NEIL YOUNG: "American Stars 'n Bars"

Original released on LP Reprise MSK 2261

(US 1977, June 20)

Neil Young made a point of listing the recording dates of the songs on "American Stars 'n Bars"; the dates even appeared on the LP labels. They revealed that the songs had been cut at four different sessions dating back to 1974. But even without such documentation, it would have been easy to tell that the album was a stylistic hodgepodge, its first side consisting of country-tinged material featuring steel guitar and fiddle, plus backup vocals from Linda Ronstadt and the then-unknown Nicolette Larson, while the four songs on the second side varied from acoustic solo numbers like "Will to Love" to raging rockers such as "Like a Hurricane." Just as apparent was the album's unevenness: side one consisted of lightweight compositions, while side two had more ambitious ones, with "Will to Love," for example, extending the romantic metaphor of a salmon swimming upstream across seven minutes. The album's saving grace was "Like a Hurricane," one of Young's classic hard rock songs and guitar workouts, and a perennial concert favorite. Without it, "American Stars 'n Bars" would have been one of Young's least memorable albums, and since it turned up the following year on the compilation "Decade", the LP was rendered inessential. (William Ruhlmann in AllMusic)

DAVID BOWIE: "Heroes"

Original released on LP RCA Victor PL 12522

(UK 1977, October 14)

Bowie's second instalment in the Berlin trilogy is a criminally underrated masterpiece, brimming with invention and vigour. "Low" was most certainly an amazing achievement and an absolute treat to listen to, but unlike most, I feel that "Heroes" tops it in every regard. The first side (like "Low", containing the more conventional songs) has more urgency than the tracks on "Low". There is more energy and more depth to the song writing. Where "Low" was fragments/ideas with magnificent textural framing, "Heroes"' first side shows really intricate song writing being beautifully combined with dense and innovative arrangements that take the clunky synth and electronic sounds of "Low" and fuse them into a more sophisticated whole. The lyrics are also much more intriguing. "Low" was lyrically and vocally quite sparse, but on "Heroes", Bowie delivers some of his most compelling lyrics. Just a couple of the fantastic snippets that pop up include:

«Your lips cut a smile on your face»

«There's slaughter in the air

Protest on the wind

Someone else inside me

Someone could get skinned»

«Sons of the silent age... Don't walk, they just glide in and out of life

They never die, they just go to sleep one day»

And of course we all know the gorgeous lyrics that the title track possesses. Not to mention Bowie's ultimate vocal performance on this track. In fact, the vocals on the "Heroes" album soar like on no other release of his. The songs climax and Bowie belts out some amazingly expressive and emotive performances. Overall, the first half of the record takes the best parts of "Low"'s first half and "Station to Station" and turns it into the most successful and engaging group of tracks that he has ever released. The second half of the album sees Bowie reprising the ambient themes explored on "Low" but once again this album outdoes its predecessor. The instrumental tracks on "Heroes" are even more evocative than those on "Low". Bowie and Eno once again strip away the clunky synth and electronic sounds and create more focused and more atmospheric pieces second time around. Bowie feels like more of a presence on this album overall. Less detached, and not hiding away from himself as much. This is further displayed by the re-introduction of his sax playing on a number of tracks. He adds personality and flair to "Sons of the Silent Age", provides one of many gorgeous melodic layers on "V-2 Schneider" (which trumps both "The Speed of Life" and "A New Career in a New Town"), and his free-jazz styled, heavily treated playing on "Neukoln" is oddly appealing. Bowie also plays the Japanese Koto on "Moss Garden" giving a beautifully subtle and sensitive performance on what is a perfect ambient piece. If you own "Low", love it, and are wondering which album to get next... well I can't recommend "Heroes" highly enough. If you own "Station to Station" and love it... ditto. If you have some of Bowie's other albums from some of his other periods and are curious about which of the more experimental albums to start with, this is the one. It's one of those albums that is experimental without compromising quality song writing. It takes the ideas first generated on "Low" and expands and improves upon them, while introducing a highly unique and infinitely appealing aesthetic all of its own. It is also more timeless than "Low". It's sounds are still fresh and haven't dated a bit in the 4 decades since its release. It is not only the best of the Bowie and Eno collaborations (The Berlin Trilogy), it is also, in my opinion, the greatest achievement by this most amazing artist. (in RateYourMusic)

