Abdias E Sua Sanfona - O Mané from Deixa Comigo! - Harmony : CBS (1981)

Thanks to his position as head honcho and artistic director for forró at CBS, Abdias recorded more albums for the label than any other artist. His early albums were almost exclusively instrumental, but eventually he began adding guest vocalists. O Mané is a great vocal track with masterful production reminiscent of the glorious early 1970s CBS forró sound. 

Abdias E Sua Sanfona - Deixa Comigo! - Harmony : CBS (1991)

Jacinto Silva - Meu Xodó from Agora Tu Pega E Vira - CBS (1971)

If I could make a single LP compilation featuring my favorite forró songs, Meu Xodó would absolutely be included. It is one of the triumphs of Jacinto Silva's recorded work and a brilliant production from the best forró label of the early 1970s, CBS.

Jacinto Silva - Meu Xodó from Agora Tu Pega E Vira - CBS (1971)

Jackson Do Pandeiro - Chu Chu Beleza from Tem Mulher, Tô Lá - CBS (1973)

Early 1970s CBS era forró LPs are arguably the pinnacle. The production, recording and mixes were almost always exceptional. If you had great material, and Jackson Do Pandeiro always did, it was the right place at the right time. Unlike many acts on CBS, Jackson chose to bring in his own band vs. the house session musicians provided by Abdias. Tem Mulher, Tô Lá was his last LP for CBS. While his 2nd and 3rd LPs on CBS did not quite reach the peak of O Dono Do Forró, there is plenty of gold on Tem Mulher, Tô Lá. In fact, Jackson sounds so vital, it is hard to believe that he would only live another 8 years.

Jackson Do Pandeiro - Tem Mulher, Tô Lá - CBS (1973)

Walter Damasceno - Confusão No Baile from CBS 78rpm (1962)

Everything that Walter Damasceno ever recorded was killer, so go find it all. The LP is killer. The compactos are killer. The 78s are killer. This particular 78rpm is quite interesting, because it is one of the first Abdias productions for CBS. 78rpm records lingered longer in Brazil than in other territories. By 1964, they were gone. Shellac from the late 50s and early 60s sound excellent. Some of the great gaps in full forró collections exist in this period, because so few of these 78s survived.  

Walter Damasceno - Confusão No Baile from CBS 78rpm (1962)

 

Abdias - Sai Do Sereno from Sai Do Sereno - CBS (1966)

Abdias, head of A&R at CBS, led what may be the greatest ever label in forró, both in terms of exceptional artististry and gorgeous recordings. Philips and RCA also released fine recordings in the 60s, but neither label grew like CBS. By the end of the 1960s, forró on Philips was relegated to the Fontana label. Recording quality was not on the same level of Jackson do Pandeiro and Moura Jr. enjoyed on Philips. Albums seemed to be more quickly recorded and were all in mono. RCA had a number of forró artists, including Luiz Gonzaga, but it seems like the label often tried to shift folks away from forró to modern music. Although some artists, like Osvaldo Oliveira and Elino Julião drifted towards ballad singing, most CBS albums seemed to have high quality, raging forró into the 1970s.

Abdias - Sai Do Sereno - CBS (1966)

Abdias - Fiz Pra Você from Segura O Pé De Bode - CBS (1967)

Thanks to his status as forró boss and A&R man at CBS, Abdias' Segura O Pé De Bode LP is one of at least 17 LPs Abdias recorded for CBS between 1965 and 1977. This does not include releases for labels before and after this period. His catalog is formidable. Although excellent, many of his albums a purely instrumental. Fiz Pra Você is a lively number featuring bandolim. I believe this group backed many of the forró recording stars that came to CBS studios, although Jackson do Pandeiro chose to keep his own musicians after one session. 

Abdias - Segura O Pé De Bode - CBS (1967)

Os 3 Do Nordeste - Forró De Tamanco from Os 3 Do Nordeste - CBS (1973)

Os 3 Do Nordeste is one of the great forró acts of the 1970s. Formed by members of Trio Luar Do Sertão, Os 3 Do Nordeste were brought to the attention of CBS division head Abdias by Jackson Do Pandeiro. Although their LPs are somewhat patchy, their albums usually contained 2 or 3 classics each. In some respects, Os 3 Do Nordeste were like a classic singles act in a genre that focused mainly on LPs. Only a few other stars on CBS at the time including Jackson Do Pandeiro and Jacinto Silva, were able to match or surpass them. Forró De Tamanco was written by one of the great composers of 1960s and 1970s forró, Antonio Barros. 

