Engenheiros Do Hawaii were one of the most popular Brazilian rock bands of the 1980s and '90s, playing in a fairly mainstream "alternative rock" mode... Sort of like a Portuguese-language Hootie and The Blowfish or Smashing Pumpkins, I suppose. Here are some of their records...
Engenheiros Do Hawaii "Longe Demais Das Capitais" (RCA-BMG, 1986)
Engenheiros Do Hawaii "A Revolta Dos Dandis" (BMG-Ariola, 1987)
Apparently, this was the band's commercial breakout album, bringing them national fame and standing as one of the primary bands in Porto Allegre's modern rock scene. I can see why: they emulate a lot of elements of then-contemporary American and British pop, including the plodding, heartfelt, semi-acoustic ballad. But overall, it feels clumsy and forced -- obviously there's a lot of wordplay and passion invested in the lyrics, but the musical end doesn't really hold up. When they do pick up the tempo in the second half, they sound a bit like Oingo Boingo... And I mean that to be a charitable comparison. Didn't do much for me. Note: The band had a new lineup on this disc: guitarist Augusto Licks came on board for this album, replacing bassist Marcelo Pitz (with singer Humberto Gessinger pulling a Paul McCartney by taking over on bass...)
Engenheiros Do Hawaii "Ouca O Que Eu Digo: Nao Ouca Ninguem" (BMG-Ariola, 1988)
Engenheiros Do Hawaii "Alivio Imediato" (BMG-Ariola, 1989)
A live show, recorded in Rio...
Engenheiros Do Hawaii "O Papa E Pop" (BMG-Ariola, 1990)
Bland, plodding mainstream rock, with New Wave-ish tendencies... Even with the then-typical Brazilian pop-culture time-lag, it's kind of surprising such a pedestrian rock record came out this late in the game... Sounds very 1983.
Engenheiros Do Hawaii "Varias Variaveis" (BMG-Ariola, 1991)
Engenheiros Do Hawaii "Gessinger, Licks & Maltz" (BMG-Ariola, 1992)
That would be lyricist bassist-singer Humberto Gessinger, guitarist Augusto Licks and drummer Carlos Maltz, the core of the band at the time of this lineup...
Engenheiros Do Hawaii "Filmes De Guerra, Cancoes De Amor" (BMG-Ariola, 1993)
A live, "unplugged" album...
Engenheiros Do Hawaii "Simples Do Coracao" (BMG-Ariola, 1996)
Engenheiros Do Hawaii "Minuano" (BMG-Ariola, 1997)
Engenheiros Do Hawaii "Tchau Radar" (Universal, 1999)
Engenheiros Do Hawaii "10,000 Destinos: Ao Vivo" (Universal, 2000)
Engenheiros Do Hawaii "Surfando Karmas & DNA" (Universal, 2001)
Engenheiros Do Hawaii "10,001 Destinos: Ao Vivo" (Universal, 2002)
Engenheiros Do Hawaii "Dancando No Campo Minado" (Universal, 2003)
Engenheiros Do Hawaii "Acustico MTV" (Universal, 2004)
Engenheiros Do Hawaii "Acustico Novos Horizontes" (Universal, 2007)
Engenheiros Do Hawaii "Serie Sem Limite" (Universal, 2006)
Engenheiros Do Hawaii "Infinita Highway" (BMG-Ariola, 1998)
An 8-CD, metal-clad box set, including the albums Longe Demais Das Capitais (1986), A Revolta Dos Dandis (1987), Ouca O Que Eu Digo: Nao Ouca Ninguem (1988), Alivio Imediato (1989), O Papa E Pop (1990), Varias Variaveis (1991), Gessinger, Licks & Maltz (1992), Filmes De Guerra, Cancoes De Amor (1993), Simples Do Coracao (1996) and Minuano (1997). Also includes a small, hardbound booklet with some info on the band and their albums.
