Tim Maia’s Tim Maia Racional Vols. 1 & 2 (33 1/3 Brazil)

Tim Maia was a huge personality. Called the James Brown and Barry White of Brazil, the larger than life man made a huge contribution musically to Brazilian funk, soul, disco, ballads, rock, Música popular brasileira, jazz, and more. His music was as exciting as his lifestyle, so the legacy and following Tim Maia left after his 1998 death is a testament to the man he was. Outside of music, there are many stories you can research, but his music was near perfect. I was introduced to the man by writer and author Allen Thayer many years ago. Throughout his career, Thayer has been championing the music of Brazil via his DJ nights, top shelf pieces in magazines such as Wax Poetics, and now has gone to author the 33 1/3 Brazil book series with the story of Tim Maia Racional Vols. 1 & 2. At the height of his musical career, Maia went on to join a radical, extraterrestrial obsessed cult in 1974. Giving up drugs and alcohol, getting rid of material possessions, and trying to convert the rest of the country of Brazil (and the world) to Manoel Jacinto Coelho’s Rational Culture, Maia’s the tale of his foray into this strange cult is something that needed to be done. This period in the singer’s life gave us two full albums, an EP, and recently unearthed tapes of more incredibly spiritual funky tracks. Thayer delves deep into the Racional period of Tim Maia. The equal rush to get into the cult as well as to distance himself from Coelho, denounce him and the cult, destroy anything he had to do with it, and never speak about the experience for the rest of his life. It’s a strange and wild ride led by Maia, all the while with Thayer putting the pieces together and telling this tale that really deserves attention. Bizarre and interesting, if you are into Brazilian music and culture, a fan of Tim Maia or just music itself, then we highly recommend this book. The music is second to none (check the stream below), so now you’ll hear the whole story of Tim Maia’s Racional and the music that came out of it. This particular 33 1/3 book series is related to, but independent from the original 33 1/3 series (so many great books), and will focus on Brazilian, Japanese, Australia/ Oceania, Europe, Africa, and The Middle East. There are some unbelievable records from those countries, so look out for that. This is a great way to start with the story of Tim Maia and his journey , all the while making fantastic music the whole time. Hear for yourself.