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SUI GENERIS

Prog Related • Argentina


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Sui Generis biography
Founded in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1971 - Disbanded in 1975 - Reunited briefly in 1980 and again in 2000-2001

Sui Generis is one of the most important rock and roll (or folk rock) bands in Argentine history, enjoying enormous success and popularity during the first half of the 1970s and a following that has lasted to the present. Although long since disbanded, Sui Generis reunited in 2000 for a concert in Boca Juniors' Stadium in Buenos Aires.

Sui Generis was formed in 1969 by the merging of two bands: "To Walk Spanish", originally led by Carlos Alberto "Charly" García Moreno and "The Century Indignation", originally led by Carlos Alberto "Nito" Mestre. The newly-formed band's member list consisted of, Charly (piano), Nito (flute) Alberto Rodríguez (drums), Alejandro Correa (bass) (later replaced by Rolando Fortich), Juan Carlos Bellia (guitar) and Carlos Piégari (guitar and vocals).

Sui Generis is the predecessor band of SERÚ GIRÁN and LA MÁQUINA DE HACER PÁJAROS.

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SUI GENERIS Videos (YouTube and more)


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SUI GENERIS discography


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SUI GENERIS top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.58 | 45 ratings
Vida
1972
3.71 | 49 ratings
Confesiones de Invierno
1973
4.12 | 70 ratings
Pequeñas Anécdotas Sobre las Instituciones
1974
3.40 | 16 ratings
Sinfonías Para Adolescentes
2000

SUI GENERIS Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.76 | 22 ratings
Adiós Sui Generis
1975
5.00 | 2 ratings
Adios Sui Generis Vol. II
1975
4.26 | 19 ratings
Adiós Sui Generis - Vol III
1995
3.50 | 8 ratings
Si - Detrás de las paredes
2001

SUI GENERIS Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

3.89 | 9 ratings
Adiós Sui Generis
1976

SUI GENERIS Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

4.14 | 7 ratings
En Estudio
2008

SUI GENERIS Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

4.75 | 8 ratings
Alto en la torre
1974
4.80 | 5 ratings
Alto en la torre / Entra
1974

SUI GENERIS Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Vida by SUI GENERIS album cover Studio Album, 1972
3.58 | 45 ratings

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Vida
Sui Generis Prog Related

Review by progrockeveryday

4 stars 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.

 Pequeñas Anécdotas Sobre las Instituciones by SUI GENERIS album cover Studio Album, 1974
4.12 | 70 ratings

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Pequeñas Anécdotas Sobre las Instituciones
Sui Generis Prog Related

Review by Saimon

5 stars Review #20: Pequeñas Anécdotas Sobre las Instituciones

¿Cuántas veces tendré que morir para ser siempre yo?

The influence of Simon & Garfunkel marked the early days of Sui Generis, but that acoustic and almost adolescent stage transformed into a band loaded with synthesizers and very aware of the abrupt changes of reality.

Pequeñas anécdotas sobre las instituciones, Sui's third album (1974), is a brilliant concept work to know how censorship and state terrorism operated, and also a record about the meaning of art in violent times.

Charly García, in search of innovations, traveled to the United States and bought a series of innovative keyboards for the time. The lyrics of the songs have a strong political content and make direct reference to repressive social institutions (family, censorship, military, education, police repression), at a time when political violence and especially the terrorist action of the Argentine Anticommunist Alliance Triple A was raging against artists and intellectuals. To moderate its content, the original title, Instituciones, had to be changed; several songs were modified, such as "Instituciones", "Las increíbles aventuras del Señor Tijeras", "Música de fondo para cualquier fiesta animada" and "Para quién canto yo entonces", and two of them, "Botas Locas" and "Juan Represión", had to be deleted and replaced by others.

So that Instituciones could be published, without risking the very serious consequences that the musicians and their producers could suffer in the midst of the escalation of violence during the constitutional government of María Estela Martínez de Perón, which anticipated the dictatorship that would take power a little more than a year later, in addition to changing the title itself to Pequeñas anécdotas sobre las instituciones, Charly García had to modify several texts of the songs, mainly affected "Música para cualquier fiesta animada" and "Instituciones".