Repeating the formula of "Low"'s half-vocal/half-instrumental structure, "Heroes" develops and strengthens the sonic innovations David Bowie and Brian Eno explored on their first collaboration. The vocal songs are fuller, boasting harder rhythms and deeper layers of sound. Much of the harder-edged sound of "Heroes" is due to Robert Fripp's guitar, which provides a muscular foundation for the electronics, especially on the relatively conventional rock songs. Similarly, the instrumentals on "Heroes" are more detailed, this time showing a more explicit debt to German synth pop and European experimental rock. Essentially, the difference between "Low" and "Heroes" lies in the details, but the record is equally challenging and groundbreaking. (Stephen Erlewine in AllMusic)

DAVID BOWIE: "Low"

Original released on LP RCA Victor PL 12030

(UK 1977, January 14)

Following through with the avant-garde inclinations of "Station to Station", yet explicitly breaking with David Bowie's past, "Low" is a dense, challenging album that confirmed his place at rock's cutting edge. Driven by dissonant synthesizers and electronics, "Low" is divided between brief, angular songs and atmospheric instrumentals. Throughout the record's first half, the guitars are jagged and the synthesizers drone with a menacing robotic pulse, while Bowie's vocals are unnaturally layered and overdubbed. During the instrumental half, the electronics turn cool, which is a relief after the intensity of the preceding avant pop. Half the credit for "Low"'s success goes to Brian Eno, who explored similar ambient territory on his own releases. Eno functioned as a conduit for Bowie's ideas, and in turn Bowie made the experimentalism of not only Eno but of the German synth group Kraftwerk and the post-punk group Wire respectable, if not quite mainstream. Though a handful of the vocal pieces on Low are accessible - "Sound and Vision" has a shimmering guitar hook, and "Be My Wife" subverts soul structure in a surprisingly catchy fashion - the record is defiantly experimental and dense with detail, providing a new direction for the avant-garde in rock & roll. (Stephen Erlewine in AllMusic)

ELKIE BROOKS: "Two Days Away"

Original released on LP A&M AMLH 68409

(UK, 1977)

Brooks' breakthrough second album, released in 1977, propelled her into solo stardom in the UK and Europe. Including the top ten hits "Pearl's a Singer" and "Sunshine After the Rain", it had a distinct American sound largely due to the work of the legendary writers and producers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It remains one of Brooks' finest albums. Recorded in 1976 at Electric Lady Studios in New York, USA; Record Plant in New York, USA; Air Studios in London, England. Mastered at Masterdisk, New York, USA. "Two Days Away" reached number 16 and remained in the UK charts for 20 weeks. (in Wikipedia)

THE MOODY BLUES: "Caught Live + 5"

Original released on LP Decca MB 3-4

(UK, June 1977)

The Moody Blues’ “classic” era ended with the release in 1972 of "Seventh Sojourn", their last studio LP for six years. So I paid no attention to this mostly-live LP when it came out in 1977, with its oh-so-generically-70s cover art (so different from the Philip Travers art of the earlier albums). However, all the material on the album comes from 1967 to 1969, placing it chronologically between "To Our Children’s Children’s Children" and "A Question of Balance".  The first three sides are from a December 1969 concert at The Royal Albert Hall in London, with Sides A and B largely avoiding hits in favor of deep album tracks like “The Sunset”, “Dr. Livingstone, I Presume”, and “Are You Sitting Comfortably?”/”The Dream”/”Have You Heard (Pt. 1)”/“The Voyage”/”Have You Heard (Pt. 2)”, from "On the Threshold of a Dream". Side C, in contrast, goes for the big finish with “Nights in White Satin”, “Legend of a Mind”, and the encore “Ride My See-Saw”. The performance a little ragged… the falsetto harmony vocals in particular are grating, although they don’t get truly embarrassing until “See-Saw”. (The group themselves were supposedly dissatisfied with it and not too pleased at its release.) In addition, the sound quality on the original LP was not great, with, for example, the between-song patter virtually inaudible; the remastered CD version is reportedly much better. Side D consists of five studio outtakes. Overall, they’re typical of such collections – mostly not bad but not outstanding. I think the one real keeper is “What Am I Doing Here?”, and the one real clunker is “Please Think About It”, which is basically just a generic love song and is taken at a lugubrious pace. (in RateYourMusic)

"Ruas da minha cidade..."

