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.

The largely collaborative project finds Milton Nascimento and Lô Borges leading a fluid ensemble of musicians, experimenting with intricate harmonies, layered instrumentation, and unconventional structures.

After its release, Clube da Esquina was met with generally positive reviews from specialized critics, with the majority praising the quality of its songs, the cohesive union between the disparate styles of the two performers and their vocals.

While still guided 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.

[6][7] He had left Três Pontas, his hometown, where he played in the band W's Boys with pianist Wagner Tiso; with Marilton, he performed at night in the group Evolusamba.

[8] While composing and playing with his friends, Nascimento gained wider recognition after participating in the Brazilian Popular Music Festivals and having his song "Canção do sal" recorded by Elis Regina.

[9] Clube da Esquina was recorded in a beach house in Piratininga, in the district of Mar Azul, Niterói, where long creative sessions and rehearsals took place.

[13][14] Odeon Studios gave the Clube da Esquina collective several weeks to record, with long sessions spanning entire days and evenings,[15] marked by an intense collaboration between the musicians, with lots of improvisation and experimentation.

[27] Márcio says that, after the composition of Clube da Esquina, Nascimento and Lô began to compose more and more, to the point where they seemed, in the his words, "a kind of hybrid, homogeneous, autochthonous entity, made up of two heads, four hands and two guitars".

'corner club') alludes to the meeting place for a friendship between musicians located on the corner of Divinópolis and Paraisópolis streets, in the Santa Tereza neighborhood of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais.

At first instance, in September 2023, the Rio de Janeiro Court of Justice ruled in favor of Nascimento and Lô, the singers who had become defendants in the lawsuit filed by Cacau and Tonho over the album cover.

[44] Clube da Esquina was released in March 1972[45] as a double album on two LPs through Odeon Records,[46] consisting of 21 tracks that address themes such as friendship,[47] liberty[48] and youth.

[27] "Cais", performed by Nascimento, explores themes of solitude, the lyrics suggesting a metaphorical harbor as a place of emotional refuge, contrasting the desire for freedom with an inherent sense of isolation.

The song begins with a simple guitar accompanying letters that evoke reflection and inner search, dealing with questions of identity and the relationship of the individual with the world and nature.

[63] Novabrasil's Lívia Nolla noticed that the mention of a "blue train" ("trem azul" in Portuguese) can be interpreted in various ways, serving as a symbol that invites multiple readings.

The letter suggests a desire to leave, explore new territories and find something valuable, evident in lines like: "Subir novas montanhas, diamantes procurar" ('Climb new mountains, search for diamonds').

[73] "San Vicente", performed by Nascimento, evokes Latin America of the time, with references to the Andes Mountains in flames, haunted by possibilities and fears.

[72] "San Vicente" served as a metaphor for Brazil's sociopolitical state at the time, using poetic abstraction to express the anxieties of a generation caught between resistance and exile.

[79] During their stay in a colonial hotel, Brant, inspired by the view from his window overlooking a church and the town's cemetery, wrote the lyrics overnight to a melody that Lô had composed.

[84] "Um Gosto De Sol", performed by Nascimento, explores the theme of the passage of time and the distance between the present and the past, expressing the feeling that life is fleeing and that memories are gone.

[68] "Pelo Amor De Deus", performed by Nascimento, is described by Jonathon Grasse as "an experimental Brazilian ode to psychedelia", with a samba beat immersed in "a contentious sci-fi landscape of electric effects, crisp military snare drum rolls, and a polyrhythmic cowbell".

Nascimento's wordless vocals emerge as a raw, melancholic cry, while Wagner Tiso's organ introduces a transition where Tavito's electric guitar joins in a looping pattern.

Influenced by British art rock groups such as Pink Floyd, Yes, and Genesis, the song reflects the band's shared admiration for complex textures and unconventional structures.

[91] The refrain, with backing vocals from Milton, Lô, and Beto, contrasts with the arpeggio-driven accompaniment and Wagner's organ, while the hard rock texture includes a guitar solo inspired by former Led Zeppelin member Jimmy Page.

[85] The song was originally released in the context of the military dictatorship in Brazil, and journalist Artur Xexéo observes its political character, reflecting on the difficult moment of repression and farewells, as referred to in the verse "Qualquer dia a gente se vê" ('We'll meet again any of these days').

[93] The album closes with "Ao Que Vai Nascer", blending modal and tonal systems, with the first half featuring arpeggios on the guitar that create a "mysterious atmosphere".

He noticed the album's deep connection to the mineiros musical collective, featuring artists like Milton Nascimento, Lô Borges, and Toninho Horta, and noted that it "covers a great number of Clube da Esquina hits", including "Tudo Que Você Podia Ser", "Cais", and "O Trem Azul", all supported by "some of the best musicians in Brazil".

He described the album as "a message of hope" during Brazil's military dictatorship, blending "deep, haunting melodies" with elements of classical music, folk, bossa nova, and Western rock.

Highlights included "Tudo Que Você Podia Ser" and "Nada Será Como Antes", with Hodgkinson comparing the melodies to "Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys, but with greater rhythmic complexity".

[104] In September 2012, it was voted the second best Brazilian album in history by the audience of Eldorado FM radio, the Estadão.com portal and Caderno C2+Música (the latter two belonging to the O Estado de S. Paulo newspaper).