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Thursday, August 20, 2015

Venâncio & Curumba - Gavião & Cadeia Da Vila from 78rpm - Todamerica (1954)

Venâncio & Curumba - Gavião from 78rpm - Todamerica (1954)


Venâncio & Curumba - Cadeia Da Vila from 78rpm - Todamerica (1954)




I am particularly proud of this post. In some ways, making songs like these available to the world is what forróLPgringo is all about. These songs have not been reissued. It is likely that there was not a repressing after the initial 78 rpm pressing in 1954. 60 years later, some of this music faces extinction unless folks work to preserve it.

This 78 was in rough shape with quite a few skips. Fortunately, I was able to edit together two complete, skip-free tracks. I realize I have a blog about vinyl and shellac*, but I honestly prefer CDs. My feeling for vinyl vacillates between relief if the record plays well and exasperation when an expensive record skips. I expect skips more than smooth players, especially when records are 50+ years old.

Vinyl is noisy, fussy and fragile. 78s are even worse. Often, one can fix skipping vinyl by reverse playing over scratches with an old needle, as long as they aren't the dreaded diagonal variety, thanks to the fact that vinyl is fairly soft and somewhat pliable. 78 rpms are almost never fixable, although applying more pressure with the stylus can solve certain problems. 

At any rate, if all of this music existed on CD, I doubt that I would have started this blog. I fell in love with vintage forró recordings enough to want to own and preserve the music in the highest quality form possible and introduce some of it to English speakers. This particular 78rpm by Venâncio & Curumba does not exist in the digital world, even in Brazil. I feel that I owe it to the artists and fans to make this music available, even if it is expensive and time consuming. It's a shame that they couldn't make more money from their recordings in their lifetime. Both of these artists passed on many years ago.

Below is some Pro Tools work that I did on Cadela Da Vila. Gavião also had some rough spots, but they weren't quite as problematic. Luckily, the band was excellent and steady and there was plenty of repetition in parts. These transfers aren't perfect, but at least the world can hear these guys in their lively, pre-vinyl, 78rpm shellac glory without annoying pops and distracting skips.


Cadela Da Vila being repaired in the digital hospital.

*78 rpms were pressed on shellac until the more durable vinyl replaced it.

2 comments:

  1. Can´t believe how much work and enthusiasm you put into those posts and records! Thanks for the beautiful work. I guess it brings a lot of smiles on Forró fans faces all over the world. At least on mine! Fabio Nettekoven

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