Biography
Marcelo Nova, serving as a DJ at Rádio Aratu FM in Salvador, BA, absorbed the sounds of Brazilian rock trailblazers Raul Seixas together with British punk outfits including the Sex Pistols, the Clash, and the Buzzcocks. Late in 1980 he gathered guitarists Karl Hummel and Gustavo Müllen, bassist Robério Santana, and drummer Aldo Machado to launch Camisa de Vênus.
Hummel soon headed to Europe for an extended stay, prompting the others to pause rather than seek a substitute. Genuine momentum arrived only in March 1982; five months afterward the band cut the single “Meu Primo Zé,” which quickly registered as a hit across Rio and São Paulo.
They next entered the studio for Som Livre and issued their self-titled debut LP in October 1983. Although the record earned solid notice, the label objected to the band’s raw edge and pressed for a name change. Camisa de Vênus walked away from Som Livre and spent the next two years touring independently.
RGE stepped in at the close of 1985, re-releasing the first album and issuing the follow-up Batalhão de Estranhos while preserving the group’s unpolished approach. Immediate success followed, and both early LPs were certified gold.
The third release again favored spontaneity, captured live in March 1986 and anchored by the hit “Sílvia.” Months later the band exited RGE for WEA and recorded Correndo o Risco; the set introduced an orchestra on “A Ferro e Fogo” yet still moved 200,000 copies.
In 1987 they delivered the double album Duplo Sentido, which sold 40,000 units and included a guest appearance by idol Raul Seixas on “Muita Estrela, Pouca Constelação.” Divergent ideas surfaced, foreshadowing an imminent split. Nova and Müllen departed, recruited keyboardist João Chaves, bassist Nadinho Feliciano, and drummer James Müller, and formed A Envergadura Moral. Gustavo Müllen died on May 28, 2024 at the age of 72.
The new outfit cut Marcelo Nova & A Envergadura Moral in 1988. The following year Nova joined Raul Seixas for A Panela do Diabo, Seixas’ final album before his death on August 21. A Envergadura Moral returned with Nova for the 1991 Continental release Blackout and then went on hiatus.
Reconvening in 1994, the original circle—now featuring Marcelo Nova, Karl Hummel, Robério Santana, guitarist Luís Sérgio Carlini, keyboardist Carlos Alberto Calazans, and drummer Franklin Paolillo—produced the live set Camisa de Vênus ao Vivo: Plugado! (Polygram, 1996) and the studio album Quem é Você? (Polygram, 1997).
Hummel soon headed to Europe for an extended stay, prompting the others to pause rather than seek a substitute. Genuine momentum arrived only in March 1982; five months afterward the band cut the single “Meu Primo Zé,” which quickly registered as a hit across Rio and São Paulo.
They next entered the studio for Som Livre and issued their self-titled debut LP in October 1983. Although the record earned solid notice, the label objected to the band’s raw edge and pressed for a name change. Camisa de Vênus walked away from Som Livre and spent the next two years touring independently.
RGE stepped in at the close of 1985, re-releasing the first album and issuing the follow-up Batalhão de Estranhos while preserving the group’s unpolished approach. Immediate success followed, and both early LPs were certified gold.
The third release again favored spontaneity, captured live in March 1986 and anchored by the hit “Sílvia.” Months later the band exited RGE for WEA and recorded Correndo o Risco; the set introduced an orchestra on “A Ferro e Fogo” yet still moved 200,000 copies.
In 1987 they delivered the double album Duplo Sentido, which sold 40,000 units and included a guest appearance by idol Raul Seixas on “Muita Estrela, Pouca Constelação.” Divergent ideas surfaced, foreshadowing an imminent split. Nova and Müllen departed, recruited keyboardist João Chaves, bassist Nadinho Feliciano, and drummer James Müller, and formed A Envergadura Moral. Gustavo Müllen died on May 28, 2024 at the age of 72.
The new outfit cut Marcelo Nova & A Envergadura Moral in 1988. The following year Nova joined Raul Seixas for A Panela do Diabo, Seixas’ final album before his death on August 21. A Envergadura Moral returned with Nova for the 1991 Continental release Blackout and then went on hiatus.
Reconvening in 1994, the original circle—now featuring Marcelo Nova, Karl Hummel, Robério Santana, guitarist Luís Sérgio Carlini, keyboardist Carlos Alberto Calazans, and drummer Franklin Paolillo—produced the live set Camisa de Vênus ao Vivo: Plugado! (Polygram, 1996) and the studio album Quem é Você? (Polygram, 1997).