How green was my Valle

What a time to be a fan of Marcos Valle. It’s a little like that double-decker bus: you spend hours at the stop, waiting in the cold and wet for one to appear, only for three to turn up in a row. First, Vampisoul re-released at the end of May not one but two gems from the Rio beach boy’s back catalogue, and then Far Out Recordings announced that they will be reissuing his 2003 album Contrasts in mid July. What’s going on? With the news that the Chief Beach Boy, Brian Wilson, has gone to join that great celestial choir in the sky, one hopes that nothing’s ailing his acolyte. We’d have to rely solely on Sir Macca for the kind of pop melodies that insinuate themselves deep inside the cranium while your guard’s down.

Or, perhaps this plethora of reissues is simply to acknowledge Marcos Valle’s genius: the equivalent of those blue plaques you see on houses to celebrate the fact that so-and-so lived here. Vampisoul’s double dose – 1970’s Marcos Valle and the following year’s Garra – is part of an exciting programme of re-releases of Brazilian classics. Far Out’s is one of a few fine albums in their catalogue that seem like curtain-raisers to 2010’s wonderful Estática, arguably his late-flowering masterpiece.

Contrasts certainly does serve as quite a contrast to the music Valle was making three decades before. The two original Odeon releases sound – and look – quite different: it’s tempting to believe that Valle, who will turn 82 in September, is ageless – until you look closely at the cover of the eponymous 1970 album, with a fresh-faced, very blonde Adonis sitting upright in bed under a suspended light. Time has indeed etched indelible lines on that face. One fascinating point of similarity, though, is that the two intoxicating minutes of “Wanda Vidal” on Garra contain the prototype of the riff that propels Contrasts’ endlessly grooving, oft-compiled “Parabéns”. Similarly, Valle stretched out the concise 1970 original of “Freio Aerodinâmica” to six hypnotic minutes on his Far Out debut, 1998’s aptly titled Nova Bossa Nova. Just for good measure, Vampisoul’s Marcos Valle also contains a delicious version of “Os Grilos (Crickets Sing for Ana Maria)”, a song covered by the likes of Deodato and Friends From Rio and every bit as familiar now as 1965’s “Samba de Verão”.

Almost inevitably, the two early albums can sound in comparison to the slick, sophisticated movin’ and groovin’ of the Far Out reissue somewhat green and callow. But what they might lack in maturity and sophistication, they make up for in charm. They are essentially about samba and bossa nova, the two genres that have nourished the artist’s Brazilian soul throughout a remarkably long career. The emphasis then was less on the groove and much more on the song, the young crooner’s voice and the instrumental prowess. One forgets when dancing to his later work just what a fine pianist he is. Around half of the eponymous album is instrumental, culminating in the “Suite Imaginária” that concludes proceedings and reminds you that Valle studied classical music for much of his childhood after taking up the piano at age 5. It must have been in his blood, something he had to do. After all, everyone from Pink Floyd to Procol Harum was producing suites at that time and this one is much more coherent than most. Listen to the keyboard dexterity and the orchestration and be thankful that he never indulged in a rock opera.

The following year’s Garra sees Valle as the more socially and politically conscious artist. Music journalist Will Hodgkinson perceptively noted how the apparent devotional pop of the opening track, “Jesus Meu Rei”, masked a clever put-down of the country’s president at that time. Half way through the first side, though, “Black Is Beautiful” is a well-meaning artistic horror. It has aged about as well as some of the worst excesses of Hair, The Musical. But if you can take a deep breath and get through it, the rest of the album yields ample rewards, such as the aforementioned “Wanda Vidal”, the breezy “Com Maἱs De 30”, the infectious title track and the beautiful slice of pure bossa, “Amigo Tom”. And that’s just for starters.

So take your pick between the greener or the riper version of an artist who just goes on giving. Or why not plump for all three? After all, they are in their quite different ways essential listening – not only for fans of Marcos Valle but also for any self-respecting connoisseur of the music that Brazil has bequeathed to the world.

Follow Sounds and Colours: Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Mixcloud / Soundcloud / Bandcamp

Subscribe to the Sounds and Colours Newsletter for regular updates, news and competitions bringing the best of Latin American culture direct to your Inbox.

Share: