ALÉM DAS LENDAS BRASILEIRAS

I had this LP back in 1978. It was something rare at those times, a prog band doing a complete album based on the most famous folklore legends of Brazil. I can´t really say if this work came either too late (prog´s glory days were far behind) or if it was too much too soon (the mix of regional sounds and prog rock is widely accepted now, but that was not the case back then). Either way, the timing was wrong, and little atention was paid to Além Das Lendas Brasileiras. The group broke up soon after this release.

For a good, wide, explanation of the lyrics and stories on which they are based, I suggest you see Atkingani´s excellent review of the same album. He explains them with a good amount of detail (nice work, Guigo!). The music itself changed a little bit from their self titled first release, with more influences from the brazilian popular music and rhythms added to the mix. The inclusion of the classic Passaredo, written by the legendary brazilian songwriter Chico Buarque is no coincidence. The intricated, complex Gentle Giant-like arrangements are still present, but in a more subtle way. The musicanship is still excellent, but nothing´s very flashy and there are few long instrumental passages or solos. Most of their outstanding techinique and talent work for the songs, with layers of jazzy keyboards and guitars backed by a very strong and creative rhythm section. Some extra instrumentation is provided by band members themselves (percussion, flute, whistle) or guests (violin, cello, acoustic bass).

At the time I must admit that I didn´t like the record very much. I guess the music was too different from what I was hearing then and my poor stereo could not reproduce all the fine details I now enjoy when I listen to the CD version. I still think they could have made the songs a little longer, exploring more their terrific musical talents, but I believe budget and vinyl limitations prevented that. Also João Kurk´s vocal lines were quite unusual and his frequent falsetto was not everybody´s cup of tea. Nowadays I see how ahead of the time those guys really were and how good this CD is even today. Production is quite good. All the tracks are excellent and the CD has no fillers. I´m glad I found it again.

The mixture of prog rock, elaborated and jazzy arrangements, folk themes and brazilian rhythms makes this album one of the most interesting and groundbreaking albums to come from south america in the 70´s. A CD that sounds fresh, relevant and exciting even after 30 years of its original release. Surely a must have if you want to hear something that is different and yet have enough melody and song structure to sound quite familiar too. Rating: 4,5 stars.