VIDA

Welcome Sui to PA!

Charly and Nito were about 20-year boys and had a lot of fans in a short time. The first album by Sui Generis is a collection of songs which mix pop, folk, some of blues, played with a piano, an acoustic guitar, a flute, drums and a bass guitar. The arrangement shows they already were great musicians. The music is a little primitive to be considerate as prog rock, but there are some things which presage a 'prog rocker' future for 'Sui'. The most prog-related songs: 'Dime quién me lo robó': the longest song / 'Natalio Ruiz', a multi-rhythmical song with a nice harmonization / 'Mariel y el capitán': it's a nice song with a detail: in the happiest part of the story, the song is in D major but in the saddest part, the song turn in D minor... that's an awesome effect / 'Amigo vuelve a casa pronto': this is the strongest song; it's a bit strange for this album's style / 'Posludio': this one is a short instrumental composition. It's a jazzy piece with a piano and a flute / The other songs are very interesting, too.

3 stars. Good, but not essencial.

Who would have thought that this little hippie folk album would make such a big impact in Argentine music and lead to much better things? This album was written by a duo of youngsters, Nito Mestre and Charly Garcia, who grew rapidly into a top notch songwriter. Vida was a big hit in Argentina, carrying a group of easy and charming fireside tunes with a great sense of melody.

The best example is what may actually be Charly Garcia's most recognizable composition: Canción Para mi Muerte, which not only has extremely memorable melodies and charming guitar/piano interplay but it also fools the listener into thinking that it is a song sung to a girlfriend. It isn't, it is actually sung to death itself. Surprising, isn't it? And this is just a shadow the much better lyrical writing of the next albums and especially Serú Girán's lyrics which border on genius.

While that is in my opinion the best song from this album, it does not mean that the rest is disappointing. There are in my opinion three other highlights and the rest mostly works as simple, charming music. Dime Quien me lo Robó, which is the longest song in the album is a mostly acoustic tune like most are, but has a somewhat story-telling structure and eventually leads to a fiery (for them) electric guitar section. Cuando Comenzamos a Nacer is a beautiful flute-driven folk tune which might not be immediate due to its simplicity but grows on you and Prosludio is a short instrumental with flute and piano interplay which is very effective and charming, a great way to close the album.

The only song that really doesn't work for me is Toma Dos Blues, a surprisingly weak blues number with no interesting solos to redeem it. I guess I could include Mariel y el Capitán's major->minor->major transitions which sound a bit silly and forced.

Nevertheless, this is an important album which while dated, still brings a pleasure to my ears.

Charly García's talent begins to blossom in this album. Even though most of the songs are quite simple and straightforward, the melodies are beautiful and memorable (as most of Charly's melodies are). Also the first examples of the powerful yet sublime vocal harmonies that Charly and Nito achieved during their time as Sui Generis start to emerge (Very pleasant to hear by the way).The lyrics speak of several aspects of life and some of the lyrics are quite deep for the age they had at that time. The overall sound of the album is a very clean and simple combination of acoustic guitars, piano, and flute.

This album has classics like "Canción para mi muerte" and "Necesito" which are some of the best known fireside songs by Sui Generis, but the real gems in this album are some lesser- known songs that in my opinion demonstrate the musical maturity that Charly was achieving and as a composer: "Dime quién me lo robó", "Cuando comenzamos a nacer", and "Estación". Specially the first 2, which are very dense in content yet pleasant to listen.

Even though I think this is a great album and that every song of it is worth listening, I don't think this is an essential album in any way. I think this album is filled with several good moments and some excellent moments, but overall, giving it more than 3 stars would be unfair with similar rated albums by other bands. This is definitely worth some spins though so try to check it out. I'm giving it 3.5 starts rounded down to 3.

Review #18: Vida

"Sabemos que pronto va a llover fuerte... mejor estemos juntos esta vez"

Charly García is my main influence and my favorite artist ever. To this day I still have the same thoughts about his powerful, important and innovative figure in the Argentine rock scene over the years.

But anyway, that's a topic for another day. Let's go where it all begins...

Vida, Sui Generis' debut album (and in itself, Charly García's as a composer), is an album released in 1972, with an atmosphere and always keeping the "hippie" and adolescent style that was going around Buenos Aires in those years.

This album was very important in García's career, since to this day, "Canción para mi Muerte" would become one of the most successful songs of his, and indeed, of the whole country.

Well, I'll stop talking and start with the songs:

The album begins with "Canción para mi Muerte" (4/5), a harmonic and soothing entry to the album with a very catchy emblematic and charming melody. Something to highlight, which is the strong combination that the voices of the 2 of them achieve, we notice it since the beginning of the album. This is very important when analyzing the whole album, they start with everything!

