PORTUGUESE LEGENDARY RECORDINGS
ORIGINAL ARTWORK, AUDIOPHILE LIMITED EDITIONS ON VINYL RECORD
- Armoniz is a Portuguese record label founded in 2013. With the Legendary Portuguese Recordings series, Armoniz aims to recover part of the greatest musical heritage from Portugal, producing reissues on vinyl to the highest possible standards.
- Armoniz is using the phonograph record as preferred medium: for its organic sound, for the sleeves artwork, for almost unlimited preservation of audio documents; definitely the most appealing music format ever invented.
- A meticulous sound restoration, a faithful original artwork recovery along with the inclusion of additional supplements are part of our reissue process, making each Armoniz special limited edition a truthful collector's item.
Soon on Armoniz Records
QUARTETO 1111
QUARTETO 1111
pre-order your copy now
May 2014: Armoniz is proud to announce the first ever reissue of
1971 self-titled debut solo album by celebrated living legend José Cid
|
|
IMAGERY
|
The coroça is a traditional raincoat made of straw. Rare nowadays, it was worn by shepherds from the highland regions in Portugal, namely from Beiras and Trás-os-Montes.This imagery has been an inspiration for both José Cid and Quarteto 1111 in the early 1970s.
|
REVIEWS
Cid vicious
It’s amazing that, despite his legendary status (in some quarters), Portuguese musician José Cid’s self-titled 1971 debut LP is only just receiving a vinyl reissue. It wasn’t his first appearance on vinyl – his Quarteto 1111 outfit had started recording in 1967 – but it marked the flourishing of his diverse talents as a solo artist.
A startling album that still sounds fresh today, sequencing this LP was key to its cohesion. The likes of 'Olá Vampiro Bom!' and 'Requiem' mine different musical styles (pre-baroque pop and a reflective ballad with Stax horns, respectively) while remaining consistently enchanting. The strings on 'Meu Amor' are draped over a delicious organ, setting the scene for Cid’s prowling vocals; a cover of Gilberto Gil’s 'Volks-Volkswagen Blue' serves to cement his standing as something of a Portuguese counterpart to Brazilian Tropicália.
Limited to 400 copies, original pressings of the album are hideously rare, while the 500 editions of this reissue won’t stick about for long. Armoniz have gone to extreme lengths to replicate the original, from audio restoration to a fantastic cut, facsimile Columbia labels and even sourcing a sleeve card that matches the original stock. Fantastic sleeve notes, photos and an obi strip only add to the lustre. This is how great albums should be repackaged. Hunt it down.
*****
Review by Ian Shirley / Record Collector Magazine (Issue 433 - November 2014)
It’s amazing that, despite his legendary status (in some quarters), Portuguese musician José Cid’s self-titled 1971 debut LP is only just receiving a vinyl reissue. It wasn’t his first appearance on vinyl – his Quarteto 1111 outfit had started recording in 1967 – but it marked the flourishing of his diverse talents as a solo artist.
A startling album that still sounds fresh today, sequencing this LP was key to its cohesion. The likes of 'Olá Vampiro Bom!' and 'Requiem' mine different musical styles (pre-baroque pop and a reflective ballad with Stax horns, respectively) while remaining consistently enchanting. The strings on 'Meu Amor' are draped over a delicious organ, setting the scene for Cid’s prowling vocals; a cover of Gilberto Gil’s 'Volks-Volkswagen Blue' serves to cement his standing as something of a Portuguese counterpart to Brazilian Tropicália.
Limited to 400 copies, original pressings of the album are hideously rare, while the 500 editions of this reissue won’t stick about for long. Armoniz have gone to extreme lengths to replicate the original, from audio restoration to a fantastic cut, facsimile Columbia labels and even sourcing a sleeve card that matches the original stock. Fantastic sleeve notes, photos and an obi strip only add to the lustre. This is how great albums should be repackaged. Hunt it down.
*****
Review by Ian Shirley / Record Collector Magazine (Issue 433 - November 2014)
A limited vinyl re-press of the very scarce 1971 solo debut by a key member of Portugal’s late ‘60s psych-prog activists, Quarteto 1111. A true solo effort, Cid sings and plays everything: Hammond, piano, flute, drums, guitar. His desire to get what was inside his head down on tape means he’s also producer and musical director, aided by Pedro Osório’s orchestral arrangements.
It’s a fascinating listen with many influences floating through – Portugal’s folk-pop ancestry, jazzy, progressive interludes, singer-songwriter ambiance – the whole encased in dense, deeply resonating rhythms. Imagining Kevin Ayers and various Canterbury pals in sweet, sonic conversation with members of Aphrodite’s Child might get you somewhere close.
