Pirril - Maria Helena & Chá De Aroeira from Bicho Homem - Tropicana (1976)

Pirril. This is the kind of forró that got me interested in the genre to begin with. Genival Lacerda's Ralador De Côco is one of my all time favorite LPs. Pirril's Bicho Homem had the same producer, Pedro Sertanejo and was recorded less than two years after Lacerda's classic LP. It is possible that the same house band played on both records. The production is outstanding. The zabumba, a bass drum used in forró recordings, is essentially two drums in one. The top side uses an animal skin to get the boom for the bass drum sound. The other side, often made of plastic in modern drums, is played with a thin stick called a bacalhau. This gives the the drum a pop and a click. Sertanejo really knew how to bring out the sound of the drum. Mid-70s records on Tropicana captured the sound of the zabumba better than just about anything that I have heard. The icing on the cake is Pirril's fantastic singing and songs. This LP is a rarity and solid 70s gold.

Pirril - Maria Helena from Bicho Homem - Tropicana (1976) 

Pirril - Chá De Aroeira from Bicho Homem - Tropicana (1976) 

Pirril - Bicho Homem - Tropicana (1976)