Ary Lobo - Tudo Lembra Você from Piedade Senhor - Som (1972)

Tudo Lebra Você is a killer 1970s Ary Lobo track. This may be my favorite Lobo tune from his post-RCA and post-Cantagalo years. The SOM LPs are not quite as consistent as his earlier albums, but it is difficult to find fault with an artist who is a true genius. Ary Lobo's records stand up to anything that Jackson Do Pandeiro, Genival Lacerda and Luiz Gonzaga were releasing at the time. Often, Ary Lobo surpassed these greats.

Ary Lobo - Piedade Senhor - Som (1972)

Anastácia - Brincadeira De Mau Gosto from Vamos Xamegá - Tropicana (1972)

Anastácia is an unusual lady. She is one of the few female vocalists who also composed some of the best-loved songs in the height of forró. Anastácia's reedy soprano that was as distinctive as the voices of Marinés, Marinalva and Clemilda. 

Anastácia - Vamos Xamegá - Tropicana (1972)

Manoel David - Rei Do Mato from Adeus Jacobina - Tropicana (1972)

Manoel David began his career on the legendary Brazilian 1960s indie label Maraca. In the 1970s, David released two full LPs and was featured on a handful of compilations. Adeus Jacobina is a fairly obscure collection of artists on the Tropicana label. Manoel David's track, Rei Do Mato, is an instrumental featuring a Brazilian flute called a pifé. 

Adeus Jacobina - Tropicana (1972)

Luiz Gonzaga - Forró do Zé Buchudo from Aquilo Bom - RCA (1972)

Thanks to his official website, Luiz Gonzaga's catalog was the first one that I explored when I started my forró adventures. Little did I know how vast the world of forró really was. Because I had a heavy Gonzaga phase, I don't return to his catalog as much as I should! Zé Buchudo is a track that I didn't play much back then and I've grown to love. It has a really neat descending backing vocal and a wonderful tuba bass line. Like Jackson do Pandeiro, some of Gonzaga's early 70s records rank amongst his best.

Luiz Gonzaga - Aquilo Bom - RCA (1972)

Aldair Soares - A Volta Da Jangada & Deixa Eu Ir Pai from Todos Cantam Sua Terra - Som (1972)

In my opinion, A Volta Da Jangada is one of the finest Brazilian ballads ever recorded. The song has all of the best elements of a ballad: moodiness, great singing and a haunting melody. The touch of spritely Brazilian percussion nods to the Northeast. The bulk of Aldair Soares's recordings were 78rpms from the 1950s. Venâncio and Corumba and Trio Marayá also recorded songs in this style, and Trio Marayá recorded at least one Soares composition. Deixa Eu Ir Pai is similar to A Volta De Jangada, with cool chorus that surprises. Sometimes, the small details allow a standard genre song to transcend the confines of convention.  

Aldair Soares - A Volta Da Jangada from Todos Cantam Sua Terra - Som (1972)

Aldair Soares - Deixa Eu Ir Pai from Todos Cantam Sua Terra - Som (1972)

Aldair Soares -  Todos Cantam Sua Terra - Som (1972)

Manezinho Araujo - Prá Onde Vai Valente from Cuma É Nome Deles - Fontana (1972)

Manezinho Araujo (sometimes written with an accent on the é in Manézinho and the ú in Araújo) recorded records in a Brazilian style called embolada. Embolada is a form of Brazilian street rap, usually with 2 or more performers dueling with words and rhymes over a simple beat, often provided by the pandeiro. Often, they are trying to make an audience laugh through jabs and funny insults. Brazilian fellas were having rap battles in the 1930s and likely before, which is decades ahead of when they became popular in the United States. Embolada predates forró, but the styles merged nicely. 

Araujo is unique amongst artists that cross over into forró, because he was also a successful visual artist and journalist. Prá Onde Vai Valente comes from an LP released on Fontana in 1972. Although the Wikipedia entry claims that the song is from 1934, I have not found evidence of a recording from that era. The Dicionário Cravo Albin Da Musica Popular Brasileira lists the first Manezinho Araujo 78 rpm from 1933. This is 8 years before the first Luiz Gonzaga 78 rpm, who is cited as the godfather of baião and forró. There were likely records pre-dating Gonzaga's that were similar in style. I am curious if any Brazilian scholars have pursued this.

Araujo's style reminds me of Genival Lacerda. Perhaps Lacerda borrowed Araujo's squeaky voice stylings or it may be a cultural "humor" voice, like a Brazilian Jimmy Durante. At any rate, this record has been sitting in my collection for a while and I'm glad that I could dust it off for an entry.