"Instituciones" (5/5) The album begins with a celestial atmosphere and a synthesizer that gradually indicates the fall of Nito's voice as the guitar appears. This song was a theme that showed the remarkable progress García had made in the instrumental and in the composition of more adult lyrics, not so adolescent. Lyrics that, on the contrary, already began to "put the finger where it hurts..." as Rafanelli once said. The theme reflected the oppression that the institutions put on the youth: "Los magos, los acróbatas, los clowns... Oye niño las cosas están de este modo... tenés sábados, hembras y televisores...no preguntes más!!!".

"Tango en Segunda" (4/5), as the name says, is a melodic tango, mostly composed of Garcia's synthesizers, half instrumental, half lyrical. This song is defined in; Charly sticking his head into city music and its fusion with progressive rock (booming at the time). The song included the duo's right to complain against their manager Jorge Álvarez: "A mí no me gusta tu cara, ni me gusta tu olor..." (I don't like your face, nor do I like your smell...). At the end, the song presents, for the first time, a melodic leitmotif that would be used again by García in later productions (in the album Películas, by Máquina de Hacer Pájaros and in La Grasa de las Capitales, by Serú Girán).

"El Show de los Muertos" (5/5). My favorite track on the album is, at the same time, one of the most unique, with its metaphorical lyrics and music that is both spooky and enchanting. This track includes a synthesized saxophone solo, which generates an almost "Floydian" atmosphere totally unprecedented in the duo's music.

Immediately afterwards, we hear the rapid scissors of Señor Tijeras, the central character of a brilliant fable based on the story of a famous censor of the time: Miguel Paulino Tato, an obscure official in charge of the Ente de Calificación Cinematográfica, a true inquisitor who decided what viewers could or could not see in the cinema.

"Las increíbles Aventuras del Sr. Tijeras" (5/5) (The Incredible Adventures of Mr. Scissors) contains changing climaxes as well as a quite interesting melodic structure, which includes an imposing and disturbing crescendo, when Mr. Scissors' madness leads him to confuse reality with fiction, murdering his wife, in the same way he "murdered" freedom of expression, with a clean scissors. Musically, top quality progressive rock, in the vein of Italian symphonic rock, like that of PFM or Banco; and lyrically, with verses as comic as they were brutally in tune with the times. They were the first touches of García as a composer of songs that reflected like no one else in rock, and with humor, the difficult reality of Argentine society. As in that part of the lyrics that says: "I'll see you in 20 years on television... cut and boring, in full color...", something that happened in reality with several of the films banned at the time.

"Pequeñas delicias de la vida conyugal" (4/5) opened the old Lado 2 of the vinyl edition of this work. This song was another typical Sui Generis teenage page, but, unlike the previous albums, its sound is very progressive. I find their sound quite friendly and full of good vibes, considering how somber and explosive the whole album can be. As I said moments before, another incisive moment in Sui's classic and youthful style, ending with an incredible and brief drum solo.

"El tuerto y los ciegos" (5/5) is, on the other hand, a little "folk" page, with a great performance by Pinchevsky on violin, and a very beautiful lyric by Charly. The harmonic combination of the violin with the flute, joining and complementing the splendorous bass that sounds behind Charly's voice, is a very powerful and very well achieved combination.

"Música de Fondo para Cualquier Fiesta Animada" (5/5). We come to a pretty interesting moment in the album. This song is a great metaphor for the Argentine reality of the time. A song with unfortunately timeless messages that would be prophetic, very soon after. The whole lyric was replaced by a completely different one, due to the problems faced in those years in Argentina, related to the government and the military.

"Tema de Natalio" (4/5). The only instrumental song on the album. Composed by García and Rafanelli. Supposedly inspired by the "music that Natalio Ruiz, the little man with the gray hat, would listen to".

"Para Quién Canto yo Entonces?" (4/5) A beautiful and melodic closer for this wonderful album, which, without a doubt, is the band's best, speaking of prog and speaking outside of it. At the beginning of the song, I noticed a great resemblance in the guitar riff "Que Ves el Cielo (El Jardín de los Presentes - Invisible, 1976)", and I wanted to comment on it. All in all, a great closing and perhaps Charly García's first public self-reflection on his status as an artist in such a controversial society as Argentina.