«Eis a costa do sangue. Aqui nasci, e ouvi cantar os homens. Com eles aprendi a cantar e a sofrer, aprendi o amor e a justiça. Com eles aprendi o verdadeiro nome de todas as coisas. Através deles, pude ver o negro focinho do lobo tingido de sangue.
E vi o falcão devorar as entranhas da gaivota.
Era pequeno, lembro-me, e neste lugar o sangue rompia, de súbito, por detrás de tudo, como uma violenta e rápida tempestade de Maio. Então, os homens juntavam-se ou dispersavam, furiosos e ameaçadores, às vezes tristemente calados, com uma doce coragem feita de resignação magoada.
Com estes homens, aqui, na costa do sangue, aprendi a cantar. 
Depois vi-os morrer. E os seus nomes guardei-os.
Como um vinho. Uma lição.
Por isso o meu canto é um recado.
Por isso o meu nome é uma canção.»
(Joaquim Pessoa)

Edição original em LP Toma Lá Disco TLP 007
(PORTUGAL, 1977)

E uma vez mais o poema se fez canção. A seguir a “Amor Combate”, em 1976, Carlos Mendes volta a musicar a poesia de Joaquim Pessoa um ano depois, e novamente com excelentes resultados. Apesar da maioria dos textos possuirem já na sua origem toda uma musicalidade que os proporcionavam a ser cantados, o trabalho de Carlos Mendes é magnífico, pela sensibilidade muito especial com que revestiu todos os poemas escolhidos. Lisboa constitui-se como referência primeira deste album incontornável, quer como personagem central (“Lisboa Meu Amor”/“ Ruas de Lisboa”) quer como pano de fundo a outras histórias (como o operário do “Monólogo” que depois de banhos na Caparica vai à Luz ver o Benfica ou como essa “Amélia dos Olhos Doces”, grávida de esperança, do Bairro da Lata do Cais do Sodré, que tem um gosto de flor na boca e na pele e na roupa perfumes de França). De referir também a presença dos belissimos “Nocturno” e “No Silêncio da Espera”, dois dos poemas de amor mais conhecidos de Joaquim Pessoa. Gravado por José Manuel Fortes nos estúdios da Rádio Triunfo em Lisboa e editado em 1977 (a crítica distinguiu-o como o Melhor Album do Ano) pela cooperativa de música “Toma Lá Disco”, “Canções de Ex-Cravo e Malviver” tem arranjos e direcção musical de Pedro Osório e a participação de excelentes músicos e intérpretes (ver ficha técnica). O facto de em mais de quarenta anos não ter conhecido qualquer edição em CD (mais uma lesa-cultura entre tantas outras) apenas torna mais oportuna a sua apresentação aqui, uma vez mais, no blog do vosso amigo Rato, que a partir do vinil original conseguiu obter esta notável digitalização.

Os Discos do GAC ("Grupo de Acção Cultural")

Tudo mudou na música portuguesa depois de Abril de 74. A mais evidente das transformações assinalou o fim do exílio, da vida escondida e dos discos passados por debaixo do balcão para os muitos cantores de intervenção que desde os idos de 60 lutavam contra o regime. Passaram a ser as vozes dos discos mais procurados, que enchiam cantos livres, que se escutavam nas emissões de rádio e televisão, num ciclo de protagonismo da canção popular politizada (e na esmagadora maioria dos casos essencialmente panfletária) que conheceria fim a 25 de Novembro de 1975. Inversamente proporcional, a criação e divulgação de géneros antes "eleitos", como o fado ou a canção ligeira (apelidada de “nacional cançonetismo”) acabou quase silenciada.

