With what Voice

The first album of Amália was edited in Brazil in 1945, counting with two themes: “Perseguição” and “As Penas”. The phase we call “continental” was prolonged until 1950, and the albums had mostly classic fados. Maybe because of that, and due to her love for the Spanish language and culture, she started a path through the music from there. Amália recorded, for the publisher Continental, titles such as those mentioned above, besides “Tendinha”, “Sei Finalmente”, “Fado do Ciúme”, “Mouraria”, “Passei Por Você”, “Duas Luzes”, “Troca de Olhares”, “Sardinheiras”. However, Amália also interpreted “Ojos Verdes”, “Carmencita”, “Los Piconeros”. Early on, Amália revealed this ardent passion for the Spanish culture, language, and songs.

In 1952, Amália goes to London, to the Abbey Road studio, to record themes like “La Salvaora”, “Noite de Santo António”, “Malmequer Pequenino”, “Grão de Arroz”, “Lereré”, “Não Digas Mal Dele”, “Zarzamora”, “Uma Casa Portuguesa”, “Tudo Isto É Fado”, “Fado Hilário”, “El Negro Zumbón”, and others. It is also in this time that Amália records “Foi Deus” by Alberto Janes. And, also, a fado with verses by David Mourão-Ferreira, who would become one of the greatest poets of Amália’s career. In this way, it was recorded the fado “Primavera”, with composition by Pedro Rodrigues.

To these themes, recorded in successive 78-rotation albums, would follow titles like “Barco Negro”, “Fallaste Corázon”, “Trepa no Coqueiro”, “Solidão”, “Antigamente”, “Por Un Amor”. The first album of this series comes as a little collection of what Amália sang both in Portuguese and Spanish. This album with title in English (Amália Sings Fado From Portugal and Flamenco From Spain) appears as a perfect example of the “Amália-interpret” of fado and flamenco.

These albums (LP) are also released in France, the USA, England, South Africa. Amália à l’Olympia is the one of this series that seems to have the greater success. It is a result of the recording of a live concert that Amália gave in that showroom (Olympia) in the year 1956. It was published in France, Japan, Holland, Italy, South Africa, and Portugal.

Then, it followed the 45-speed albums, edited by Columbia. The titles Amália The Beautiful, Les Amants du Tage, Amália Sings, Fado dos Fados were being published, as were others without a title – only with the name and image of Amália. That alone was enough to sell, it was not even necessary to add a title to the albums themselves. In 1958, came out an album of Amália singing only in French, with the title Chante En Français. In the same way, it was released an album recorded only with themes from Sangue Toureiro (Les Airs du Film Sangue Toureiro), and an album with a compilation of Spanish themes (Chante En Espagnol).

The publisher Alvorada edited some more albums in Portugal, and some of them also in Mozambique. These constituted a great entrance door to the 60s. In end of the 50s and early 60s, Amália would edit more themes by Alberto Janes, like “Rosas do Meu Caminho”, “Fadista Louco”, and by Pedro Homem de Mello, like “Quando os Outros Te Batem Beijo-te Eu”, besides more popular themes as “Bailaricos” and “O Namorico da Rita”. “Conta Errada”, “Campinos do Ribatejo”, “Eu disse adeus à Casinha” are also edited.

Amália edits, with Duceretet Thomson, Au Pays du Fado, which comes out in France in 1966 as an album recorded live at Bobino in 1960. This album is also published in Portugal and in Holland. Alvorada, in Portugal, gives us too some records of Amália: the first of them without title and date specified, and another one, released in 1962, entitled Fado e Touros. Of these two albums, the edition of “Cansaço” stands out, with verses by Luís de Macedo. Again, in France, by Festival (publisher), an audacious album for that time (1962) is released, with the title Fado e Guitarradas Au Portugal.

Another innovative album for fado is Amália & Don Byas, dated from 1973, by the publisher Columbia. In this sound document, Amália accompanies Don Byas, the tenor saxophone, with her sublime voice, with an improvised singing counter. In this album, some of the great successes of Amália’s career until then are edited, such as “Coimbra”, “Libertação”, “Estranha Forma de Vida”, and others.

Still in the 70s, compilations with her best themes are released. In Spain, Amália appears in Así Canta, being the nr. 97, and it is edited the album Amália by the publisher Ódeon. In Italy, Amália is included in the series I Maestri; in Holland, comes out an album with the title Les Plus Grands Succès; in Japan it is published an album called Barco Negro – Amália Rodrigues Best 20.

In 1990, the album Obsessão is edited, the last one recorded in life. After that, the compilations of The Best Of Amália are released, trying to gather the best that Amália sang – a job almost impossible, among a vast repertoire, the one to choose which were the best themes recorded by the Queen of Fado.