Os 3 Do Nordeste  - CBS (1973)

Os 3 Do Nordeste - Três Para Xaxá from Os 3 Do Nordeste - CBS (1973)

It is time for a classic this week! I love Os 3 Do Nordeste, but I have not posted any of their music for a long time. Três Para Xaxá is a supercharged callout and a wonderful recording from the peak of 70s CBS forró.

Os 3 Do Nordeste - Os 3 Do Nordeste - CBS (1973)

Jacinto Silva - Côco Na Paraiba & Na Roça É Assim from Ritmo Explosivo - CBS (1965)

Jacinto Silva was one of the first forró artists to release a major album on CBS after Abdias came to the label in 1963. I am uncertain if Abdias is the artistic director for CBS forró at this point. He is not credited as Direção (essentially producer and artistic director) until Jacinto Silva's 1967 LP Só Era Eu, but Abdias and his band backs Silva on Ritmo Explosivo. Ritmo Explosivo was the first of three killer albums recorded by Jacinto Silva between 1965 and 1967. Cantando, his second album from 1965, was posted here. Silva continued to record for CBS through the mid-1970s, but subsequent CBS albums were shared with other artists. Silva also had scattered songs on compilations and released one compacto in 1968, previously posted here. 

It is interesting that Jacinto Silva's golden CBS period was between 1965-1967, because Jackson Do Pandeiro and Ary Lobo were attempting to mix samba into their music around 1965 and 1966, perhaps in an effort to diversify their audiences. Jacinto Silva recorded killer, unrelenting forró and never courted a genre shift. These albums would not be bested by another CBS artist until Jackson Do Pandeiro recorded O Dono Do Forró in 1971. In my opinion, O Dono Do Forró still reigns supreme as the greatest of all forró LPs, but Silva gives Jackson a run for his money and may be the primary artist keeping white hot energy going in the mid-1960s.

Jacinto Silva - Côco Na Paraiba from Ritmo Explosivo - CBS (1965)

Jacinto Silva - Na Roça É Assim from Ritmo Explosivo - CBS (1965)

Jacinto Silva - Ritmo Explosivo - CBS (1965)

Jacinto Silva & Trio Recife - Puxa O Fole Zé from Ritmo Explosivo - CBS (1965) & compacto simples - Maraca (1960s)

Jacinto Silva had a remarkable run of records on CBS in the mid to late 1960s on the Abdias-helmed CBS records in Brazil. Ritmo Explosivo (1965), Cantando (1965) and Só Era Eu (1967) may be the strongest series of forró albums, only bested by the king: Jackson Do Pandeiro. Ritmo Explosivo is a raucous barnstormer. Puxa O Fole Zé, composed by Silva, may be the wildest and most driving track on the album. I am pleased to feature two great versions. The second version is by Trio Recife on the exceptionally rare Maraca compacto. Trio Recife manage to increase fiery energy of Silva's version and nearly split microphones and speakers in the process. For some reason, I picture kids skipping rope to this one. I have been meaning to post this for two years and I am pleased as punch with this double whammy.

Jacinto Silva - Puxa O Fole Zé from Ritmo Explosivo - CBS (1965)

Trio Recife - Puxa O Fole Zé from compacto simples - Maraca (1960s)

Jacinto Silva - Ritmo Explosivo - CBS (1965)

Trio Recife - Puxa O Fole Zé from compacto simples - Maraca (1960s)

Rossini Pinto - Viver Sem Ninguém from compacto - CBS (1971)

I love hearing slick post-1960s orchestral forró and baião tracks. While string arrangements on baião tunes like this were common in the 1950s from artists like Ivon Curi and Stellinha Egg, the form was limited to mainly traditional instruments by the 1970s. The only styles to gain a little ground were carimbo, funk and disco. Alas, forró in the 70s was pretty much the same as forró today. I am not saying that it is necessarily negative, because many of my favorite recordings come from the early 1970s. However, t was rarely experimental. Gilberto Gil recorded some fairly radical versions of forró around this time. The closest cousin to Viver Sem Ninguém is Forró Em Caruaru by Djalma Pires recorded the same year. Both Pires and Pinto were outsiders in the genre. As far as I can tell, Pinto was marketed as a teen pop star in the 1960s. He never became a cangaceiro suited forró bandit, with the exception of this one unusual record.