Em 1975, concretização da euforia musical que inundou as ruas e salas de espectáculo da cidade e província desde 74, os nomes do canto de intervenção chegaram, em massa, aos discos (num ano onde raras foram as fugas editoriais a este tronco politizado... e de esquerda). Salvo pontuais e raras excepções, a canção política do Portugal pós-revolucionário transformou-se num programa de princípios com evidente carga pedagógica e, sobretudo, ideológica. Defendia-se o poder popular, a reforma agrária, o combate ao capitalismo, a celebração do operário e do camponês. Tractores e enxadas viravam protagonistas em canções feitas sob certas regras implícitas que promoviam frequentemente a eficaz descodificação da mensagem, a repetição do slogan, a fácil memorização da melodia, a transmissão da ideia.

O GAC – VOZES NA LUTA foi fundado em casa de José Jorge Letria, no dia 30 de Abril de 1974, então ainda sob a designação de CAC-Colectivo de Acção Cultural. Essa foi precisamente a data em que o cantor e compositor José Mário Branco, um dos mentores do movimento, regressou do seu exílio em França. Pelos vistos, já tinha a ideia amadurecida e por isso tratou logo de a pôr em práctica. Para além dessa incontornável figura da música popular portuguesa estiveram ligados à fundação daquele movimento personalidades como Afonso Dias, Eduardo Paes Mamede, João Loio, Luís Pedro Faro (cuja formação etno-musicológica foi de especial importância), Nuno Ribeiro da Silva (que veio a ser mais tarde secretário de Estado num dos governos de Cavaco Silva), Toinas (Maria Antónia Vasconcelos), o poeta Manuel Alegre e a violoncelista Luísa Vasconcelos, entre outros (muitos deles oriundos da Juventude Musical Portuguesa).

No início o que se pretendia com este grupo era tão sómente apoiar as greves e outras manifestações que despontavam como cogumelos, chegando a haver um manifesto de intenções lido no 1º Encontro Livre da Canção Popular, a 6 de Maio de 1974. O tempo viria no entanto a abrir cisões e a criar dissidências. Afastaram-se os músicos ligados ao PCP, depois os próximos da LUAR, mantendo-se firme o grupo associado à UDP. Em 1975, o GAC – VOZES NA LUTA nascia dos sobreviventes ideológicos do CAC, abdicando os envolvidos de qualquer manifestação individualista, destacando antes o trabalho colectivo e depurado do que então se criticava como "vícios burgueses". O grupo concorre ao Festival RTP da canção com o tema "Alerta" e editará muitos outros singles , tais como "A Cantiga É Uma Arma" ou " A Ronda do Soldadinho". Estes singles serão , posteriormente, reunidos num LP intitulado "A Cantiga É Uma Arma". Com o 25 de Novembro, os ânimos políticos arrefecem e o grupo começa a iniciar uma nova fase que passa pela recolha de temas tradicionais , recriados com novas letras da autoria do grupo ou com originais muito próximos da música tradicional.

Tal é o caso do LP "Pois Canté!!", editado em Abril de 1976. Este é um disco fundamental para a compreensão de todo o fenómeno posterior de recriação da música tradicional, feita por grupos como Raízes, Brigada Victor Jara, Vai de Roda, etc., fazendo inclusivé parte dos trabalhos discográficos que o jornal "Público", numa votação dos seus críticos musicais , considerou como dos melhores de sempre da música portuguesa. Ouvido agora, a mais de 40 anos de distância, é evidente que as letras são profundamente datadas, demagógicas, e em que qualquer réstia de poesia se encontra ausente, sendo, nesse campo, um espelho fiel da realidade daqueles anos. Aliás, e como já tive ocasião de dizer em posts anteriores, apenas Sérgio Godinho conseguiu “dar a volta” ao panfletismo reinante, muito por mérito dos trocadilhos linguísticos, sempre tão presentes na sua obra. Nem mesmo o Grande José Afonso conseguiu distanciar-se de todo aquele imediatismo. E no entanto, musicalmente, “Pois Canté!!” é ainda hoje de uma rara beleza auditiva, o mesmo se podendo dizer das magníficas interpretações que o atravessam do princípio ao fim. Sugiro portanto que se tentem abstrair das palavras, que se façam de estrangeiros sem perceber népia da língua de Camões e conseguirão ouvir “Pois Canté!!” em toda a sua riqueza instrumental e vocal.

