority towards the end by remarking, above all else, the stupidity of the person singing the song. After the energy and anger of the main body of the song, this final section is almost wistful. The music continues to race ahead, but the vocal seems to be trying to pull it back, simultaneously celebrating and undercutting the belief that perfection is achievable, at least in the heart. The song's popular success is emblematic of the political changes that had taken place in Brazil since the band's inception: it certainly could not have been distributed during the days of Brazil's military dictatorship.
The band members confessed that the track "Giz" was one of Renato Russo's favorite songs among all Legião Urbana's discography.
The same year, Russo released a solo album in English, The Stonewall Celebration Concert.
A Tempestade, ou O Livro dos Dias ("The Storm" or "The Book of Days") was recorded between January and June, 1996 and released on September 20, 1996. This would be the last album released before Renato Russo's death less than a month later. This album surpassed V in terms of introspection and sadness in the lyrics, probably related to the state of Russo's health.
Disbandment
In November 1995 the band performed its last concert. In December Renato Russo released his second solo album, Equilibrio Distante, sung in Italian.A posthumous album recorded between January and June, 1996 and released on July 18, 1997. Most of the tracks are leftovers from A Tempestade, which was originally planned as a double album. Uma Outra Estação ("Another Season") was completed by the remaining members of the band plus keyboardist Carlos Trilha and the now late Tom Capone (guitar).
Acústico MTV
Legião Urbana - Acústico MTV
Acústico MTV is a live album released by Brazilian band Legião Urbana. It was certified Diamond by ABPD, with more than 500,000 copies sold.- Track listing :- References :...
is an MTV Unplugged album. Recorded January 28, 1992. Released October 27, 1999.
In September 1996 the band released its last album with Renato Russo still alive: A Tempestade. The CD has a very sad tone, directly connected to the fact that Russo and his health were deteriorating very quickly, both psychologically and physically.
Renato Russo would die one month after the release of Tempestade, on October 11, 1996, from an AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
-related illness. One day later, Bonfá and Villa-Lobos announced that the band was officially disbanded.
Uma Outra Estação
Uma Outra Estação
-Trivia:* "Clarisse" is based on the life of Christiane F., and Renato Russo himself decided to not include it on A Tempestade, ou O Livro dos Dias, for he considered it too sad and depressing....
was released in June 1997 and is the last album with previously unreleased songs, produced and finished by Villa-Lobos. In October 1999 EMI released a Live album, Acústico MTV, a concert which was presented on MTV Brasil in 1992. Another two albums, As Quatro Estações Ao Vivo and Como É Que Se Diz Eu Te Amo, are best-of compilations that achieved relative success among the fans and people whose interest in Legião Urbana grew after the death of Russo.
Despite the death of Russo and the group's disbanding, Legião Urbana continues to be the third best-selling artist in Brazil, with approximately 350,000 albums sold per year as of 2003. With almost 17 million records sold, the band continues to be very well known among young Brazilians. Legião Urbana remains loved because the songs remain timeless and the lyrics deal with universal subjects such as love, spiritualism, politics, family, sex, drugs, in a language that is highly accessible to Brazilian teenagers.
Discography
Studio albums- Legião UrbanaLegião Urbana (album)-Personnel:Legião Urbana* Dado Villa-Lobos: electric guitar, classical guitar, sound effects* Renato Rocha: electric bass* Renato Russo: vocals, classical guitar, keyboards* Marcelo Bonfá: drums, percussion, glockenspiel...
(1985) - DoisDois (album)Dois is the second studio album by Brazilian rock band Legião Urbana. It was released in July 1986.-Release history:...
(1986) - Que País É Este (1987)
- As Quatro EstaçõesAs Quatro EstaçõesAs Quatro Estações is the fourth studio album by Brazilian rock band Legião Urbana. It was released on October 26, 1989...
(1989) - VV (Legião Urbana album)V is the fifth studio album by the Brazilian rock band Legião Urbana. It was released in December 15, 1991.-History:The album reflects two situations: the economic crisis Brazil suffered during Fernando Collor de Mello's government and Renato Russo's drug dependence. In 1991, Russo discovered he...
(1991) - O Descobrimento do BrasilO Descobrimento do Brasil (album)-Covers:Argentinian punk rock band Attaque 77 made a cover of "Perfeição". They also made a cover of Legião's "Fábrica", of the album Dois.-Trivia:* Renato Russo said in 1994 that he considered the track "Giz" his masterpiece....
