For my 5th anniversary, I thought that I would share the 20 best songs and 10 best albums from the first 5 years of Forró LP Gringo.
Luiz Gonzaga has been credited as the father of forró. When he began in 1941, the only way to own a baião recording was to buy a 78rpm record. The LP did not become popular until the mid-1950s. Although the genre name changed from baião to forró and added other rhythms over the years like côco, arrasta-pé and xaxado, the punchy 3 minute single has always been the heart and soul of forró. It is one of the reasons that this style suits me perfectly. I love a great 3 minute pop song.
Luiz Gonzaga has been credited as the father of forró. When he began in 1941, the only way to own a baião recording was to buy a 78rpm record. The LP did not become popular until the mid-1950s. Although the genre name changed from baião to forró and added other rhythms over the years like côco, arrasta-pé and xaxado, the punchy 3 minute single has always been the heart and soul of forró. It is one of the reasons that this style suits me perfectly. I love a great 3 minute pop song.
Occasionally, forró artists also record great albums. Almost all of Jackson Do Pandeiro's albums are fantastic. Jacinto Silva had a great run of LPs in the mid-60s on CBS and Ary Lobo's output is amazing. Because forró never went through the album-revolution-as-art-form like rock did, for better or for worse, we are usually left to hunt for gems amongst a lot of filler on forró LPs, but these albums are exceptions...
1. Jackson do Pandeiro - O Dono Do Forró - CBS (1971)
Original Post: Part One
Original Post: Part Two
Jackson's catalog is one of the most consistently strong in all of forró. His Philips and CBS albums are all well worth hearing, but O Dono Do Forró (meaning the Owner of Forró) is the pinnacle. Although his first recording session for CBS produced an excellent song called Bota Gás No Lampião on a compilation of exclusive tunes by various artists called Pau De Sebo Volume 5, Jackson was unhappy with the CBS house band and brought in his hand-picked group that he called Borborema. The resulting album showcases a collection of great songs that are masterfully played with intricacy, shifting rhythms and subtlety. O Dono Do Forró also features a stereo mix, which I believe was the first in Jackson's career.
2. Genival Lacerda - Ralador De Côco (O Bom) - Tropicana (1974)
Original Post
Ralador De Côco (O Bom) is the sound of joy, energy and electricity. Genival Lacerda and his musicians teeter in a runaway car slamming around bends at breakneck speed but manage to maintain their cool at high velocity. Lacerda packs everything that makes him great into this exceptional album. This should be his legacy.
3. Moura Jr. - OOOOOXÊNTE!... - Philips (1962)
Original Post
Moura Jr., like Paulo Tito and Luiz Wanderley, seemed to change styles several times during his career. Although he had a second album on Philips, OOOOOXÊNTE!... is Moura Jr.'s only forró album. It is exceptionally well produced, with songs that are relatively restrained and beautiful, featuring round bass lines from a violin bass. Many of the songs center around a woman named Maria, sounding like a mythical goddess amongst the elegant Philips sound. In a hyperspeed genre, OOOOOXÊNTE!... adds a bit of the cool.
4. Venâncio e Curumba - Pagodeando No Côco - Audio Fidelity (1964)
Original Post
For more than 20 years, Venâncio e Curumba were two of the most prolific writers for northeastern music, creating a ton of 78 rpm records as a duo and separately composing fine songs for some of the most notable and famous acts in baião / forró. Interestingly, this album closed their career as recording artists. It is a beautiful sounding record full of amazing songs. Note: This album was released with two different covers, but the songs are exactly the same.
5. Borrachinha e Alventino Cavalcante (Cavalcanti) - Alegria do Norte - Fantasia (early 1960s)
Original Post
Alegria do Norte is one of the most mysterious albums in the baião / forró genre. It seems to be one of the first dual solo artist albums as well. This format was later very popular with CBS artists in the early 1970s. What makes this album so unusual is the tone of the songs. Both artists are somewhat laid back, delivering the northeastern style with relaxed coolness. The result is an atmospheric selection of songs that work extremely well as an LP.
1. Jackson do Pandeiro - O Dono Do Forró - CBS (1971)
Original Post: Part One
Original Post: Part Two
Jackson's catalog is one of the most consistently strong in all of forró. His Philips and CBS albums are all well worth hearing, but O Dono Do Forró (meaning the Owner of Forró) is the pinnacle. Although his first recording session for CBS produced an excellent song called Bota Gás No Lampião on a compilation of exclusive tunes by various artists called Pau De Sebo Volume 5, Jackson was unhappy with the CBS house band and brought in his hand-picked group that he called Borborema. The resulting album showcases a collection of great songs that are masterfully played with intricacy, shifting rhythms and subtlety. O Dono Do Forró also features a stereo mix, which I believe was the first in Jackson's career.
