A LENDA DE EL-REI D. SEBASTIÃO

"A Lenda De El-Rei D. Sebastião" is a compilation of Quarteto 1111 and was released in 1993. It has songs released by the band on EP's, singles and also on their eponymous debut studio album, Quarteto 1111, released in 1970.

Quarteto 1111 was a Portuguese band formed in 1967, in Estoril, a place near Lisbon. The story of Quartet 1111 began when José Cid was invited to join the band Mystery, in 1966. Later, they decided to form a new group named "Quarteto 1111, whose name was inspired by the phone number of one of the band's members, since they spent few months working on their music in his garage. It has been suggested to the group to sing in Portuguese, despite the great influence of the British music on the band. In reality, London and Lisbon were the only centres of attraction that guided all the music of Quarteto 1111 during their short life. Their main objectives were to create music influenced by the style of the new British music, marrying it in an intelligent way with some of the main typical Portuguese features of music.

"A Lenda De El-Rei D. Sebastião" has twelve tracks. The first track is the title track, "A Lenda De El-Rei D. Sebastião". It was their first song and was recorded on their debut EP, with the same name, released in 1967. It's based in a very well known Portuguese legend about the disappearing of El-Rei D. Sebastião, a Portuguese king, allegedly killed in the fields of Morocco during the battle of Alcácer-Quibir. The legend said that he should appear on a foggy morning to help Portugal to recover its independence lost to Spain in the XVII century. The second track "Meu Irmão" was released as a single in 1968. It's a psychedelic song that speaks about love, solidarity, friendship and brotherhood among men. The third track "Ode To The Beatles" was released as a single in 1971, with the same name, and represents a homage to The Beatles. It represents also the second attempt to internationalize the band singing in English. The fourth track "As Trovas Do Vento Que Passa" was released on their first album. It's a cover of a song of Adriano Correia de Oliveira with a poem of Manuel Alegre. Originally, it was an important song, a symbol of the resistance of the Portuguese Universitary students against the dictatorship regime in Portugal. The fifth track "Domingo Em Bidonville" was also released on their debut album. It's a song about the Portuguese emigrants who left their country in search of a better life, but who still miss their country, family and friends. The sixth track "Balada Para D. Inês" was released on their second EP, with the same name, in 1968. It's a song about a famous and very popular episode of the history of Portugal, in the XIV century, the tragic love of the infant D. Pedro, heir of Portuguese throne and future king D. Pedro I with D. Inês de Castro, a noble Galician, which was executed by the father's hing, the king of Portugal D. Afonso IV, because he felt their love immoral and illegitimate. The seventh track "Dona Vitória" was released on their third EP, with the same name, in 1968. It's about the big difference that separated the rich from the poor in those times in Portugal, in the dictatorship regime. It tells us about the contrast between those who lived well and had a good job and those who lived in the suburbs and had no job. The eighth track "João Nada" was released on their first album. It's another song about emigration. This is a very sad song about a man who returns to his homeland at the end of a hard working life, far way from Portugal. The poem tells us that he has no longer his family, his friends and his dog waiting for him. Nothing is waiting for him, except his coffin. The ninth track "Dragão" was released on their second EP, "Balada Para D. Inês". It's a song about the sad, dull, hard and routine life of any working man. The tenth track "Nas Terras Do Fim Do Mundo" was released as a single, with the same name, in 1969. It's a song based in one of the most brilliant chapters of Portuguese history. It's about the deeds of the heroic Portuguese navigators, who in the XV century, discovered new lands, "giving new worlds to the world". The eleventh track "Pigmentação" was released on their first album. It's an anti-racist song about the difference of the pigmentation of the skin colour of the black people in contrast with the skin of the white people. It says that both are natural and both have blood with the same colour. The twelfth track "Fantasma Pop" was released on their debut EP "A Lenda De El-Rei D. Sebastião". It's a very nice and simple instrumental song.

Conclusion: The importance of Quarteto 1111 to Portuguese popular music is completely undeniable, especially for the birth of the Portuguese progressive rock music. This compilation, "A Lenda De El-Rei D. Sebastião" is a very interesting and important release of the group, because for the first time it was possible to have in only one album so many songs released by the group, usually separated for so many singles and EP's. This is even more important because, as far as I know and unfortunately, their debut album was never released in CD. Fortunately and lucky for me, I have a vinyl copy purchased in the 70's. My main concern on this review was to focus all my attention in lyrics, trying to explain the subjects covered in each song. I did it because I know the majority of the readers don't know any word of Portuguese, and as we know, music is a universal language. I hope you can enjoy both, the music and the review too.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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