Just in 1994, the two self-censored tracks would be added as Bonus Tracks (according to Charly, again by Álvarez's idea): "Juan Represión" (dedicated to López Rega y Cía.) and "Botas Locas".

Conclusion:

Despite the meritorious sonic and lyrical search of this new Sui Géneris, the band could not retrace their steps in the dead end they were going through. The ballads were losing weight before the overwhelming advance of progressive rock, and, at the same time, the themes of Institutions had little to do with the adolescent spirit that gave the duo popularity and success at the beginning. Tired of struggling to impose their new songs, and faced with the prospect of reaching new musical horizons, Charly, in agreement with Nito, decided to put an end to this story. For that reason, in the middle of 75 both announced that Sui Generis was dissolving.

I will always remember how beautiful it was to see this part of Sui so progressive and innovative in the history of rock.

From whatever point of view we look at it, we can't deny how transcendental this stage of the band was for Charly, and indeed of his life, taking into account all he had to go through.

10/10, 5 stars. Definitely one of my favorite concept albums of all time, and a great teaching about the importance of things that come and go, but most of all, that you have to know how to make them come. And a great adventure to know the background of all the bad things that the dictatorship and the government had during those 70's in Argentina.

 Confesiones de Invierno by SUI GENERIS album cover Studio Album, 1973
3.71 | 49 ratings

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Confesiones de Invierno
Sui Generis Prog Related

Review by Saimon

5 stars Review #19: Confesiones de Invierno

Dios es empleado en un mostrador, da para recibir.

Undoubtedly, no matter what you ask an Argentinean, he will always tell you that one of the most important pillars in the history of national rock is "Confesiones de Invierno".

Confesiones de Invierno, second album by Sui Generis (duo formed by Nito Mestre & Charly García), is an album full of adventure and magic, mixing from folklore to tango, always in a very adolescent and emotional aspect to captivate everyone who listens to their work. Definitely, as I said in my previous review, towards "Vida" (Sui's debut album), Charly is one of the most prolific musicians in all of rock, not only nationally, but also in history, taking into account bands led by him like "La Máquina de Hacer Pájaros" or "Serú Girán", but that's for another time :)

This album has a great musical accompaniment by many of the figures of the national scene at that time, such as:

Francisco Prati: Drums

David Lebón: Electric guitar, bass guitar

Rodolfo Mederos: Bandoneón

León Gieco: Harmonica in Welcome to the Train

Juan Rodríguez: Drums

Alejandro "Pipi" Correa: Bass

Alejandro Medina: Bass

"Cuando ya me Empiece Quedar Solo" (5/5) is a melancholic and emotional rock tango with a beastly lyric, that can reach anyone. By far, the best song on the whole album, and I would dare to say one of the best introductions to an album in all of national rock.

"Bienvenidos al Tren" (4/5) is an upbeat campfire song, which, as far as I can make out, tells of a young man's planned escape because he is fed up with society, its mediocrity and its taking advantage of poor and innocent people. And so he invites his beloved and a couple of friends and acquaintances to join him on this adventurous journey.

"Un Hada, Un Cisne" (5/5) This lyric could be based on mythological tales, which I will try to summarise in the best possible way: Leda, wife of Tindareus of Sparta, was another of Zeus' human lovers. When she was walking by the Aryan Eurotas, she was raped by Zeus, disguised as a swan. As a result, she laid two eggs from which four children were born: Jelena, Clytemestra, Castor and Pollux, although only Helen and Pollux are considered children of Zeus. Leda is later deified by Nemesis, the goddess of just punishment. In older versions, Leda simply finds an egg containing the germ of Helen, daughter of Zeus and Nemesis. In that story, Nemesis tries to escape from Zeus by metamorphosis, turning herself into different animals in order to escape from the god. But Zeus does exactly the same and compensates for each change with his own, until finally she turns into a goose and he rapes her in the form of a swan. He then lays the egg in a swamp where Leda finds it. In other versions, Zeus, transformed into a swan and pretending to be in danger, takes refuge in the womb of Nemesis and then rapes her. Hermes puts the egg on Leda's thighs so that she will be the one to "light" it ("Ella quería amar a un cisne de agua y sal. Y para ella, el sol nunca volvió a brillar").

