Review by seventhsojourn O Terco's third album, Criaturas Da Noite (1975), has been hailed as one of the seminal works of Brazilian progressive music. However in my opinion it's too much of a ragbag of diverse styles. The quality of the music is patchy and uneven; overall the album isn't so much a mosaic as crazy paving. What we have is an eight-song collection that reaches a suitable climax with the 12-minute track, 1974. I'm going to be a caveman by dispensing with the foreplay and getting straight to the action of this last track. 1974 is an ambitious, multicoloured composition that in particular showcases the fabulous guitar work of Sergio Hinds. I can hear strong traces of Focus (Sylvia) and Italian progsters Locanda Delle Fate in here. What a pity to find such a wonderful piece of music in the midst of such mediocrity. Ponto Final is the only other track that comes close to prog with its variability of mood and dense layers of keyboards. The title song, a lovely ballad with piano and string accompaniment, is another highlight. I also like the folksy Queimada which features the viola caipira, a traditional 10-string guitar. The remainder of the album lacks any kind of uniformity, with the rock'n'roll of Volte Na Proxima Semana being especially out of step with the rest of the tracks. The Hammond-driven shuffle of Hey Amigos and catchy pop of Jogo Das Pedras are ok, if a bit uninspiring. Pano De Fundo is a missed opportunity as the closing Santana- inspired minute is under-developed. So not a bad album by any means despite my criticisms, and it does contain one absolutely killer track. However the rest of the album really doesn't do that much for me, with most of the songs being, at best, good. For me there are any number of better Brazilian albums out there. 3 stars.