Manezinho Araujo - Prá Onde Vai Valente from Cuma É Nome Deles - Fontana (1972)

Manezinho Araujo - Cuma É Nome Deles - Fontana (1972)

Benedito Nunes - Trabalha Paulista from compacto duplo - Continental (1972)

Benedito Nunes - Trabalha Paulista from compacto duplo - Continental (1972)

It's probably fair to call Benedito Nunes' version of Trabalha Paulista an early 1970s forró / baião classic. An earlier version (perhaps the first) was recorded by Luiz Wanderley. It was likely a 78rpm, although I can not find an exact date of that release. It appeared on Wanderley's 1961 LP O Forró Do. Benedito Nunes' version was released as a compacto simples and duplo. 

Benedito Nunes - Trabalha Paulista from compacto duplo - Continental (1972)

Aloisio Gomes E Seu Conjunto - Forró do Zé Preá from Miabufelei - AMC Beverley (1972)

Aloisio Gomes E Seu Conjunto - Forró do Zé Preá from Miabufelei - AMC Beverley (1972)

Forró do Zé Preá is a freight train-of-a-song from Aloisio Gomes, sometimes spelled Aluizio. There is no firm release date on the LP, but several sources have claimed this came out in 1972, which makes sense based on the weight of the cover, label logos and weight of the vinyl. Forró do Zé Preá seemed like a good follow up to my former post by Walmir Silva. Some forró artists, like Silva and Genival Lacerda, have recorded songs at breakneck speed. Few have matched the thunderous energy of Forró do Zé Preá, which must get the ground cracking with heat on the dancefloor.

Aloisio Gomes E Seu Conjunto - Forró do Zé Preá from Miabufelei - AMC/Beverly (1972) 

Aloisio Gomes - retrieved from http://www.forroemvinil.com/desafio-quem-e-6/

Elino Julião & Jacinto Silva - Coração Descontrolado from Desafio - CBS (1972)

Elino Julião & Jacinto Silva - Coração Descontrolado from Desafio - CBS (1972)

When I first discovered forró, I mined the catalog of Luiz Gonzaga looking for gems, which were numerous. After Gonzaga, I wasn't sure who the major players were. Fortunately, a vast number of LPs were available on forroemvinil to preview. I particularly enjoyed Jackson do Pandeiro's early 70s work on CBS, so I sought other artists that recorded for the label. I came to learn that Abdias, head of A&R at CBS, had poached the lions-share of forró royalty from labels like Fontana, Cantagalo, Philips, Maraca, Sertanejo and Mocambo. The mid 1960s through mid 1970s were a wonderful time at CBS. Every record usually had at least one great track. The songs were beautifully recorded and mixed in stereo. Desafio, meaning challenge, was a dual album. Full LPs featuring two or three artists seemed to be in vogue in the late 60s and early 70s, particularly on Fontana and CBS. Half of the songs on Desafio featured vocals by Silva and the other half were by Julião. Coração Descontrolado is an Elino Julião vocal number. When they shared an LP cover, these characters often seemed to be playing pool, cards, chatting up the lassies or getting into brawls. Manly stuff.

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Elino Julião & Jacinto Silva - Desafio - polyester & pool

Azulão da Bahia - Saudade de Bahia from Sobe balão que é noite de São João - Premier 1972

Azulão da Bahia - Saudade de Bahia from Sobe balão que é noite de São João - Premier 1972
In the confusing, somewhat poorly documented world of Brazilian forró, figuring out who's who can be challenging. For example, there are 2 different Trio Nordestinos with equally prolific catalogs. There are multiple Gonzagas. It's unclear if they are related to the great Luiz Gonzaga, or if they simply have a common last name. Azulão da Bahia is one of two Azulãos. Fortunately, this Azulão adds da Bahia to help distiguish them. Sobe balão que é noite is a compilation LP on the Premier label. The biggest act on Premier was most likely Trio Nortista, featured on this blog in January of 2013. Saudade de Bahia is a standout track, from the golden age of early 70s forró.

Azulão da Bahia - Saudade de Bahia from Sobe balão que é noite de São João - Premier 1972

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Sobe Balão Que é Noite de São João 

Azulão da Bahia

Trio Marayá - Pé Do Lagero from No Tempo Dos Bons Tempos vol. 4 – Em Tempo De Nordeste - Fontana – 1972

Trio Marayá - Pé Do Lagero from No Tempo Dos Bons Tempos vol. 4 – Em Tempo De Nordeste - Fontana – 1972

Trio Marayá were an all-around pop vocal group from Brazil, similar in vocal style to the Kingston Trio in the US or Trio Irakitan in Brazil. The vocals are somewhat manly, which was popular in North and South American in the 1950s and early 1960s. Although they flirted with northeastern sounds, they were not a forró act. Most of their recordings from the 1950s and 1960s mixed samba and bossa nova. Trio Marayá appeared twice on the 1972 LP Em Tempo De Nordeste, which was one LP in a series of compilations released by Fontana with distinctive artwork. Many LPs in the series focused on individual artists, but this was a compilation. These songs were reissued from early releases by the Trio. Em Tempo De Nordeste is particularly interesting, because it featured some traditional northeastern styles other than forró.

