Saga - Homo Sapiens (1976 POR)

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Reissue by Korean company Metavox. M2U 1008The reissue is 20-bit digitally remastering. hard board sleeve digi-pack. numbered edition 1000 Copies only.This is an incredibly rare 1976 Portuguese album, originally released on Movieplay.

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José Luis Tinoco, Piano, Synth, Guitars

Zé da Ponte, Bass, Guitars

Fernando Fallé, Drums

Vasco Henriques, Moog, Flute

Rão Kyao, Sax Tenor, Sax Soprano

Fernando Girão, Percussions

With vocals:

Fernando Girão

Dulce Neves

José Themudo Barata

Zé da Ponte

Carlos Rodrigues

José Fardilha

Clara

By Nuno

.For me, one of the most cruel things in Progressive Rock history is the fact this album has never got its deserved attention and credit outside Portuguese boundaries!!Originally released in 1976, only recently it got a reissue in CD format, thanks to Southern Korean label M2U. And this release was narrowed down to 1000 copies, which makes it still a rare asset to get, though the original vinyl is almost impossible to find.The reason for my referring to this as a gruesom injustice is the fact that, in my most sincere and modest opinion, this is one of the absolute best Symphonic Progressive albums coming out in the 70’s. In Portuguese terms only Tantra was able to compete in terms of originality and quality.Homo Sapiens was the result of a one-shot project named Saga, brainchild of multi-instrumentalist José Luis Tinoco, who plays Piano, Synthesizer, keyboards and 6 and 12 string guitars. He is accompanied here by other great musicians such as Fernando Girão (Percussion and Vocals), Rão Kyao (Sax Tenor and Alto Sax) and Zé da Ponte (Bass and 6 and 12 string guitars).The vocals are introduced as solo singing, choruses and spoken parts, and they are simply amazing throughout the whole experience.In fact, the singing is theatrical and some of the male vocals rank amongst the best I ever heard in Prog Rock bands. But the spoken parts are even better, for they show an eloquence and emotion that I rarely have heard anywhere else. To all this, the lyrical quality not only helps a lot but it highly betters the result, for it comprehends one of the best things in this album. It is indeed a poetic and opinionative statement of huge proportions and rare cruel sensitivity, relating human history and behavior through an ever present Warlike vision. Therefore it is very dark, raw and strongly violent, but very poetic and rich. Despite the music is truly great, the lyrical side of the album is a monster that rivals with the best albums of all time when it comes to this particular asset.The only set back for the numerous possible interested progheads is the fact all is written and sung/spoken in Portuguese….so you’ll just have to trust my word on this one.
Musically wise, the album mixes typical Portuguese (Folk, Pop and Intervention Music) tendencies with some Canterburian (very, very subtle) lines and a gigantic Symphonic sense that many times approaches the Italian Sympho School. The result is, obviously, quite unique and original, making this album a real gem and a one-in-a-kind project. The fact some Pop leanings are derivative of the awful easy listening pop of the 70's, reminding of those European Song Festival Contests, is well disguised within the symphonic lines, which makes them perfectly listenable and enjoyable.The use of several kinds of keys (from Piano to Moog), 12 string guitars, flute, rich percussion and Sax, intelligently scattered throughout the whole experience, does enrich the music to never before seen levels in Portuguese Rock, and the different backgrounds of the musicians involved in the making of this album (from jazz to Pop to Folk) has matured the final result in something that, when mixed with the omnipresent symphonic basis, should ultimately be the wet dream of most 70’s prog lovers.
This album, though very much unknown and rarely referred in sites and forums, easily rivals with the best Italian and Anglo-Saxon symphonic masterpieces of the70’s, and I just hope this review will contribute to a wider exposure of the album and a deserved search for it, by those who identify their tastes with what is written above. This is a must-have for all 70’s symphonic prog fans, and an obligatory asset to collectors.It is easily one of my all time fav albums of the genre!

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DISCO DE ROCK SINFONICO CON MUCHA CULTURA...SE PUEDE DECIR QUE ES UN ALBUM LLENO DE POESÍA, DE LETRAS (POEMAS) MARAVILLOSAS EN MI IDIOMA.

ES EL UNICO DISCO DE ESTA BANDA, PERO MUCHISIMO BUENO...EDITADO POR EL SELLO M2U, EN KOREA DEL SUR, Y DE EDICION LIMITADA A 1.000 COPIAS, NUNCA HA VISTO LA LUZ DEL DIA EN PORTUGAL EN ESTE FORMATO

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01-6º Dia
02-Filius Domini, Filius Hominis
03-Hiroxima
04-Cantiga de Imigo
05-Invasao
06-Guerra
07-Carta
08-No 20º Aniversario da Morte do Poeta
09-Aprendiz de Feiticeiro
10-Dunas

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