Issue #017

Featuring Led Zeppelin, The Black Keys, Bon Iver, Meirelles E Os Copa 5 & Junior Mance

1. CLASSICS: IV by Led Zeppelin (1971)

IV is—yes, you guessed it—the fourth studio album by Led Zeppelin. Released on November 8, 1971, it is undoubtedly one of the greatest rock albums ever made. Its lyrics, inspired by Celtic mythology and J.R.R. Tolkien's writings (among other things), add a mystical aura to the album. The recording sessions, held between December 1970 and February 1971 at Island Studios in London, Headley Grange in Hampshire, and Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, were marked by the partnership of Jimmy Page and Andy Johns, two of the biggest music nerds of the time. Johns brought mobile recording equipment that he had been using with the Rolling Stones, which helped achieve effects like the massive drum sound recorded in the Headley Grange's staircase.

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2. ROCK: Magic Potion by The Black Keys (2006)

What’s inside this Magic Potion, you ask? It's Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney, armed with a handful of instruments and some crappy, vintage studio equipment. Recorded in 2006 in the basement of an abandoned tire-manufacturing building (does the name Rubber Factory ring a bell?), the album features a Fabergé egg on the cover, contrasting with the raw and humble production setup. In the end, it's a noisy, unpolished statement against the overproduced sounds of the glamorous pop world.

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3. UNCHARTED: For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver (2008)

Justin Vernon, the name behind Bon Iver, retreated to a cabin in Fall Creek, Wisconsin, to spend the winter in solitude and record this album. And yes, it sounds exactly like that. Being alone in a cabin means the album's production is minimalistic, to say the least, emphasizing the emotional weight of the lyrics and the organic sound of the few instruments Vernon could fit in his trunk. You can almost hear the creak of the wooden floorboards and the crackle of the fire in the background. Initially self-released by Vernon in July 2007, the album was picked up by the indie label Jagjaguwar in early 2008 for a wider release.

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4. MADE IN BRAZIL: O Som by Meirelles E Os Copa 5 (1964)

In the early '60s, then-newcomer Jorge Ben was mixing things up in the music scene with a rhythm that nobody could really describe, and traditional samba and bossa nova musicians just didn't get it yet. So, for the recording of Jorge Ben's debut album "Samba Esquema Novo" (which features "Mas que Nada"—one of Brazil's most recorded songs in history), producer Armando Pittigliani suggested recruiting a jazz ensemble. Because if they could play jazz, they could play anything, right? That's when J.T. Meirelles, Luís Carlos Vinhas, Pedro Paulo, Manuel Gusmão, and Dom Um Romão first came together as a band in a recording studio. Pittigliani was so impressed by the synergy between the musicians that he invited them to record their own album without any commercial pressure (the reason why you might never have heard of the album). “O Som” was released a year later, in 1964, by Philips Records.

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5. JAZZ: Junior by Junior Manace (1959)

There's something special about the genesis of debut albums, especially back in the days when you couldn't record an entire album in your living room. In addition to loads of talent, an artist needed a bunch of other things to align to get a shot. In February of 1959, pianist Julian Clifford Mance Junior participated in the recording sessions for what became two albums by Dizzy Gillespie (“The Ebullient Mr. Gillespie” and “Have Trumpet, Will Excite!”). After the sessions, Norman Gran, the producer of both albums, offered Mance the opportunity to record his own debut album. He was then joined by Ray Brown on bass and Lex Humphries on drums and the album was released by Verve Records in the same year, 1959, launching Junior Mance into a stellar jazz career. If you don't know this album yet, put it on—I guarantee you'll like it.

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