On or two psychedelic-style relics also present themselves, including the undersea sci-fi of ‘Lisboa Ano 3000’, and the Donovan-fronting-Caravan trip as proffered on the excellent set closer ‘Amigos’. A wealth of information, also in English, adorns the insert and the exact reproduction of the Columbia label and extra-textured gatefold is stunning. Don’t miss this!
*****
Review by Lenny Helsing / Shindig! Magazine (Issue 43 - November 2014)
It’s a fascinating listen with many influences floating through – Portugal’s folk-pop ancestry, jazzy, progressive interludes, singer-songwriter ambiance – the whole encased in dense, deeply resonating rhythms. Imagining Kevin Ayers and various Canterbury pals in sweet, sonic conversation with members of Aphrodite’s Child might get you somewhere close.
On or two psychedelic-style relics also present themselves, including the undersea sci-fi of ‘Lisboa Ano 3000’, and the Donovan-fronting-Caravan trip as proffered on the excellent set closer ‘Amigos’. A wealth of information, also in English, adorns the insert and the exact reproduction of the Columbia label and extra-textured gatefold is stunning. Don’t miss this!
*****
Review by Lenny Helsing / Shindig! Magazine (Issue 43 - November 2014)
What we have here before us is a rather beautifully presented, heavy vinyl reproduction of José Cid’s 1971 debut solo album. Cid had already been part of Portugal’s group scene back in the late 1950s where he’d been releasing records with the likes of the Os Babies group. He then re-emerged in the late 60s as the keyboard player with the highly-regarded Quarteto 1111 group; themselves soon to be part of Armoniz’s excellent reissue campaign.
However, once Cid had taken his leave from Quarteto 1111 around late 1969, he chose to assemble a far-reaching studio project where he would play all the instruments himself: piano, viola, bass, drums, Hammond organ, vocals, guitars, mellotron etc. All engineering and production duties as well as guiding the direction of the selected material would also be his responsibility. Well, as the old saying goes, the man did good. In fact, he did very good! [...] Review by Lenny Helsing / It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine (4th April 2015) - [Read more]
However, once Cid had taken his leave from Quarteto 1111 around late 1969, he chose to assemble a far-reaching studio project where he would play all the instruments himself: piano, viola, bass, drums, Hammond organ, vocals, guitars, mellotron etc. All engineering and production duties as well as guiding the direction of the selected material would also be his responsibility. Well, as the old saying goes, the man did good. In fact, he did very good! [...] Review by Lenny Helsing / It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine (4th April 2015) - [Read more]
A sumptuous reproduction of José Cid’s rare 1971 album. This truly gifted song-maker had been releasing records as far back as the late 1950s, in Portugal, with the group Os Babies, before re-making the scene as keyboardist with highly-regarded psych-going-prog activists Quarteto 1111. After leaving towards the end of the 60s, Cid decided to put together an ambitious studio project where the responsibility for playing everything would be his alone; piano, viola, bass, drums, Hammond organ, vocals, guitars, mellotron etc. He also took care of all the engineering and production duties.
A fascinating, thrillingly eclectic body of work that, in its own way, is a perfect distillation of the influences handed down through that nation’s pop, jazz and more ethnic avenues; also via the psychedelic pop experimentation of the times and the more adventurous singer-songwriter niche. It’s light without being lightweight, although in the hands of another perhaps the more fragile elements could've yielded a flimsier, less engaging product. Occasionally, things are offset by dramatic twists and rockier turns which creates crackling electric panoramas anchored by robust bass and bursts of spot-on percussion. With its freaky underwater atmospherics, 'Lisboa Anos 3000' is an obvious stand-out, while 'Vampiro' and 'Amigos' display considerable musical knowhow and ability. Here and there, Cid’s music comes over as a close cousin of the Canterbury scene.
This beautifully-made limited edition heavy vinyl pressing – with insert in both Portuguese and English – won’t hang around long, so you better act fast.
Review by Lenny Helsing / Ugly Things Magazine (July 2015)
A fascinating, thrillingly eclectic body of work that, in its own way, is a perfect distillation of the influences handed down through that nation’s pop, jazz and more ethnic avenues; also via the psychedelic pop experimentation of the times and the more adventurous singer-songwriter niche. It’s light without being lightweight, although in the hands of another perhaps the more fragile elements could've yielded a flimsier, less engaging product. Occasionally, things are offset by dramatic twists and rockier turns which creates crackling electric panoramas anchored by robust bass and bursts of spot-on percussion. With its freaky underwater atmospherics, 'Lisboa Anos 3000' is an obvious stand-out, while 'Vampiro' and 'Amigos' display considerable musical knowhow and ability. Here and there, Cid’s music comes over as a close cousin of the Canterbury scene.
This beautifully-made limited edition heavy vinyl pressing – with insert in both Portuguese and English – won’t hang around long, so you better act fast.
Review by Lenny Helsing / Ugly Things Magazine (July 2015)