"Necesito" (2.5/5) is a short song with funny lyrics accompanied mostly by the piano that is present throughout the song. It doesn't really have anything prog per se, but at least it's catchy and concise for what it's trying to convey.

"Dime Quien me lo Robó" (5/5). In my opinion, the best song on the album. The guitar, the rhythm changes, the harmony, and the out of tune parts that end up fitting better, the lyrics, it has it all. The emotion with which Nito manages to interpret the song is truly admirable. I would like not to sound monotonous, but it is very strong how they transmit incomparable emotions every moment of the song. And taking into account the nostalgia that it produces in me is very important, because in my opinion, it is a song made for teenagers.

"Estación" (3.5/5) is the shortest of the whole work. Something simple, surely made with the purpose of being played at campfires, camps, etc... you know what I mean ;)

"Toma Dos Blues" (2.5/5) It's classic blues, above all Argentinian, at its best. To be honest, I was never very interested in the blues, but I have to admit that the concept of the song is very well achieved, or I don't know how to explain it, but it doesn't transmit me as much as the other songs, heh. I think it is the song that would sound in the typical western movie, when the protagonist arrives tired and thirsty from his journey through the desert, seeing in the distance a station where he can rest, urinate, and eat.

"Natalio Ruiz, el Hombrecito de Sombrero Gris" (5/5). I would like to leave a reflection on what this song dictates, but I think Charly made it pretty clear. In this song Charly gives an existential message to all his fellow men: if not look at what happened to this guy. "He was a man of dignity and respectability, who took care of his manners, cared about what people would say, dressed in gray, made love every bishop's death, took care of his cough, took only what the doctor ordered, did not dare to propose to the girl he loved for fear of her family... (and what good did it do him? ), to deny himself so many pleasures and deprive himself of so many satisfactions he longed for, if he occupies today one more place in the cemetery, just as we all will occupy it when our time comes. But yes: this man of gray, correct and educated is in the Recoleta Cemetery, as befits his stately Porteño lineage".

"Mariel y el Capitán" (5/5) This song tells a tragic but beautiful story, of course of love. Mariel y el capitán, is a description of the routine of encounters between a girl and the captain of the frigate. To reach her beloved, Mariel must take the elevator every day to the fifth floor, where her love awaits her for tea or coffee. Every day, when the consortium meets, the ladies, noticing the absence of the captain, indignantly fill with prejudice his relationship with Mariel, they simply can not understand a love on such a large scale and therefore disapprove at all costs (Mariel does not belong to their social circle), however, despite the criticism, the captain prefers to rejoice his heart with the girl Mariel to attend a meeting with heavy ladies. The story ends when on one of Mariel's trips in the elevator to see the captain, someone cuts the rope of the metal box and she panics and falls to the floor and dies. The sad and desolate captain decides to take his own life; the consortium believes they have triumphed and in their delirium they celebrate the fact that the relationship is over, but they do not realize that the captain leaves this life to meet again with his love, Mariel.

"Amigo Vuelve a Casa Pronto" (5/5). A dreamy melody, heartbreakingly beautiful lyrics, and a strong presence of Charly and Nito's voices that thrill all our ears. I still remember this beautiful song as the first time I heard it. This song grabbed me at a very strong moment in my life, and the lyrics at the exact moment. But anyway, I'd rather torment you with my problems another day, haha. Let's sum it up, a beautiful song about friendship and how important it is to make the right decisions without thinking twice.

"Quizás, Porqué" (3.5/5) is a short love guitarreada. I don't have much to talk about, that's it.

"Cuando Comenzamos a Nacer" (3/5) kicks off with an embracing and stormy atmosphere, congenial with Charly's voice accompanied by a strong bass and flute. Already in this part, despite being more of the same from the album, it is a very nice and concise song.

"Pos Ludio" (2/5) presents an ending with a flute and a simple piano. Apparently, they didn't want to give a common ending, so to speak, to the album. And, surely they came up with that to give it a more proper conclusion.

8.5/10, 4 stars. I guess the score also depended on nostalgia, but it really is a great album and you should give it a chance because it is full of very beautiful stuff, as little prog as it is.

The beginning of a legend, Charly Garcia, with Nito Mestre, formed Sui Generis, this Argentinian folk band. The first record "Vida" was very simple actually, folk songs, some of them with really rich harmonies and progressions, but accessible songs.

However, without this album, and the next two albums by Sui Generis, the career of García could be different. This band went into a more progressive style with their next records, and later Charly created La Maquina de Hacer Pajaros and Serú Girán, two of the pillars in Argentinian prog history.

So, if you're into Argentinian rock and prog rock, this is something you must hear to understand its evolution.