(1993) - A Tempestade, ou O Livro dos Dias (1996)
- Uma Outra EstaçãoUma Outra Estação-Trivia:* "Clarisse" is based on the life of Christiane F., and Renato Russo himself decided to not include it on A Tempestade, ou O Livro dos Dias, for he considered it too sad and depressing....
(1997)
Compilation albums
- Música para AcampamentosMúsica P/ AcampamentosMúsica P/ Acampamentos is a double-disc compilation album by Brazilian rock band Legião Urbana. It was released in 1992. It features live and acoustic songs performed for radio, television and shows between 1986 and 1992...
(1992) - Mais do MesmoMais do MesmoMais do Mesmo is the second compilation album by Brazilian rock band Legião Urbana. It was released in 1998 after Renato Russo's death and the subsequent end of the band...
(1998) - Perfil (2011)
Live albums
- Acústico MTV: Legião Urbana (1999)
- Como é Que Se Diz Eu te AmoComo é Que Se Diz Eu te AmoComo É que Se Diz Eu Te Amo is the second live album by Brazilian rock band Legião Urbana, released in 2001. It is the fourth posthumous album by the band after Renato Russo's death in 1996....
(2001) - As Quatro Estações ao VivoAs Quatro Estações ao VivoAs Quatro Estações ao Vivo is the third live album by Brazilian rock band Legião Urbana, released in 2004. It is the fifth and last posthumous album by the band after Renato Russo's death in 1996....
(2004)
Soundtrack
- A Era dos Halley (2007)
Singles
| Ano | Single | Álbum |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | "Será Será "Será" is a song from Brazilian rock band Legião Urbana's 1985 debut album, released as promo single.- External links :*... " |
Legião Urbana |
| "Ainda É Cedo Ainda É Cedo "Ainda é Cedo" is a song from Brazilian rock band Legião Urbana's 1985 debut album, released as promo single.- External links :*... " |
Legião Urbana | |
| "Soldados Soldados "Soldados" is a song from Brazilian rock band Legião Urbana's 1985 debut album, released as promo single.... " |
Legião Urbana | |
| "O Reggae O Reggae "O Reggae" is a song from Brazilian rock band Legião Urbana's 1985 debut album, released as promo single.... " |
Legião Urbana | |
| 1986 | "Tempo Perdido Tempo Perdido "Tempo Perdido" is a song from Brazilian rock band Legião Urbana's 1986 album Dois, released as promo single.... " |
Dois |
| "Eduardo e Mônica Eduardo e Mônica "Eduardo e Mônica" is a song from Brazilian rock band Legião Urbana's 1986 album Dois, released as promo single. It was largely inspired by Bob Dylan, telling the story of youngsters in Brasília which fall in love, despite having nothing in common.... " |
Dois | |
| "Quase Sem Querer" | Dois | |
| "Acrilic on Canvas Acrilic on Canvas "Acrilic on Canvas" is a song from Brazilian rock band Legião Urbana's 1986 album Dois, released as promo single.... " |
Dois | |
| 1987 | "Que País é Este?" | Que País é Este? |
| "Angra dos Reis" | Que País é Este? | |
| "Faroeste Caboclo Faroeste Caboclo "Faroeste Caboclo" is a song composed by Renato Russo and recorded by Brazilian rock band Legião Urbana. Written in 1979, the song was released in 1987 in the album Que País é Este 1978/1987.... " |
Que País é Este? | |
| "Eu Sei" | Que País é Este? | |
| 1989 | "Há Tempos" | As Quatro Estações |
| "1965 (Duas Tribos)" | As Quatro Estações | |
| "Pais e Filhos" | As Quatro Estações | |
| 1991 | "O Teatro dos Vampiros" | V |
| "Vento no Litoral" | V | |
| 1992 | "A Canção do Senhor da Guerra" | Música P/ Acampamentos |
| 1993 | "Giz" | O Descobrimento do Brasil |
| "Perfeição" | O Descobrimento do Brasil | |
| 1996 | "A Via Láctea" | A Tempestade |
| 1997 | "As Flores do Mal" | Uma Outra Estação |
| 1999 | "Hoje a Noite Não Tem Luar" | Acústico MTV |
| 2001 | "Índios"/"Quando o Sol Bater na Janela do Teu Quarto"/"Que País é Este?" | Como É Que Se Diz Eu Te Amo |
| "Geração Coca-Cola" | Como É Que Se Diz Eu Te Amo | |