Rossini PInto - Viver Sem Ninguém from compacto - CBS (1971)

Rossini PInto - Viver Sem Ninguém from compacto - CBS (1971)

Marinês e Sua Gente - Eu Quero Um Xodó & É Tempo De Voltar from Só Pra Machucar - CBS (1973)

This is the 3rd post in my Anastácia / Marinês early 70s feature. Só Pra Machucar may be my favorite Marinês album. It is arguable that 1973 was the peak of her career. Her recording of the Anastácia / Dominguinhos classic Um Quero Um Xodó may be the definitive version of this song. My favorite song on the Só Pra Machucar LP is É Tempo De Voltar, also written by Anastácia and Dominguinhos. The song has a certain rhythmic echoing throb that I associate with Os 3 Do Nordeste albums. Although the rhythmic type of song is not listed, it seems like a funky, slow xaxado.

Marinês e Sua Gente - É Tempo De Voltar from Só Pra Machucar - CBS (1973) 

Marinês e Sua Gente - Eu Quero Um Xodó from Só Pra Machucar - CBS (1973) 

Marinês e Sua Gente - Só Pra Machucar - CBS (1973) 

Marinês e Sua Gente & Anastácia- Cheguei Pra Ficar from Canto Do Sabiá - RCA (1970) & Só Pra Machucar - CBS (1973)

This week on forróLPgringo, I feature two female forró heavy hitters, Anastácia and Marinês, in their prime. Last week, I posted Sua Decisão from Anastácia's Canto Do Sabiá LP from 1970. This week, we have the opportunity to compare two versions of Cheguei Pra Ficar, written by Anastácia and Dominguinhos. To my ears, Marinês wins the day, but it is interesting to hear the original Anastácia version. Her version is fine, but the mono mix of Canto Do Sabiá, with slightly buried vocals, is no match for the full-powered glory of Abdias and band backing Marinês. The glorious stereo mix is monumental. Marinês is mixed to the front loud and clear. The reverence that 1965-1975 CBS forró recordings are afforded is deserved. Many of those recordings have never been bested.

Anastácia- Cheguei Pra Ficar from Canto Do Sabiá - RCA (1970)

Marinês e Sua Gente - Cheguei Pra Ficar from Só Pra Machucar - CBS (1973) 

Anastácia - Canto Do Sabiá - RCA (1970)

Marinês e Sua Gente - Só Pra Machucar - CBS (1973) 

Jacinto Limeira - Forró Quentão & Festa Sem Mulher Não Presta from O Cantor Trombonista - CBS (1976)

The glory years of CBS forró, roughly from the mid-1960s until the mid-1970s, is the era that most ignited my interest in collecting these records. Jacinto Limeira joined the family during the latter CBS period. His caulky voice and distinctive trombone runs give his albums an unusual flavor in a genre that doesn't often stray from traditional instrumentation. The CBS house band and production are exceptional. One wonders if the artists on the roster realized how amazing this period in Brazilian musical history was at the time.

Jacinto Limeira - Forró Quentão from O Cantor Trombonista - CBS (1976) 

Jacinto Limeira - Festa Sem Mulher Não Presta from O Cantor Trombonista - CBS (1976) 

Jacinto Limeira - O Cantor Trombonista - CBS (1976) 

Osvaldo Oliveira - La Vem Maria from Amor de Primeira - CBS 1971

Osvaldo Oliveira's 60s work was mesmerizing. He had a knack for composing gorgeous melodies and his vocal delivery was effortlessly rhythmic. Perhaps his high point was having his song, Secretária do Diabo, recorded by Jackson do Pandeiro on the classic 1966 LP, O Cabra Da Peste. Today, Oliveira's 60s records are sought after and valuable, especially the 1961 LP Osvaldo Oliveira LP, Eterna Lembrança do Norte. By the early 1970s, Osvaldo Oliveira had nearly abandoned forró. Perhaps he was searching for a new artistic direction or a musical path that was more lucrative. This turn towards the middle of the road is a bummer for collectors hoping to find nearly nonexistent gold from Osvaldo in the 70s. La Vem Maria is a fine tune and one of the last gasps from his 10 year forró period.