"Confessions of Winter" (17/20). Theme of the same name. This song is a guitar, which accompanies Charly. The lyrics talk at first sight, about a relationship that ends, because he has no profession and is left in the street (Me echó de su cuarto gritándome "no tienes profesión"). This character, apparently, is left in the street desolate, cold (It's cold and I lack a coat, and I'm hungry from waiting). After wandering the streets, he gets drunk in a bar and is taken away by the police who end up beating him (I got liquor and got drunk, in the bathroom of a bar..., ...And although I had never drunk, I had to end up in jail, the bail was paid by a friend, the wounds are the officer's). This last phrase was applauded by the audience at the band's farewell concert. The song ends with him saying that he found a good place to stay, a madhouse, and is finally at peace, albeit melancholic.

"Rasguña Las Piedras" (4/5). This song has raised a lot of theories and stories invented by García fans, mainly because of its lyrics. There are several versions about the origin. One version says that it talks about a girlfriend Charly had who was "dead" (catalepsy) and they buried her. Some time later they had to exhume the body and when they opened the coffin they found that it was all scratched up. In other words, she was buried alive. Another version says that it is a hymn to the military coup of 1976 in Argentina. The story of the dead, disappeared and detained in clandestine centres, where they were locked up in isolation cells, with their hands tied and blindfolded, listening hour after hour to how the others were tortured. However, this song was composed a couple of years before the coup. Another is the love story between a boy and a girl, in which the girl was crushed by a wall, and the protagonist narrates what happens and his helplessness at not being able to save her. She scratches at the stones to get out, he listens and tries to do something, but cannot. All these versions were denied by Charly García himself in an interview. He says that the lyrics came to him one day while his ex-partner Maria Rosa Yorio was going to buy something. When she came back, the song was done.

"Lunes Otra Vez" (4/5) The lyrics are as simple as it gets, the stress of work during the week, and the arrival of the weekend break, which you have to take advantage of while it lasts ("Lunes es el día triste y gris de soledad").

"Aprendizaje" (4/5) is a poem made into a song that talks about the important, the necessary, the just education. It speaks of an education that teaches how to be formal and polite, putting into practice the rules of protocol, the norm, the "moral". Of the teachers that the song talks about, it rescues the acquired knowledge, the science, the duty, but it also talks about that nobody who dared to tell the truth. Out of fear, and that fear is foolish.

"Mr. Jones o Pequeña Semblanza de una Familia Tipo Americana" (3.5/5) is a short song that tells, at first glance, of a murderous family that one day the police arrive and arrest them. They excuse themselves by saying that they are "a very normal family".

"Tribulaciones, Lamento y Ocaso de un Tonto Rey Imaginario o No" (5/5). This song, along with the one that opens the album, are 2 of the most heartbreaking and powerful songs in the history of national rock. And at the same time, it was also a song that gave a lot to talk about. "Desde el palacio se veía el mar", at that time the palace was perhaps a multi-room flat on an avenue. Today perhaps it is neither the luxury floor of the building, nor the house in the suburbs... perhaps it is the earphone we put on to listen to music so as not to feel anyone else; or perhaps it is the gossip programme so as not to listen to the political one; or it is the dancing and skating programme so as not to watch the research one; or it is something soft to avoid the harshness of reality.

10/10, 5 stars. Very close to perfection, it is a jewel that seems to have fallen from the sky and given to García's marvellous absolute ear, to make us thrill with his excellent works.

 Vida by SUI GENERIS album cover Studio Album, 1972
3.58 | 45 ratings

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Vida
Sui Generis Prog Related

Review by Saimon

4 stars 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.

 Pequeñas Anécdotas Sobre las Instituciones by SUI GENERIS album cover Studio Album, 1974
4.12 | 70 ratings

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Pequeñas Anécdotas Sobre las Instituciones
Sui Generis Prog Related

Review by Gallifrey

3 stars Listening diary 17th February, 2021: Sui Generis - Pequeñas anécdotas sobre las instituciones (progressive folk/rock, 1974)

Some really nice Argentinian prog folk that probably deserves more attention, both from myself and the greater progressive scene. It has that same pastoral ambience that bands like Harmonium are known for, but if I'm honest I prefer this. There's still a bit of a language barrier, not just in the lyrics but in the slightly abstract melodies and structures that crop up, but it's pleasant and quite charming and I think will grow on me in time.

