Singin’ Alone (1982) on the trails of Brazilian recorded music

Abstract

The paper focuses on the album Singin’ Alone by Arnaldo Dias Baptista, released in 1982. This is the debut album of the independent record label Baratos Afins that, since then, has been active in São Paulo city, and the second solo album of the artist, former member of the Brazilian musical band Mutantes. Singin’ Alone is brought up by an intricate set of sociohistorical references — such as the aesthetics, the phonografic production, the building of an especific cultural and musical scene, as well as the concoction of MPB with rock, the cultural industry consolidation in Brazil, and the particular trajectory of an artist that acts on it. As a by-product of that cultural role, the album expresses, announces and fosters the beginning of Baratos Afins’ phonografic production.