The resonant Tropicália movement wasn't the only site of musical subversion in Sixties and Seventies Brazil. Proof is this 1973 pop-rock-samba-jazz gem, the funkiest in a four-disc Marcos Valle series. Sampled by Kanye and others, the Rio singer-songwriter has a wicked rhythmic sense. His speed verses on "Os Ossos Do Barão" out-groove the drumming, while "Mentira" echoes Stevie Wonder's "Superstition." Valle's politically coded poetry dodged the radar of Brazil's military government censors. But his hooks and beats need no decoding. Let's hope his groovy soundtrack for Brazil's Sesame Street is reissued next.

“More Than a Feeling”

Boston mastermind Tom Scholz was as surprised by anyone when he sent his unsolicited demo to record labels and got back a positive response. Scholz said, “I couldn’t believe it. Nobody knew who we were, so I wouldn’t even say we were struggling. It was groveling.” Part of the credit for the interest must go to the anthemic rock number "More Than a Feeling." Inspired by the Left Banke's 1966 hit "Walk Away Renee," Scholz worked on the song for five years in his basement studio before it was released on this album.