Anastácia - Côco De 10 Pé (Côco) & Mufaríz (Baião) from Canta Para O Nordeste - Continental (1967)

Anastácia is one of the great performers and songwriters from northeastern Brazil. Although I own a fair number of records by Anastácia, I am surprised that this is my first post featuring her work. Trying to cover a genre that spans 76 years without committing an injustice here or there is impossible. 

Anastácia first recorded in 1960, on 78rpm, and has an extensive catalog of at least 50 releases. Canta Para O Nordeste is one of Anastácia's more common 60s LPs. Later, she often collaborated with Dominguinhos, one of the best known accordion players from the northeast. At this point in her career, she was pulling songs from talented writers, including Venâncio e Curumba. Venâncio co-wrote 6 of the 12 songs on Canta Para O Nordeste, including Mufaríz. My favorite song from the LP, Côco De 10 Pé, was co-written by Aluizio Gomes.

Anastácia - Côco De 10 Pé (Côco) from Canta Para O Nordeste - Continental (1967)

 

Anastácia - Mufaríz (Baião) from Canta Para O Nordeste - Continental (1967)

Anastácia - Canta Para O Nordeste - Continental (1967)

Jackson do Pandeiro - A Mulher Do Anibal from Aqui Tô Eu compacto simples Angola / Angolan Pressing - Philips (1970)

One of my first posts in ForróLPGringo was Aqui Tô Eu, by Jackson Do Pandeiro. That LP sometimes makes it out of Brazil, thanks to songs on the LP popularized by Gilberto Gil.

Diggers can occasionally score forró record pressed in Portugal with alternate artwork, but this is the first one that I've found from Angola. The cover features a 2-tone facsimile of the Aqui Tô Eu album cover with 2 songs from the LP. The tunes play at 45rpm vs. the standard Brazilian compacto 33 1/3 speed. Hopefully, other interesting forró records from Angola will surface in the coming years. 

Jackson do Pandeiro - A Mulher Do Anibal from Aqui Tô Eu compacto simples Angola / Angolan Pressing - Philips (1970)

Jackson do Pandeiro - A Mulher Do Anibal from Aqui Tô Eu compacto simples Angola - Philips (1970)

Jackson do Pandeiro - Aqui Tô Eu - Philips (1970)

Catulo De Paula & Aluisio Gomes - Forró Do Barnabé from Catulo De Paula & compacto simples - Odeon (1970) & RGE (1971)

Ladies and germs, forróLPgringo presents a battle of the bands. In one corner, I present the composer Catulo De Paula. In the opposite corner is Aluisio Gomes, who sometimes had to put up with the ignominy of having his spelled Aloisio. Actually, I am unsure of what the correct spelling of his name is. Catulo's version of Forró Do Barnabé sounds gorgeous. The composer had the benefit of recording at Odeon studios, which were likely equipped as well as Abbey Road. While he lays back, Aluisio attacks the song with low budget breakneck speed and fever.

Check out the odd, flimsy Catulo De Paula LP sleeve. I have a few LPs with paper folded covers, similar to this one. I asked my dealer friend in Brazil if this was advance or bootleg artwork. He said that labels occasionally did this from the mid-1960s through the early 70s. The Catulo De Paula LP must be rare, because my collector friends in Brazil have never seen this album before.

Catulo De Paula - Forró Do Barnabé from Catulo De Paula - Odeon (1970)

Aluisio Gomes - Forró Do Barnabé - compacto simples - RGE (1971)

Catulo De Paula - Forró Do Barnabé from Catulo De Paula - Odeon (1970) - odd flimsy cover

Catulo De Paula - Forró Do Barnabé from Catulo De Paula - Odeon (1970)

Aluisio Gomes - Forró Do Barnabé - compacto simples - RGE (1971)

Part Two: Joci Batista - Já Falaram de Mim, Juazeiro Verde & Vamos Queimar a Fundunga from Juazeiro Verde - AMC (1969)

The debut album by Joci Batista is so strong that it deserves two posts. My first post featured album vs. indie 45 versions of 2 songs from Juazeiro Verde. Juazeiro Verde was reissued several times, which is rare for forró and a testament to Batista's popularity. There are slight variations in the cover art for this LP. Why photographers had so many forró artists staring into the sun for their cover photos, I will never know. Minimal cover art coincides with minimal studio embellishments. My impression is, budgets were low and tracks were recorded quickly. I don't have any hard evidence to back this up, outside of existing recordings. If you compare an album recorded by a Tropicalia artist, which may be full of experimentation, rich orchestration & an expansive mix vs. forró artist, it seems clear that most forró artists were on a budget. Generally, albums made from the late 1960s on were quick and dirty, requiring bands to be tight going into the studio. This may be why albums recorded on CBS, Philips and RCA from the 1960s and 70s and given a little care have a sonic wow factor.

Joci Batista - Já Falaram de Mim from Juazeiro Verde - AMC (1969)



Joci Batista - Juazeiro Verde from Juazeiro Verde - AMC (1969)

 

Joci Batista - Vamos Queimar a Fundunga from Juazeiro Verde - AMC (1969)

Joci Batista - Juazeiro Verde - AMC (1969)