6.3 (2nd listen)

Part of my listening diary from my facebook music blog - www.facebook.com/TheExoskeletalJunction

 Sinfonías Para Adolescentes by SUI GENERIS album cover Studio Album, 2000
3.40 | 16 ratings

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Sinfonías Para Adolescentes
Sui Generis Prog Related

Review by mariorockprog

3 stars 2.75: The fourth and last album by Sui Generis, was created after a brief reunion of two years in 2000. It includes a few unreleased song of their first era, and six new songs, also there are cover songs that Charlie Garcia selected. The reunion happened after a car accident of Nito Maestre, since then Charlie visited him more frequently and decided to make a new album, I think for the new generations. There were some tension between both of them, mainly because Charlie decisions in the covers and in using his band. Musically have diminished its quality, although it has really good moments, most of the songs are really simple rock songs. Vocally also doesn't sounds at his best and lyrically there a few things that has something to say. I considered it a good album, however far from their style and maybe would not be enjoyable for a prog listener.
 Pequeñas Anécdotas Sobre las Instituciones by SUI GENERIS album cover Studio Album, 1974
4.12 | 70 ratings

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Pequeñas Anécdotas Sobre las Instituciones
Sui Generis Prog Related

Review by mariorockprog

5 stars 4.5: The third and best album by Sui generis, an Argentina band that includes Charly Garcia one of the most prolific musician in the progressive area of Latin America. In this album, two new incorporation were added to the band, Rinaldo Rafanelli and Juan Rodriguez, who improved the sound of the band. the making of the album was pretty influenced by political situation of Argentina, there was a lot of repression, in fact they had to replace two track and change the lyrics of other of the songs because of its political content. Very progressive content, if you have to define album it would be a combination between symphonic, folk and heavy prog, there are a lot of good moments and the keyboard passages are very immersive in the music, also the change in the music rhythm make it very enjoyable. Lyrically it has a lot of metaphors and intrinsic meaning about the situation and in some times seems that he also talks about girls and romantic situations. Vocally, it continues with the Charly Garcia style of singing and how he makes beautiful melodies and added variations to the music. Finally, I considered it a excellent addition to any prog collection and an essential to know the evolution for the progressive movement in Latin America.
 Pequeñas Anécdotas Sobre las Instituciones by SUI GENERIS album cover Studio Album, 1974
4.12 | 70 ratings

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Pequeñas Anécdotas Sobre las Instituciones
Sui Generis Prog Related

Review by granmogol

4 stars One of the most striking elements of SG - not detracting from their musicianship - is their lyrics, to the point that I do not know how a non-Spanish speaker can ever fully appreciate this band the way we Argentinians do. This last SG record, although subject-wise is a conceptual album, is I believe a carry over from the previous albums in that it rests on its individual pieces or songs (this of course is the merit solely of Ch.Garcia) who can conjure potent cinematographic images and words of surrealism mixed with the most everyday suburban to comic and memorable effect (cf. the misterious room where gentleman or judge-like diners discourse "one in English, another one in French, and another one in freakin' rage ")
 Pequeñas Anécdotas Sobre las Instituciones by SUI GENERIS album cover Studio Album, 1974
4.12 | 70 ratings

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Pequeñas Anécdotas Sobre las Instituciones
Sui Generis Prog Related

Review by siLLy puPPy
Special Collaborator PSIKE, JRF/Canterbury, P Metal, Eclectic

4 stars SUI GENERIS (Latin phrase meaning "of its own kind/genus) was one of the most popular bands in all of the history of Argentina with huge popularity during the first half of the 70s. Originally experimenting with psychedelic music in the 60s, the group changed its sound to be a folk band. The band found instant popularity amongst the youth.

After two albums of folk music mainman Charly Garcia decided something new and fresh was in order. The band incorporated more musicians and became more of a folk rock band and the result was "Pequeñas Anécdotas Sobre las Instituciones (Small Anecdotes about the Institutions)." The album was disliked at the time mainly because it caught people off guard being much more progressive and abandonned the more simplistic lyrics for commentary about the social and political situations that plagued the country at the time. Although unpopular at the time it is now considered a classic in South America.

