|
This special slip-case edition comes with a 48-page, oversized booklet packed with photos, lyrics, and rich historical context. The booklet delves into the myths surrounding Mateo, exploring the life of this surrealist poet, whose tragic decline into madness and early death have only served to solidify his status as one of South America's greatest musical artists.
Mateo Solo Bien Se Lame is an album that demands superlatives to capture its essence. From the first notes, the music is lilting, poetic, and intimate—shifting from life-affirming to melancholic. The pulsating percussion and the use of unconventional guitar tunings create a sonic landscape that is both unique and profound, often drawing comparisons to Caetano Veloso and Nick Drake. Simply put, the album exudes honesty. Released at the end of 1972 in both Argentina and Uruguay, it was immediately recognized as a classic and still holds that revered status today.
When El Kinto co-founder and iconoclastic genius Eduardo Mateo traveled to Buenos Aires in October 1971 to record what would become Mateo Solo Bien Se Lame, his situation was anything but ordinary. Mateo had already reached legendary status in Uruguay’s music scene with the rise of candombe-beat, yet by this point, none of his music—either as a soloist or with the now-defunct El Kinto—was officially available, apart from the Musicasion 4 1/2 compilation released earlier that year. The public, fascinated by Mateo’s dreamlike persona, was still clamoring for a solo album.
Singer Diane Denoir played a pivotal role in making that album happen. While in Argentina finishing her own record for the De la Planta label, which featured eight songs by Mateo, she insisted that he join her as an arranger for three of the tracks. This brought Mateo to Buenos Aires, where De la Planta took the opportunity to begin recording his long-awaited album. The process was far from smooth—Mateo had a habit of trying to erase anything he recorded, and often failed to show up for sessions. In the end, engineers Carlos Piriz and Eduardo Rozas pieced together the album from hours of free-form improvisations, crafting it into the masterpiece we know today.
Our first Lion Productions volume of Mateo’s solo work features the complete Mateo Solo Bien Se Lame album, along with eight bonus tracks from his early solo years. These include songs from the iconic Musicasion 4 1/2 LP, two live tracks recorded in a bowling alley (!), and four rare recordings where Mateo accompanies female vocalists—two tracks with the enchanting Diane Denoir and two with the mysterious Veronica Indart. |
