Rock On! Wednesday, 15 September – Onde, Quando, Como, Porquê, Cantamos Pessoas Vivas

Psychedelic, heavy, prog and more innovating sounds spanning the late 60s and the early 70s – Wednesday September 15th. Dan’s pick of the week: Quarteto 1111 (Onde, Quando, Como, Porquê, Cantamos Pessoas Vivas), Petrus Castrus (Ascenção E Queda), Tantra (Mistérios E Maravilhas), Banda Do Casaco (Hoje Há Conquilhas Amanhã Não Sabemos), José Cid (10.000 Anos Depois Entre Vénus E Marte) & Saga (Homo Sapiens).

De ontwikkeling van de rockscene in Portugal was beperkt vanwege het isolement van het land, dat tot in 1974 een fascistische dictatuur was. Na de Anjerrevolutie van 1974, werd Portugal de thuisbasis van een actieve progressieve rockscene, met bands als Tantra, Petrus Castrus, Banda do Casaco en het zeer succesvolle Quarteto 1111.

Prog Archives review: “I see this album as, to the mellotron, the same as Thick as a Brick to the flute in rock. A single song with developments, recapitulations, changes, everything that a prog epic deserves, and, most of all, a magnificent mellotron from beginning to end. Both the standard strings sound as the less known flute sound of the mellotron are superbly used, so if you, like me, think the mellotron is not an imitation of strings, flute or whatever, but an original instrument with beautiful timbres, you should definitely listen to this album.

The lyrics in Portuguese are quite good, they seem to be based on a poem about the revolution that put end to a long dictatorship in Portugal. Verses like “Because the smile has returned to the face/Of those who were vigilant” and “The forbidden word/The forgotten word/Liberty” (my translation) can be very touching.

The arrangements and the sound, generally, seem to me very much improvised, not contrived at all, with minimalism. (yes, mellotron and minimalism can coexist!)”

Wednesday Wednesday September 15th 2021, 12:00 noon CET Brussels – 11 a.m. GMT London. Repeated: 16:00 & 20:00 hrs CET Brussels, 3 p.m. & 7 p.m. GMT London
Ends: 12 midnight CET Brussels, 11 p.m. GMT London.