CASA ENCANTADA

A worthy 1976 follow-up to O TERÇO's 1975 hit "Creaturas Da Noite". Sunny, melodic Progressive Rock from Brazil. Again we have light and breezy music to enjoy. As I mentioned in my review of "Creaturas Da Noite", if you want moody, profound, complex Progressive Rock then look elsewhere. But if you want something that makes you hum along and feel good then, as with the previous album, this is worth adding to your collection. To me it's a 4-star album (Excellent addition to any progressive music collection) and I can recommend it if you're willing to try something different.

Here's a rundown of the tracks:

'Flor De La Noche' (flower of the night - in Spanish) starts calmly with Spanish guitar and singing in Spanish. You might think you're in for a Spanish ballad, but then it ups tempo with some funky organ and turns into a good, barroomy number with bass, tapping drums and cymbals. After the Spanish-style start the lyrics change to Portuguese, reverting to Spanish only for the refrain. The organ in this track is the business.

'Luz De Vela' (candlelight) is a 1960s-style rocker with sax and trumpet. It's OK, but not really my cup of tea.

'Guitarras' (guitars), on the other hand, is my cup of tea. Piano and a slow, twangy guitar with organ darting around in the background make for a laid-back first half to this instumental. Then a samba beat starts, with some brief agogô, and in comes funky cuíca, the latter later replaced by manic laughing that mimics the cuíca (very well). The whole thing rocks up into a SANTANA-esque number. Very Progressive, very good.

'Foi Quando Eu Vi Aquela Lua Passar' (it was when I saw that moon pass) has high-pitched vocals and fast strumming acoustic guitar, with drums and a pumping bass joining in later. A melodic foot-tapper, and another light and breezy O TERÇO number to enjoy.

'Sentinela Do Abismo' (sentry of the abysm) starts with piano and recorder and sounds almost medieval, but quickly turns into an orchestrated, pop-ish number with high-pitched vocals, complete with string and trumpet flourishes that remind me of THE BEATLES.

'Flor De La Noche II' is basically a very laid-back, groovy arrangement of the first track, this time with a slow, bluesy feel and no funky organ. I like this version too.

'Casa Encantada' (enchanted house) starts off with pastoral flute and acoustic guitar, then a lone voice singing calmly. Strumming on the acoustic guitar starts up, the song ups tempo and it turns into a light and breezy O TERÇO number. Sounds rather like the sort of song you'd hear in a musical. Rather a 1960s pop sound, but none the worse for it. A pleasant song.

'Cabala' (kabbalah) has a very promising start with tapping organ. The high-pitched vocals that follow may initially sound off-putting but the song rocks up nicely and is another melodic O TERÇO number that I love. The guitar and thumping bass later in the track are very enjoyable. One hundred per cent Progressive Rock, even if it doesn't come from the Old World. Just great.

'Solaris' is a Progressive Rock instumental which initially is slightly reminiscent of SANTANA. I find it interesting the way the organ plays the Spanish guitar part.

'O Vôo Da Fênix' (the flight of the phoenix) also has high-pitched vocals but, again, I think they work. Pop meets salsa meets samba meets rock? A catchy tune with lots of little percussion sounds in the background to enjoy. Fans of SANTANA may like this one.

Pássaro (bird): Acoustic guitar introduces this lovely number which reminds me strongly of Brazilian Northeastern rural music, and not just because of the accordion. Nice way to end the album.

By the way, the 1975 LP "Criaturas Da Noite" was re-released on LP under the title "O Terço" instead of "Criaturas Da Noite" and with a different cover: a photo of the band on stage, with the front showing Sérgio Magrão and Luiz Moreno's drum kit. The cover of the copy-controlled 2003 "2em1" (two LPs on one CD) CD from EMI Brazil shows the cover of the re-released LP plus the cover of "Casa Encantada". N.B. The 2003 "2em1" CD was a different release to the 1999 "DOIS EM UM" (two in one) CD containing both "Criaturas Da Noite" and "Casa Encantada". Unlike the 2003 release, the 1999 release did not have copy-control software on it. Confused? I don't blame you! Anyway, whether you buy the 1999 'two LPs on one CD' or the 2003 'two LPs on one CD', you get the same tracks, although the latter installs software on the hard disc if you play it on a PC or Mac. It doesn't stop you ripping the tracks to MP3 for your portable player, though.