Capital Inicial

Did You Know?

• Capital Inicial's first show in Rio de Janeiro was on July 23, 1983, opening for Lobão at Circo Voador.
• In November 1987, the band opened for Sting at a packed Maracanã stadium.

History

Capital Inicial was formed in Brasília by former members of Aborto Elétrico, the pioneering post-punk band led by Renato Russo. The group consisted of brothers Fê Lemos and Flávio Lemos, guitarist Loro Jones, and vocalist Dinho Ouro Preto, and they continued playing music similar to Aborto Elétrico's. Their first show in Rio de Janeiro took place on July 23, 1983, when they opened for Lobão at Circo Voador. A year later, they put out their debut single, "Descendo o Rio Nilo" and "Leve Desespero," which was well received; the latter track appeared in the film Areias Escaldantes. In April 1985, "Descendo o Rio Nilo" was included on the compilation Os Intocáveis. Their self-titled first album arrived in 1986, featuring hits like "Psicopata," "Música Urbana," and "Fátima," and sold 200,000 copies, leading to a busy stretch of live performances. Keyboardist Bozo Barretti, who had played on the debut, officially joined the band in 1987. That same year, they released their second album, Independência, which had a more pop-oriented sound and sold half as many copies as the first. In November, Capital Inicial opened for Sting at a full-capacity Maracanã stadium. Their third album, Você Não Precisa Entender, came out in December 1988 but was criticized for being too commercial and sold only 50,000 copies. Realizing they were alienating punk fans without attracting pop listeners, the band shifted direction for their fourth album, Todos os Lados, swapping polished keyboards for aggressive guitars. The change came too late, however, as the album moved just over 30,000 units. Their fifth record, Eletricidade, sold barely 20,000 copies. This downturn led to the departures of Bozzo Barretti and Dinho Ouro Preto. A new vocalist, Murilo Lima, joined, and with him the band recorded their sixth album, the independent Rua 47, in 1994. They released the live album Capital Inicial ao Vivo in 1996, and Murilo Lima left in 1998. In 2000, the band released an unplugged album recorded at a Brazilian MTV live concert. This album became a tremendous hit in Brazil. As of 2006, the band does regular concerts in major Brazilian cities, enjoying great success with older Aborto Elétrico songs as well as newly recorded material.