Walter Franco
Respire Fundo
Epic (Brazil) 1978
144243/XSB-2005 (LP) Original pressing. w/insert.
sleeve : VG+(SOC, TEOC, SPSE/TOC: crack and tape on side and bottom, SPSE: 1cm tear and wrinkle on side, some wear on edge and corner.)
media : EX-/EX-(some slightly noises caused by slightly hairlines.)
This is the third album by Brazilian singer-songwriter Walter Franco, released in 1978. Featuring contributions from renowned artists active across the Brazilian music scene, such as Nivaldo Ornellas, O Terço, Sergio Dias Baptista, Djarma Correia, João Donato, Wagner Tiso, Geraldo Azevedo, and Márcio Montarroyos. All four of his 1970s releases are celebrated as masterpieces of São Paulo’s strange music, but this album stands out with its strong acid-influenced tone. The record mainly consists of folky tracks that blend traditional-sounding arrangements with viola and strings, layered with Franco’s idiosyncratic vocals, while also incorporating plenty of experimental elements. Highlights include the primal rhythms of percussion and berimbau paired with a funky, wah-infused trumpet hook on track A5, as well as the strikingly intense B4, which features an oriental soundscape with tabla and sitar alongside ritualistic vocals and choruses. An original Brazilian pressing.