A Melhor Banda de Todos os Tempos da Última Semana (Last Week's Best Band Ever) is the eleventh studio album released by Brazilian rock band Titãs. It is the first album composed entirely of new material since 1995's Domingo; the first (and only) released via Abril Music following the end of the partnership they had with WEA since the band's debut; the first without founding member and guitarist Marcelo Fromer, who died just before the recording sessions (and to whom the album is dedicated); the last featuring founding member, vocalist and bassist Nando Reis, who would leave the band after the album's release to focus on his solo career, and the last produced by Jack Endino.
Fromer's death almost prompted the remaining members to postpone the album's recording and even made them consider ending the band, but the then sextet decided to carry on, deducing it would be what the guitarist wanted if alive. While the album's title criticizes "superficial" lists compiled by the press, the album's lyrics deal with various themes – including death, despite the songwriting taking place before the musician's passing.
The album was written under pressure from fans and critics, who saw the band release three albums mostly consisting of covers or re-recordings (Acústico MTV, Volume Dois and As Dez Mais). A Melhor Banda de Todos os Tempos da Última Semana received mostly positive reviews, but did not sell as well as its three predecessors.
Background
This is the first album since Domingo (1995) to contain only new songs. Previously, the band had released Acústico MTV, with acoustic versions of some of their songs and four new ones; Volume Dois, a studio effort that continued the acoustic concept and brought more new tracks; and As Dez Mais, a tribute album. While Reis commented he did not notice such a long interval, vocalist Branco Mello and vocalist/keyboardist Sérgio Britto considered it a period of great experience. Titãs were experiencing pressure from critics due to the long period with little new material, especially after three members (Britto, Reis and vocalist Paulo Miklos) released solo albums in the period (respectively: A Minha Cara, Para Quando o Arco-Íris Encontrar o Pote de Ouro and Vou Ser Feliz e Já Volto). Due to that, some members considered releasing an album the only choice they had at a comeback.
According to Alexandre Negado, from Omelete, the band announced a DJ would perform on the album, beginning an electronic foray for the band, but the idea was ultimately abandoned.
On 11 June, a couple of days before they started the recording sessions, guitarist Marcelo Fromer was struck by a motorcycle in São Paulo and taken to the hospital with severe injuries. He died two days later. Instead of interrupting the recording sessions, the remaining band members decided to carry on with it and record the album by the deadline they set. Drummer Charles Gavin said at the time that "stopping would have been much worse for us, we would have been depressed, isolated". In 2013, after singer Chorão from Charlie Brown Jr. died, Mello said the band decided to carry on back in 2001 to keep alive Fromer's (and their) dream of having a rock band.
When commenting on the impact of his death during the recording sessions, American producer Jack Endino said:
It was only during the recording sessions that the band truly absorbed the member's death. According to Miklos, "we were so focused on recording and resuming the project that we did not think before. Now that we had reunited for a few sessions, we were realizing it", he said by the time of the album's release. He would recall that time in a 2013 interview:
Production and recording
The album was pre-produced at Estúdio Vinil Junkie, in São Paulo, in Abril and May 2001.
Endino took part in the album as an instrumentalist, playing Fromer's guitar parts (musician Emerson Villani, who was a Titãs session member, also recorded some parts), and also handled the bass on some tracks by the request of Reis, so that he could focus on the acoustic guitar. The band thought about using some recordings of Fromer for the album, but they lacked the necessary quality.
Endino also had to face another death during the sessions: his father's, at age 84. The passing forced him to go back to Seattle, United States, for a week, a period in which he was replaced by Paul Ralphes, who produced Britto's debut solo album.