A Tempestade, ou O Livro dos Dias

A Tempestade, ou O Livro dos Dias
Studio album by Legião Urbana
Released	September 20, 1996
Recorded	AR Records, Rio de Janeiro City January/June 1996
Genre	Alternative rock, art rock
Length	67:03
Label	EMI-Odeon
Producer	Dado Villa-Lobos and Legião Urbana
Legião Urbana chronology
O Descobrimento do Brasil (1993) A Tempestade, ou O Livro dos Dias (1996) Uma Outra Estação (1997)

A Tempestade, ou O Livro dos Dias (Portuguese for The Tempest, or The Book of Days) is the seventh studio album by Brazilian rock band Legião Urbana. It was released in September 20, 1996, three weeks before the lead singer Renato Russo's death.

Selling in Brazil more than 500,000 copies, it received a Double Platinum Certification by ABPD.^[1]

The album has a double name because Renato Russo intended to call it "A Tempestade", while Marcelo Bonfá preferred the name "O Livro dos Dias"; in order to satisfy both, they decided to opt for the double title; however, only the name "A Tempestade" appears on its cover.

History

A Tempestade, ou O Livro dos Dias was recorded between January and June 1996, at the carioca studio AR Records, being the first self-produced album of the band. Possibly reflecting Renato Russo's health, who was eventually aggravating due to his alcoholic crisis and the AIDS he caught, the tracks are very melancholic, introspective and depressing, with emphasis given to "Mil Pedaços", "Soul Parsifal" (co-written by Marisa Monte), "Longe do Meu Lado", "Quando Você Voltar" and "A Via Láctea", considered by fans to be the most depressing song by Legião. However, more upbeat songs are present in the album as well, such as "Leila", "Dezesseis" (that tells the story of a 16-year-old young man who dies after disputing a street race) and "1º de Julho" (written by Russo for and initially performed by Cássia Eller).

It was originally intended to be a double-disc album, but EMI-Odeon did not accept the proposal, mainly due to economic reasons. (A similar thing happened to Legião's project "Mitologia e Intuição", that became the separate albums Dois and Que País É Este.) The songs intended for the second part of the album were eventually released on the posthumous album Uma Outra Estação.

Reception

The Allmusic review by Alvaro Neder awarded the album 4 stars stating "Sad and melancholic, it sold 500,000 copies right after Russo's demise, with the group selling five million copies in their 12 years of existence. They recorded 36 songs for this album, originally intended to be double. But several songs remained unpublished, including "A Tempestade," vetoed by Renato himself because was much too depressed, talking about suicide -- this describes the last love affair's end, with a guy called Cristiano. "Clarice," another of the unpublished songs, talks about a 14-year-old girl who attempts suicide. The album had the hits "Leila" (a good-humored revision of "Eduardo E Mônica"), "L'Avventura," the melancholic "A Via Láctea" ("essa febre que não passa/this fever that doesn't end"), "Dezesseis" (another adolescent account like "Faroeste Caboclo"), and "Aloha" (revision of "Geração Coca-Cola" after one decade).".^[2]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Renato Russo (except where noted); all music composed by Legião Urbana.

Covers

Ricky Martin made a Spanish-language cover of "A Via Láctea", named "Gracias por Pensar en Mi" ("Thanks for Thinking of Me").

Personnel

Legião Urbana

• Dado Villa-Lobos: acoustic guitar, classical guitar, vocals
• Marcelo Bonfá: drums, ocarina, percussion, vocals
• Renato Russo: vocals, bass, classical guitar

Additional personnel

• Carlos Trilha: keyboards, drum machine, electric bass

References