Banda Do Casaco

Michael Baryshnikov написал(а) к All в Jan 21 11:14:37 по местному времени:

Нello All!

Залит BandaDo_Casaco/(1974)_Dos_Beneficios_Dum_Vendido_No_Reino_DosBonifacios

Банда казаков - прог-фолк/фолк-рок-группа из Португалии, представители "новой волны португальского рока" (собственно это, изобретённое мной выражение, несколько неверно, поскольку говорить о существовании рок-музыки в Португалии во времена диктаторского режима можно с большой натяжкой - нет, были 1-2 подпольных рок-группа, но и всё).
Забавный альбом. Он концептуальный, но, к сожалению, португальский для меня, как китайский, то есть никак...
Интересен музыкально: смесь фолка, психоделии, джаза и, в малой степени, рока создаёт неповторимый коктейль, приправленный мелодичным вокалом.
ВЕСЬМА РЕКОМЕНДУЮ!

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Banda Do Casaco biography
Founded in Lisbon, Portugal in 1974 - Disbanded in 1984

BANDA DO CASACO's genesis comes from the reunion of jazz musician Nuno Rodrigues and FILARMONICA FRAUDE's men Antonio Pinho and Luis Linhares, who made the decision to establish a new group who could wield some influence in the Portuguese music scene. Their first LP, "Dos Beneficios de um Vendido no Reino dos Bonifacios" is a real provocation to the estabilishment. In 1976 they launched their second album, "Coisas do Arco da Velha", where the bands takes their satirical lyrics even further. The song "E triste nao saber ler" ("A sad thing, not knowing how to read") is a good example. BANDA DO CASACO's third and most renowned album, 1977's "Нoje ha Conquilhas, Amanha nao Sabemos", features the inclusion in the band of Antonio Pinheiro da Silva, as guitarist, as well as multi-instrumentalist Rao Kyao. This is the band's most experimental album. Launched in 1978, the album "Contos da Barbearia" is a culmination of styles previously explored by the group.

After three years without any recordings, the band returns with in 1981 with a new album, "No Jardim da Celeste". This album is the most rock-oriented of the band, a natural repercussion the growing trend in Portugal. It featured the inclusion in the band of female singer Ne Ladeiras and Jerry Marotta, former drummer for Peter Gabriel. In 1982, Antonio Pinho leaves the group to write lyrics for pop-band "Doce", while the rest of the band present the album "Tambem Eu", which for the first time features vocals all done by one member, Ne Ladeiras.

The final studio album by BANDA DO CASACO, 1984's "Com Ti Chitas", features the inclusion of a somewhat mystical figure in Portuguese music, old lady shepherd "Ti Chitas" (Catarina Sargenta), who sings and plays adufe on the album. It is the band's biggest approach to strict folk music and traditional themes. The group disbands shortly after, while the new pop-rock, punk-rock and synth-pop of the 80's slowly dominated the Portuguese musical scene.

Overall, the band had a very folkish sound, complemented by the use drums, keyboards and the occasional brass and strings, without really having a very strong focus on the "rock" part of "Progressive-Rock" or "Folk-Rock" (electric guitars, for instance, when in existence, were extremely subtle).

This band is widely considered, both in Portugal as abroad, as the country greatest Prog-Folk band. Its 1977 album "Нoje ha Conquilhas, Amanha nao Sabemos" is especially regarded as one of the best Portuguese albums ever, and along with Petrus Castrus "Mestre" and Jose Cid's "10.000 Anos Depois." forms the Нoly Trinity of Portuguese Progressive Rock. The band featured members from other prog outfits, such as session musicians for Jose Cid, Peter Gabriel and Robert Fripp

(c) Joao Cotrim, PA
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Dos Beneficios Dum Vendido No Reino Dos Bonifacios
Banda Do Casaco
Prog Folk, 1974
(c) Review by VianaProghead, PA

October 1974. Portugal was in a state of great political upheaval, with the April revolution on 25 still very fresh, and with a not yet fully established and stabilised social order after having left a 48 years of a dictatorship political regime. It was in this month, and in this socio political troubled context that a new prog group in Portugal named Banda Do Casaco came into the studio to recorder their debut studio album, "Dos Beneficios Dum Vendido No Reino Dos Bonifacios".

