Clube da Esquina (album)

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 Piratininanga Beach in Niterói and Odeon Studios in Rio de Janeiro, where they collaborated with musicians from the eponymous musical collective, which they helped 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 in dictatorial Brazil, 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 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.