2. Genival Lacerda - Ralador De Côco (O Bom) - Tropicana (1974)
Original Post
Ralador De Côco (O Bom) is the sound of joy, energy and electricity. Genival Lacerda and his musicians teeter in a runaway car slamming around bends at breakneck speed but manage to maintain their cool at high velocity. Lacerda packs everything that makes him great into this exceptional album. This should be his legacy.
3. Moura Jr. - OOOOOXÊNTE!... - Philips (1962)
Original Post
Moura Jr., like Paulo Tito and Luiz Wanderley, seemed to change styles several times during his career. Although he had a second album on Philips, OOOOOXÊNTE!... is Moura Jr.'s only forró album. It is exceptionally well produced, with songs that are relatively restrained and beautiful, featuring round bass lines from a violin bass. Many of the songs center around a woman named Maria, sounding like a mythical goddess amongst the elegant Philips sound. In a hyperspeed genre, OOOOOXÊNTE!... adds a bit of the cool.
4. Venâncio e Curumba - Pagodeando No Côco - Audio Fidelity (1964)
Original Post
For more than 20 years, Venâncio e Curumba were two of the most prolific writers for northeastern music, creating a ton of 78 rpm records as a duo and separately composing fine songs for some of the most notable and famous acts in baião / forró. Interestingly, this album closed their career as recording artists. It is a beautiful sounding record full of amazing songs. Note: This album was released with two different covers, but the songs are exactly the same.
5. Borrachinha e Alventino Cavalcante (Cavalcanti) - Alegria do Norte - Fantasia (early 1960s)
Original Post
Alegria do Norte is one of the most mysterious albums in the baião / forró genre. It seems to be one of the first dual solo artist albums as well. This format was later very popular with CBS artists in the early 1970s. What makes this album so unusual is the tone of the songs. Both artists are somewhat laid back, delivering the northeastern style with relaxed coolness. The result is an atmospheric selection of songs that work extremely well as an LP.
6. Ary Lobo - Forró Com - RCA Victor (1958)
Original Post
Like Jackson do Pandeiro, Ary Lobo recorded one of the most consistent bodies of work of any artist. His singles and albums were fantastic. In fact, they were so great, it is nearly impossible to pick the best album from Ary Lobo. It may be argued that Ary Lobo helped shape the modern sound of forró. One listen to the early compilation, Nossos Ritmos from 1957 containing an Ary Lobo track called Atchim, it is clear that he sounds strikingly modern compared to the other artists. One of my favorite Ary Lobo albums is Forró Com. It is vibrant and has a consistently fantastic set of songs. It is the only album from this list that has been properly remastered and reissued on CD.
Original Post
Like Jackson do Pandeiro, Ary Lobo recorded one of the most consistent bodies of work of any artist. His singles and albums were fantastic. In fact, they were so great, it is nearly impossible to pick the best album from Ary Lobo. It may be argued that Ary Lobo helped shape the modern sound of forró. One listen to the early compilation, Nossos Ritmos from 1957 containing an Ary Lobo track called Atchim, it is clear that he sounds strikingly modern compared to the other artists. One of my favorite Ary Lobo albums is Forró Com. It is vibrant and has a consistently fantastic set of songs. It is the only album from this list that has been properly remastered and reissued on CD.
7. Jacinto Silva - Cantando - CBS (1965)
Original Post
Jacinto Silva released a trilogy of fantastic albums in the mid-1960s. Like Genival Lacerda, Silva was often at his best when his music was barreling and supercharged.
8. Tião Do Noia - Forró Do Chinelão - Crazy Discos (1979)
Original Post
As far as I am aware, this is the only album that Tião Do Noia released. It's a doozy. In terms of finding vinyl, it is also the most affordable from this list and has some wonderful songs.
Original Post
Jacinto Silva released a trilogy of fantastic albums in the mid-1960s. Like Genival Lacerda, Silva was often at his best when his music was barreling and supercharged.
8. Tião Do Noia - Forró Do Chinelão - Crazy Discos (1979)
Original Post
As far as I am aware, this is the only album that Tião Do Noia released. It's a doozy. In terms of finding vinyl, it is also the most affordable from this list and has some wonderful songs.
9. Sirí do Forró - Mandando Brasa - Continental (1965)
This album is a throwback to the earlier big band forró style used by Jackson do Pandeiro in the 50s and early 1960s. This may be the last gasp for this type of forró from in an age when acts still experimented with the arrangements and instrumentation. Sirí do Forró's Mandando Brasa is one last blast of joy from the big brass.
10. Tonico Do Juazeiro - Meu Ceará - Cantagalo (1967)
This LP is a collection of rare 78rpm records from Tonico Do Juazeiro. The shellac is so rare that, like Sacy and a few others, if the LP didn't exist these great songs may be lost forever.
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