Lo Borges: Lo Borges [AUDIO CLARITY]

Why you'll love it

Audio Clarity brings back the Minas Gerais songwriter's first solo album, made at 19 in the same year as Clube da Esquina. It's a cult favourite of Brazilian pop, and Alex Turner has said "Aos Barões" inspired the production of Arctic Monkeys' Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino.

About the album

Most debut albums take years to write. Lô Borges had a deadline. In 1972, aged 19 and fresh from making Clube da Esquina with Milton Nascimento, he was asked by Odeon to make a solo record, and he did it at a gallop, sometimes writing a song in the morning and recording it that night.

The result is fifteen short, bright songs, most under three minutes, that slide between MPB, psychedelic rock and wistful singer-songwriter pop. His brother Márcio Borges co-wrote several, including "O Caçador" and "Não Se Apague Esta Noite," while Ronaldo Bastos helped on "Canção Postal" and Tavinho Moura on the opener "Você Fica Melhor Assim." "Aos Barões" and the closer "Toda Essa Água" show how much ground he covers in about thirty minutes.

The cover is a photo by Cafi of a pair of second-hand Adidas sneakers his cousin had given him, which is why Brazilian fans call it "Disco do Tênis," the sneaker album. Borges said the shoes meant he was ready to hit the road. Fifty-odd years on, they're still the best-travelled trainers in Brazilian music.

Also at Kops: more Lô Borges on vinyl · browse World

Tracklist

Listen

On Audio Clarity, a reissue of the 1972 album.