I Make a New World in the Smog!------Marcos Valle----Garra!

I guess the Light in the Attic label has done it again. Another nice reissue series, this one being of Marcos Valle,  a legendary Brazilian artist from Rio de Janeiro. Of the 4 albums from the 70's that  the label has reissued I dipped my toes into the water with Garra (meaning "Claw") from 1971, and it is truly great, from start to finish. Some people have said that this is the greatest Brazilian pop album ever made. I'm not qualified to make such an overarching argument (and it is all a bit of conjecture), but having listened to the recording, I can't discount that opinion either. I'm fairly surprised that this album has not been released here sooner.



Que bom, você voltou....

Outwardly the album is a fairly mellow sunny upbeat orchestrated pop album. But, like a lot of the music at the time, there were hidden messages. Being too obvious on albums could have bad consequences for you with the military dictatorship that was ruling Brazil at the time. And you did not have the freedom to say anything you wanted, as songs had to be approved in advance by the censorship bureau. Though, as stated in the useful liner notes, there apparently was some give and take there. Submitting unacceptable lyrics to the bureau was not necessarily a prison sentence if they found content that they did not approve of. As Valle notes of the first song on the album Jesus Mei Rei (Jesus My King), the original intent was to title it Pobre do Rei (My Poor King) to be about the President. But the censors would not accept this. Of course some lyrics passed muster but actually were criticisms of the regime. Garra also has a second meaning "Tenacity", so the title of the album itself had a political implication!



Fortunately for Valle the freedom that he lacked in society was contrasted by the freedom he had in the studio. Valle was free to try things, experiment, make changes to the songs he was recording. And additionally he had the benefit of an orchestra. According to Valle that's what the recording labels had in those years; a studio orchestra on standby! Valle seemingly took full advantage of this on Garra. The album sounds loose, like everybody involved was into trying things, experimenting, expressing ideas.





Com Mais de 30 (Over Thirty) is social criticism of blind consumerism, about being manipulated by people in charge, people who were no doubt over 30. The title track attacks untrammelled greed for advancement. According to Valle, the censors interpreted the song as having a positive theme. Black is Beautiful is a song that today doesn't seem so controversial, but according to the notes it was inspired by time he and his brother spent in Los Angeles, when African Americans were fighting for Civil Rights, and were outwardly and proudly embracing their heritage in the face of centuries of the ugliest negative stereotyping and institutionalized racism. It seems like many of the important issues that Americans were struggling with in that era also resonated in Brazil.

But the mood of the music is very uplifting, happy. Extremely entertaining. Just another instance where I bought an album that I hoped would be good, but in reality, the quality of the music far exceeded any expectations that I could have had. I like when that happens. Garra is simply an exceptional album. Light in the Attic has also reissued Marcos Valle, Vento Sul, and Previsão Do Tempo--I won't be surprised if I pick up a few more of these in the near future.