As one of Brazil"s most important music figures, books could be written about Gilberto Gil"s early years. Gil and other like-minded artists in the tropicalia movement fused samba, bossa nova, rock, Anglo folk and more experimental forms into music that was both catchy and topical. The music here reflects the heady late 1960s rock sounds and philosophies, and Gil"s gifts as a composer and performer were such that he became popular in his homeland and beyond. Tragically, he was not well received by government authorities--his choice of subject matter lead to jail and exile. Amongt the 22 tracks we get hits like the "Maracatu Atomico" and "Louvacao." Also of note is Gil"s solo turn (voice and acoustic guitar) take on Steve Winwood"s "Can"t Find My Way Home," which sounds all the more tragic because of Gil"s exile. While Gil"s later work continues to challenge as he pokes at the edges of pop formats, this is the stuff that legends are made of. –-Tad Hendrickson