This wonderful 1970 LP was Marcos Valle's seventh release and was a transitional one for him. He had returned to Brazil from the US several years before, and was developing a new approach to songwriting and recording; here Valle recruited the hot new psych-rock band Som Imaginário to back him up, while also availing himself of the in-house orchestra that EMI-Odeon Records had at their studio in those days. As a result, the album ping-pongs between a funky-psych-rock element and the sort of lush orchestration reminiscent of '40s Hollywood. The latter, intriguingly, is what caught Kanye West's ear and led him to sample "Ele e Ela" for Jay-Z's "Thank You." This Light in the Attic reissue is everything the album has always deserved, with copious liner notes contextualizing the work, and lyrics transcribed and translated. Need more? "Freio Aerodinâmico" is nothing less than the genesis of Stereolab, "Os Grilos" is a unique rock-fuzz-dub arrangement of one of Valle's best-known songs, and the album-closing nine-minute instrumental "Suite Imaginária" is guaranteed to thrill acolytes of David Axelrod. It's a long-overdue official introduction to the North American market for a highly intriguing, classic album.
-Greg Caz
"Dez Leis"
"Os Grilos"
Press Notes:
"Marcos Valle
was originally released in 1970 and not only features a seductive cover
image of Marcos reading the local papers with a bottle of liquor
nearby, but a dynamic musical backing from some of Brazil's most gifted
players. Hip-hop fans may even recognize the opening horn blasts of 'Ele
E Ela,' which were sampled to great effect on Jay-Z's 'Thank You.' Any
way you spin it, we at Light in the Attic are extremely proud to present
Marcos Valle as part of our four-album Marcos Valle reissue
campaign.... features extensive liner notes by San Francisco-based
writer Allen Thayer (Wax Poetics) with exclusive interview content and song-by-song breakdown from Marcos himself."
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