Voltando à curta história do GAC, José Mário abandona o grupo ( que mantém a mesma designação) para se dedicar à militância política e ao teatro. Serão editados mais 2 LP's (" Vira Bom", em 77 e "Ronda da Alegria" em 78), na mesma linha do primeiro e antes do grupo se dissolver. Embora por vezes não se dê conta disso (talvez muito por culpa das tais letras panfletárias) esta trilogia do GAC – VOZES NA LUTA contribuiu de forma decisiva para o desenvolvimento de uma estética musical baseada na criatividade e na inovação, criando uma espécie de fusão dialética entre a linha musical de José Afonso (marcadamente urbana), as pesquisas de Michel Giacometti (notáveis percursos pelo Portugal musical rural) e o enquadramento clássico de Fernando Lopes-Graça.

CELLY CAMPELLO: 1968 - 1979

TOM WAITS: "Foreign Affairs"

Original released on LP Asylum K 53068

(UK, September 1977)

Tom Waits' fifth album for Asylum foreshadowed changes that would alter his career over the next six years. It signals a musical restlessness that fueled his next two records ("Blue Valentine" and "Heartattack and Vine2), and resulted in his writing a film score and leaving the label for Island, where he was given greater artistic control. He leans less on comic relief here and more on fully formed story songs. The album contains more ballads than most of his records do, but they were the most effective vehicles for the kind of storytelling he was trying to get to. The song "I never Talk to Strangers" inspired director Francis Ford Coppola to shape the characters for his film "One from the Heart" (he also convinced Waits to score it, leading to Waits' iconic collaboration with Crystal Gayle). Produced and engineered by Bones Howe, "Foreign Affairs" was recorded live in studio by a quintet that included West Coast jazzmen Jack Sheldon on trumpet, saxophonist Frank Vicari, bassist Jim Hughart, and drummer Shelly Manne. Further accompaniment was provided by an orchestra arranged and conducted by Bob Alcivar. Introduced by the instrumental "Cinny's Waltz," which sounds like a cinematic cue, it's followed by the bluesy, alone-on-a-Saturday-night longing expressed in "Muriel." The aforementioned "I Never Talk to Strangers" is a duet with Bette Midler. It offers a lyric dialogue between two beleaguered veterans who find themselves (again) the last patrons in a bar at closing time. 

Their clever, direct exchange is sweetened by smoky tenor sax flourishes, swelling strings, and brushed snares behind Waits' piano. He doesn't discard his Beat Generation influences, though. Check the fingerpopping swinging medley of his "Jack & Neal," with Al Jolson's "California, Here I Come" as a travel guide to a gone-daddy-gone road trip. The ghost traces of "Tom Traubert's Blues (Four Sheets to the Wind in Copenhagen)" are heard in a borrowed melody from a saloon waltz with a cupful of bittersweet nostalgia in the lovely "A Sight for Sore Eyes." The lengthy "Potters Field" checks the harmonic charts of Richard Rodgers' theme for "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" and Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" (with Gene Cipriano's clarinet) before digging deep into sparse, noirish, blues-jazz. Its lyric is as dark and dramatic as "Small Change (Got Rained on with His Own 38)," creating a narrative worthy of a Sam Fuller film. "Burma-Shave" is a solo piano and vocal paean to the memories of drives Waits took with his father through life's seedy side. While the funky blues-cum-rhumba in "Barber Shop" adds swagger and pop to Waits' post-beat lyricism, the closing title track returns to the ballad to offer a bittersweet meditation on the perspective of "home": What it represents in the heart as opposed to what it actually is - all from a guy living at the Tropicana Motor Hotel. "Foreign Affairs" is one of the most unjustifiably overlooked titles in Waits' catalog. It holds its appeal - and sounds less dated - than many of his more popular entries. (Thom Jurek in AllMusic)