CASA DAS MÁQUINAS

The debut album by the brazilian band Casa das Maquinas (Engine room, in portuguese) was released in 1974 through a major recording company, Som Livre. The group was formed by two ex members of ne of the most famous beat groups of the 60´s and 70´s in Brazio: Os Incríveis. That band became famous for playing cover versions in portuguese of several hits of the day, rock and pop. Drummer Luiz Franco Thomas (a.k.a. Netinho) and guitarist Jose Haroldo Binha decided to leave Os Incrpíveis and form another band to play their own songs. Together with second guitarist Carlos Roberto Piazzoli (a.k.a. Pisca), multi instrumentist Pique and bassist Carlos Geraldo Carge they then formed Casa das Maquinas in 1973.

Although the cover was quite striking for the time (the heavy make up of the members on the front cover clearly showed binfluences of Secos e Molhados and the whole glam rock international scene), there is little boldness or novelty in their recent written tunes. Listening to their eponymous album it seems that the new group did not really know where they were heading. About one third of the record is formed of hard rockers, while the bulk of their work did not differ much from what Os Incríveis were doing at the time: a competent but not outstanding mix of rock, pop and soul music. Nowhere in this LP one could guess that in about an year those same guys (minus Pique) would release one of the most interesting brazilian progressive albums of the 70´s. They definitely had to reinvent themselves in a very short time. And it would be a very successful reinvention.

So I guess this album is of little interest for anyone vaguely connected to prog music. Unless you´re into brazilian hard rock/pop/soul,of course. It has its value as an historical document, but not much more than that. A curio, if you will.

For collectors and hardcore fans, only.