Description

2LP Vinyl – LBOP-0001C

These records were not meant as a snapshot of Brazilian music being made at the time, instead they looked back over preceding decades to give an inkling of the riches and pleasures to be found beyond the usual clichés. It worked, compilations like these could do that in those days. It was a moment in time, when what was essentially a playlist could change people’s perceptions of music and their place in it. This music often reflected the social and political convulsions of the time. Gil, Caetano and others were jailed and sent into exile. As joyous as they often sound they are deeply serious, and the dictatorship was afraid of them. Joy, beauty and pride are potent weapons. As we go through our own present period of political turbulence, maybe these songs can serve as an example—how to maintain one’s creativity and humanity in the face of forces that seek to grind innovators down and silence voices that dispute those in power.