Argonautas

Argonautas formed in Lisbon around songwriter António Manuel Ribeiro. Their 1969 song "O Amor de Margarida Flor" became widely known in Portugal, with its folk melody and lyrics about unrequited love. The band recorded several albums in the early 1970s, including "Argonautas" in 1970 and "Flor de Lua" the following year.

Other songs like "A Volta do Samba" and "Alameda" appeared in their catalog. During the politically tense 1970s, their music was sometimes viewed as having social commentary, which led to occasional friction with authorities. They kept recording through that period, putting out "Cantigas do Mar" in 1975.

Their work drew from Portuguese folk traditions without making a show of it. The songs have a straightforward, melodic quality that doesn't try to be more than what they are, simple arrangements with Ribeiro's writing at the center. That directness is probably why pieces like "Cataventos" and "O Último e o Primeiro" still get played occasionally on Portuguese radio decades later.