For me this is a very pleasant listen of progressive folk rock with catchy melodies, interesting song structures and instrumentation. It is also cool to have an insight into the history of Argentina, a country I know next to nothing about. All lyrics are in Spanish. This was their last studio album and mainman Charly Garcia went on to put together the more progressive bands of La Máquina de Hacer Pájaros and Serú Girán.

 Pequeñas Anécdotas Sobre las Instituciones by SUI GENERIS album cover Studio Album, 1974
4.12 | 70 ratings

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Pequeñas Anécdotas Sobre las Instituciones
Sui Generis Prog Related

Review by Cesar Inca
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

4 stars "Pequeñas Anécdotas Sobre las Instituciones" is the Sui Generis' third and last studio effort that incarnated the ultimate development of Charly Garcia's vision for this folk-rock act. In fact, this band had been born out of earlier acts devoted to the practice of late 60s art- rock, and so it came to be that when the influence of prog rock was beginning to catch flame in some areas of Argentinean rock (the first gigs of Crucis and Ave Rock, the reinforcement of Arco iris as a major fusion-rock name), Garcia became more than willing to instill this line of work into Sui Géneris. It is common ground that this was their most accomplished work and that it only made sense that it should sell more poorly to an audience that was determine to accept their usual folk-oriented side exclusively. Sure, songs like 'Dime quién me lo robó', 'Un hada, un cisne' and 'Tribulaciones, lamento y ocaso de un tonto rey imaginario' were artsy songs from previous albums that were highly acclaimed by the SG audiences all over the place, but now this same audience was asked to proceed with a leap of faith and embrace this artsy trend as their beloved band's redefining method and not just as a casual resource. Of course, only a limited range of their audience accepted it, but all in all, it didn't affect their appeal to the public's eye in terms of gig attendance. Well, musically speaking, the artistic satisfaction of Garcia's did not match Mestre's, so it was only natural that this peak of art should signal the band's descent into conflict and separation. In fact, a planned and aborted fourth release was supposed to enhance the new progressive trend started in this album. Another fact that revealed the chasm between the band's own evolution and the audience's appreciation was the limited acceptance of the band's augmentation as a quartet: this line-up change was the result of the need to have bassist/ guitarist Rafanelli and drummer/percussionist Rodriguez become active contributors to the band's refurbished sound, not just as back-up performers. Well, now that I have described the band's state-of-affairs to some extent, here are the tracks themselves. The opener 'Instituciones' makes such a lovely statement of the dominant symphonic factor: this band is headlong for a demonstration of how Genesis- meets-PFM would sound like, and they do it quite fine. 'Tango en segunda' is more like a jazz-prog attempt, soft and reasonably constrained, which is apt for the creepy lyrics: the amalgamation of guest David Lebon's guitar and Garcia's synth is well constructed. The segued follower 'El show de los muertos' continues in the jazzy vein and bears even more creepier lyrics and musicality. The symphonic thing returns for the warmly sarcastic 'Las increíbles aventuras del Sr. Tijeras' and the dramatic 'Música de fondo para cualquier fiesta animada', while the jazz thing returns in the vividly mischievous 'Pequeñas delicias de la vida conyugal', but nowhere does the artsy direction get as magnificent as in 'Tema de Natalio', the amazing instrumental that delivers an exquisite 6 minute sequence of genuinely progressive motifs. You can almost watch how Garcia enjoys his Moog excursions, gran piano phrases and ARP string orchestrations. Also, the guest presence of violin master Pinchovsky and master organist Cutaia (soon to become Garcia's keyboard partner in LMDHP) provides the ultimate touches of color for this one. The folk thing is also present in 'El tuerto y los ciegos' (arguably, the best acoustic song ever penned by Garcia, and that also includes Pinchevsky's involvement) and the closer 'Para quién canto yo entonces', a correct protest song that signifies the usual Bob Dylan influence. I very much prefer the serene beauty of 'El tuerto': incredible how Garcia felt inspired to write this tiny beauty in a couple of days in replacement of one of the completely censored songs (three or four actual songs also had a few lines censored each in order to be included in the final album). The ultimate Sui Géneris album makes a fine progressive album: I think it is a 4- star folk-rock effort and a 3.75-star prog one. A big farewell for SG, indeed.
Thanks to ProgLucky; Atkingani for the artist addition. and to Quinino for the last updates

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