Clube da Esquina (1972)

Clube da Esquina (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈklubi dɐjsˈkinɐ], in English "Corner Club") is a collaborative album by Brazilian musicians Milton Nascimento and Lô Borges, released as a double album in March 1972 by EMI-Odeon Records. It was Nascimento's fifth studio album and Lô's first, after which the latter pursued a solo career. The duo recorded the album in November 1971 at Piratininga Beach in Niterói and Odeon Studios in Rio de Janeiro, where they collaborated with musicians from the eponymous musical collective, which they helped to establish.

Musically, Clube da Esquina features a mixture of MPB, baroque pop, folk and jazz pop with elements of rock, psychedelia and classical music. Conceived at a time of political tension during Brazil's military dictatorship, it explores themes of friendship, liberty and youth. The cover, photographed by Carlos da Silva Assunção Filho, better known as Cafi, shows two boys, Cacau and Tonho, on a dirt road near Nova Friburgo, in the mountains of Rio de Janeiro, close to where Nascimento's adoptive parents lived.

Clube da Esquina initially received negative reviews from contemporary Brazilian critics, who viewed it as "poor and disposable" and did not understand the album's mixture of genres and influences. It was nevertheless commercially successful in Brazil and abroad. With the help of word of mouth and changing critical perceptions, it retrospectively received acclaim. Featured in the reference book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (2010), Clube da Esquina was named the Greatest Brazilian Album of All Time by the Discoteca Básica podcast in 2022, with Paste ranking it as the ninth greatest album of all time in 2024.

Following its release, a sequel, Clube da Esquina 2, was released in 1978, expanding the original's collective discography, incorporating a broader range of collaborations. While sung mostly by Milton Nascimento, the album saw reduced involvement from Lô Borges and included contributions from various artists such as Elis Regina, Chico Buarque, and Francis Hime.

Background

The Clube da Esquina musical collective originated in the 1960s at the corner of Divinópolis and Paraisópolis streets in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, where Milton Nascimento and the Borges brothers—Lô Borges, Márcio Borges, and Marilton Borges—began collaborating. Nascimento moved to Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais, in 1963 to study and work, meeting the Borges brothers at the Levy Building. He had left his hometown, Três Pontas, where he played in the band W's Boys with pianist Wagner Tiso, and performed at night with Marilton in the group Evolussamba.

When Lô was just ten years old, his mother asked him to go and buy eggs and milk. When he got to the street, Lô encountered a young man in his twenties playing the guitar,—Milton Nascimento. Intrigued, he approached him, leading to a connection. Nascimento would often visit Lô's home to introduce and teach him guitar and composition. A few months later, Lô met Beto Guedes, another future member of the collective, after noticing him riding a scooter through the streets. As Nascimento's career gained momentum—particularly after Elis Regina recorded his song "Canção do sal"—his collaborations with the Borges brothers and other local musicians laid the foundation for Clube da Esquina.

Recording and production

Clube da Esquina was mostly recorded in the beach house of Piratininga, in the district of Mar Azul, Niterói, where long creative sessions and rehearsals took place, during which recordings were made in November 1971. The group stayed there for six months, while the final recordings took place both in Santa Tereza and in the bars of the city center or at the Borges brothers' house, as well as at Odeon Records' studio in Rio de Janeiro. Odeon Studios gave the Clube da Esquina collective several weeks to record, with long sessions spanning entire days and evenings, marked by an intense collaboration between the musicians, with lots of improvisation and experimentation.

The musicians alternated between roles, with Beto Guedes being the most active in the production of the album, playing 17 out of the 21 tracks, switching between bass and drums. Nascimento had selected the choosing on who would write the lyrics of each song according to his personal criterion. Márcio Borges and Fernando Brant worked on the lyrics, while musicians like Toninho Horta developed musical ideas. Orchestrations were handled primarily by Eumir Deodato and Wagner Tiso. During the recording at Odeon Studios, the album was recorded in two channels; one dedicated to vocals and the other to instruments.