O VISITANTE

Another little known gem from O Terço. After their first LP Sérgio Hinds left the band to work with famous brazilian pianist/singer/songwriter Ivan Lins. So Jorge Amiden recruited Cezar de Mercês (bass). However, Hinds was soon back to the fold - now as the lead guitarist - and the group became a quartet for the first time. They cut this EP around the time (1971) bringing in some novelties like the electric cello (played by Hinds) and the "tritarra" (a three neck electric guitar that can be seen at Amiden´s lap on the cover picture).

O Visitante is quite a leap forward in terms of songwriting and performance quality. Gone were the Mutantes mannerisms and the psychedelic bits, substituted by stronger tunes, much closer to brazilian popular music of the time. Unfortunately the production is atrocious and most of the instrumental sound is muddy and subdue, which is really a shame, since songs like the title track, Adormeceu and Doze Avisos are clearly way superior than anything included on their debut LP of the year before. The vocal harmonies are even better, with an obvious influence of Sá & Guarabyra´s style. Classical music was also seeping in too, with the inclusion of a fragment of Bach´s Suite In D Minor, sang a capella.

Overall an excellent second effort, even if a little too short one. I´d gladly give it a four star rating if it was not for the horrible production that spoiled a shining performance. As it is, I´ll give it 3.5 stars. This maxi single deserved a better production and a better fate in terms of sales. However, it was a sure sign the group was on the right path to build their very own sound and that bigger and better things were on the way too.