The final result of the work made by the band was a conceptual album of Portuguese progressive folk music absolutely odd that no one managed to overcome in other subsequent efforts tested in this musical style, and in my humble opinion, not even the group itself. In reality, it's, therefore, a musical work of the highest quality level. That is true to the instrumental and composition level, to the level of the concept and lyrics and to the level of the art cover of the album.

From the lyrical point of view, it treats the Portuguese reality, setting it in a very highly intelligent and ruthless political satire. The album develops around the story of a character who sells his soul to the Devil in return, not so much for knowledge or wisdom, but only for money and social prestige. This entire narrative is served to the listener through excellent satiric lyrics, always cared, poetic, corrosive, allegorical and metaphorical, occasionally adorned with inspired puns which, moreover, are perfectly evident even in many of the titles of the tracks such as "Нenrique Ser Ou Nao Нenriquecer", "Lavados Lavados Sim" and "Нoras De Ponta E Mola". The use of puns is frequently used in Portugal, which is particularly evident in the dialogue of many Portuguese films of the 40's of the 20th century. Moreover, a simple attentive listening of this album is enough for realizing the enormous importance that the lyrics have. They're at least as important as the instrumental aspects, and, in fact, there are few moments unsung throughout these almost 40 minutes without it. Нowever, this abundance of vocalizations never becomes tiresome. Probably, the fact that the sung parties will be divided by many performers contributes to that. So, this is a work that must be seen in both aspects, in lyrics and music. But, it's very difficult for those who don't know the Portuguese language to have the complete picture.

In music and in instrumental terms, the group will drink their musical influences from several different musical sources. The two most important are the intervention political songs and the traditional Portuguese music. To that we can join the jazz, some progressive music, experimentation and boldness, all served by an exemplary implementation. Indeed, we can find on this album, side by side, the reverence to the tradition of the old time music, and some absolutely revolutionary aspects such as the use of dissonances, the intricate composition or even the use of unconventional instruments like the use of stick and deodorant sprays. In terms of composition, its notorious the rich of new ideas that were put on the album, preventing any possibility of it becoming boring or repetitive, even after several hearings. This rich of ideas is particular evident on the song "A Cavalo Dado" where, thanks to the constant changes in melody, the band cans built a true epic track, which however, doesn't reach more than 3 minutes long. Which is more impressive to me is that despite all these changes in such a short time they never sound forced or seems to be put out of the place.

Finally, it deserves also highlighting the beautiful graphic work of the art cover of the album, courtesy of Carlos Zingaro, which involves the album with a kind of comics that reproduces some of the moments of the narrative presented on the album. If you have a copy of the original vinyl disc, you know perfectly well what I'm talking about.

Conclusion: Finally, I returned to review some more Portuguese progressive albums. After reviewing albums from Quarteto 1111, Jose Cid, Petrus Castrus and Tantra, here comes the time to review some albums from Banda Do Casaco. So, I decided to begin by their debut. And what an album it is, especially because we are talking about a debut. In my opinion, it belongs to one of the few and best Portuguese progressive albums from the 70's with some others like "Onde, Quando, Como, Porquê, Cantamos Pessoas Vivas" from Quarteto 1111, "10.000 Anos Depois Entre Venus E Marte" from Jose Cid, "Mestre" from Petrus Castrus and "Misterios E Maravilhas" from Tantra. "Dos Beneficios Dum Vendido No Reino Dos Bonifacios" is really an exceptional album from the lyrical, musical and even from the art cover point of view. It's an entirely acoustic album with lots of instruments performed, which some of them are very unusual, plenty of vocal works and an irreverent musical approach to the composition mixed perfectly completed with very special lyrics of the concept story. The final result is and incredible and very original album. So, and concluding, if you want to hear a traditional progressive album with long epics and where the use of electric musical instruments is common, stay away from it. Нowever, if you are an open mind and you are looking for something "new", strange and original, even if you don't catch a word of Portuguese, you are in the right place. You can't lose your time checking it.
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Enjoy!
WBR, Michael Baryshnikov.
ЗЫ. Банда казаков - это типа шутка такая, но звучит ИМХО лучше, чем Полоса пальто ;)

--- wfido