On the surface, Tantra sounds like an odd cross between Mahavishnu Orchestra and Genesis. There really isn't any other band from Portugal that sounds anything like Tantra, and with revisionist history on our side, the band have a somewhat international flavor. The fusion tracks sound like Argentina's Crucis whereas the vocal numbers recall Carpe Diem of France. The heavy use of the Farfisa Synthorchestra and the distant, sparse, and mysterious vocals add credence to this latter claim. Meanwhile, on the middle tracks, the insane bass and drum rumblings with wild soloing made me think of Los Delerios del Mariscal. As many have said, the production is lousy, and detracts from the overall immense potential for greatness here.
Ownership: LP: 1977 EMI. Single sleeve. Online acquisition (2019). Note back cover of the original. There are two pressings, and the one with "1877-1977 100 year" seal is the true original. I started with the 1983 press that I purchased in 1990. That was replaced by the Musea CD. I've decided to part with the latter after capturing the excellent liner notes, and there are no bonus tracks.
1990; 10/15/15 (new entry); 12/11/19 (LP acquire); 2/18/23
boy, always aftervreading your notes, I want to drop everything and put whatever I just read about on! This is a perfect case in point!
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