Osvaldo Oliveira - La Vem Maria from Amor de Primeira - CBS 1971

Osvaldo Oliveira - La Vem Maria from Amor de Primeira - CBS 1971

Jacinto Silva - 6 selections from Cantando - CBS (1965)

Jacinto Silva - 6 selections from Cantando - CBS (1965)

I usually try to cherry pick the best tracks from forró albums and transfer them in the highest possible quality. With Jacinto Silva's trilogy of 60s albums, that is nearly impossible to do. Highly collectible and justly revered, these albums are killers and probably rank amongst the 30 best forró albums of all time. After 15 seconds of Côco Do M, you know exactly why Jacinto Silva is a godzilla of the genre. He skips the salad and goes straight for the meat. When he played a gig, I bet there wasn't an empty spot on the floor.

Jacinto Silva - Côco Do M from Cantando - CBS (1965)

Jacinto Silva - Côco Sincopado from Cantando - CBS (1965)

Jacinto Silva - No Pinicado from Cantando - CBS (1965)

Jacinto Silva - Rabo De Saia from Cantando - CBS (1965)

Jacinto Silva - O Cantador from Cantando - CBS (1965)

Jacinto Silva - Pra Rapaziada from Cantando - CBS (1965)

Jacinto Silva - Cantando - CBS (1965)

Jacinto Silva - Chega Prá Lá Mané from Quero Ver Rodar - CBS (1968)

Jacinto Silva - Chega Prá Lá Mané from Quero Ver Rodar - CBS (1968)

Jacinto Silva, with his breathless, brilliant phrasing, is one of the all-time greats. "Chega Prá Lá Mané has all of his signature greatness and a great back beat, but is more relaxed than some of the most blistering côco songs from Silva's CBS LPs. This EP / compacto contained 4 songs unavailable in any other format.

Jacinto Silva - Chega Prá Lá Mané from Quero Ver Rodar - CBS (1968)

Marinês – Amor é Mais Amor from Mandacarú - CBS 1968

Marinés – Amor é Mais Amor from Mandacarú - CBS 1968

Like Luiz Gonzaga, Marinês always has at least a few excellent tracks on every LP. She also had the best band in the business, along with Jackson do Pandeiro's Borborema. Marinês was married to Abdias, who, outside of Jackson and Gonzaga, may be the single most important musician in all of forró, thanks to his A&R work at CBS in the late 1960s and 1970s. Marinês and Abdias were a killer team and a force of nature.   

Marinês e sua gente - Mandacarú - CBS 1968

Marinês in bandit gear

Carrapeta - Molho De Murupy from Carimbolando compacto duplo - CBS (1975)

Carrapeta - Molho De Murupy from Carimbolando compacto duplo - CBS (1975)

After releasing one album on Fontana in the late 1960s, Carrapeta resurfaced at the tail end of the glory period of CBS forró in the mid-1970s with a highly regarded promotional compacto EP and LP. The carimbo genre crossed over into forró in the 1970s, thanks to artists like Pinduca. Molho De Murupy is a cool throbber with a funky groove and pained vocal. This distinct sound continued to pop up on subsequent records by other artists, most notably by Os 3 Do Nordeste.

Carrapeta - Carimbolando compacto duplo - CBS (1975)

Osvaldo Oliveira - Estou Querendo from Festejo Junino - CBS (1968)

Osvaldo Oliveira - Estou Querendo from Festejo Junino - CBS (1968)

Although Osvaldo Oliveira later became more of a crooner, the first 8 to 10 years are his most captivating and collectible, mainly because he was recording forró. Festejo Junino is Oliveira's first compacto for CBS and 1 of 2 known from this early part of his career. It features all of the elements that made him famous: clever phrasing, hypnotic melodies and fantastic production.

Osvaldo Oliveira - Festejo Junino - CBS (1968)