Trio Marayá - Pé Do Lagero from No Tempo Dos Bons Tempos vol. 4 – Em Tempo De Nordeste - Fontana – 1972

Trio Marayá (from the 1950s)

Genival Lacerda selections from Mungangueiro 2 - Fontana 1972

Genival Lacerda selections from Mungangueiro 2 - Fontana 1972

Genival Lacerda is one of my all time favorites. He's got an incredible sense of rhythm, phrasing and timing. Pre-1975, he created forró that was as good and sometimes better than the classic work of Jackson do Pandeiro and Luiz Gonzaga. Lacerda recorded a suite of LPs for Fontana in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and this was the last. Muleque Beijoquiero, written by Lacerda about lost love and a stolen kiss in an orange grove is a song that I overlooked for a long time. The verse is sung by a gang of people and I was initially put off by the sound, but I found myself whistling the riff and singing the song in my head for days after hearing it. Licao Do Beijo is classic, revved up, balls-to-the wall forró delivered in the style that made Lacerda one of the kings. Quem Atura Bebado playfully features a riff more common to British Invasion / Beat songs than to forró. Lacerda's clever use of musical collage is proof positive that mixing styles will make for a more interesting listening experience.

Genival Lacerda- Muleque Beijoquiero - from Mungangueiro 2 - Fontana 1972

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Genival Lacerda - Licao Do Beijo - from Mungangueiro 2 - Fontana 1972

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Genival Lacerda - Quem Atura Bebado from Mungangueiro 2 - Fontana 1972

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Genival Lacerda right in the middle of a party.

Marinês - Sem Vergonheira from Canção Da Fé - CBS 1972

Marinês - Sem Vergonheira from Canção Da Fé - CBS 1972

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As forró matured, the rules for the genre became more strict. Jackson do Pandeiro and Genival Lacerda would break rules, but most groups, especially in the 70s, were fairly strict about instrumentation and song form. Marinês' material was more varied. She recorded a lot of material written by people outside of the family of forró writers. Antônio Carlos e Jocáfi were an accomplished singer / songwriter team, well known for a variety of border-busting MPB hits, including “Você Abusou,” famously recorded as “Fais comme l'oiseau” by Michel Fugain Et Big Bazar. Sem Vergonheira, also written by Carlos e Jocáfi, is not as well known outside of Brazil. It was first recorded by Os Incríveis in 1971. Their interpretation reminds me of soft pop like Harpers Bizarre with fluffy Sergio Mendes grooves. Marinês' version is cooking with gas.

Incríveis - Sem Vergonheira from 1910 - RCA 1971

Os Incríveis - Sem Vergonheira from 1910 - RCA 1971

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Marinês enjoys the warm glow of Luiz Gonzaga

Elias Alves - Pode Mandar Começar - O Fino Da Roça vol.4 - Fontana 1972

Elias Alves - Pode Mandar Começar - O Fino Da Roça vol.4 - Fontana 1972

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I love a gutsy arrasta-pé. Arrasta-pé (pronounced hasta pay, gringos) is a march style with a galloping triangle common to forró LPs.  Elias Alves’ Pode Mandar Começar (Zé Pequeno / Gerson Macedo) was a standout on O Fino Da Roça vol.4, the final volume in a series that featured excellent northeastern Brazilian artists on Fontana Records.  Elias Alves’ small catalog of recorded works, both solo albums and compilations, appeared on major label subsidiaries like Tropicana and Fontana Records. Limited biographical information is available online, but Elias Alves’ career as a recording artist seemed to be bookended between the late 60s and mid 70s. forroemvinil noted that Alves also wrote songs for lots of forró greats, including Genival Lacerda, Trio Juazeiro, Trio Sabiá, Trio Nortista, Trio Luar do Nordeste e Negrão dos Oito Baixos.  

Alves had one of those awesome, gooey, rough, distinctive forró voices that nearly sounded out of tune and wasn’t. It’s captivating character that acted like the glue for all of his songs.  

A notable feature of the O Fino Da Roça coletânea (compilation / collection) series was the psychedelic artwork reminiscent of Yellow Submarine and the sleeves by those Tropicalia movement troublemakers.  Perhaps Fontana was trying to update the image of forró for a younger generation? Did they really think that they could super psychedelicize us?

Image of Elias Alves from his 1973 solo LP