Zito Borborema - O Bom Vaqueiro & Baião da Corda from Forrozão - Tropicana (1973)

Zito Borborema - O Bom Vaqueiro & Baião da Corda from Forrozão - Tropicana (1973)

This week gives you 2 classic tracks from Zito Borborema who makes his first appearance on Forró LP Gringo, from a scarce 1973 vinyl album on the Tropicana label. If I had to pick my favorite era of forró, it would definitely be the early 1970s. There was an explosion of great records from this time. I was barely aware of Zito Borborema until being taken to forró school by my friend Samuel. Borborema began recording in the mid-1950s. Like Zé Gonzaga, many of his records are similar in style to Luiz Gonzaga, but he also recorded a fair amount of côcos. Zito Borborema's catalog is full of treasures worth exploring.

Zito Borborema - O Bom Vaqueiro from Forrozão - Tropicana (1973)



Zito Borborema - Baião da Corda from Forrozão - Tropicana (1973)

Zito Borborema - Forrozão - Tropicana (1973)

Cicero Freire - Chamego No Salão from Pastel da Japonesa - Beverly 1987

Cicero Freire - Chamego No Salão from Pastel da Japonesa - Beverly (1987)

It's the 1980s... an era with production techniques unkind to many genres, including forró. The word "slick" is often applied when describing the production of 80s albums, but what actually makes a record slick is difficult to define. Many recordings from the 1970s are arguably as slick and equally professional to those created in the 1980s. Perhaps the rise of digital in the 1980s coupled with cheesy drum sounds, either from kits or pads, made the era particularly contemptible. Perhaps the massive snare drums that littered 80s productions contributed to this perception. However, don't assume that the entire decade is a write-off. Cicero Freire's LP is full of great songs. Although the production is suspect at points, songs like Chamego No Salão hold their own.

Cicero Freire - Chamego No Salão from Pastel da Japonesa - Beverly (1987)

Cicero Freire - Chamego No Salão from Pastel da Japonesa - Beverly 1987

Messias Holanda - Dá... Doi from Fogo Na Geringonça & Hoje Tem Forró + Estou Gamado - Fontana (1970 + 1971)

Messias Holanda - Dá... Doi from Fogo Na Geringonça - Fontana (1970) & Hoje Tem Forró - Fontana (1971) + Estou Gamado from Hoje Tem Forró - Fontana (1971)

This week, I am proud to present 2 great tracks from Messias Holanda. The first track, Dá... Doi, appears in two forms. The studio version is from a Fontana LP called Fogo Na Geringonça. Messias shared the album with Elino Julião and Zé Catraca. This is one of the first superstar forró collaboration LPs. Although compilations and collections featuring exclusive tracks from forró, and previously baião, artists had been released since the 1950s, releasing a full LP by 2 or 3 stars was new in 1970 and remained popular during the decade. The second version of Dá... Doi is from Hoje Tem Forró, a rare live album making its second appearance on forróLPgringo. The first featured Borrachinha. The versions of Dá... Doi are similar... in fact, they are so similar I am not sure that they aren't the same exact version, actually...

Messias Holanda - Estou Gamado from Hoje Tem Forró - Fontana (1970) 

Messias Holanda - Dá... Doi from Fogo Na Geringonça - Fontana (1970)

Messias Holanda - Dá... Doi from Hoje Tem Forró - Fontana (1971)

Messias Holanda, Elino Julião & Zé Catraca - Fogo Na Geringonça - Fontana (1970)

Hoje Tem Forró - Fontana (1971)