Museo Rosenbach’s Zarathustra is usually considered as one of the best examples of the genre to come from outside England. Yet the band was not so successful at the time, even having problems for their supposed right-wing inclinations coming from the all-black cover, the Mussolini image in LP collage, the Nietzsche-inspired lyrics.The group, initially named Inaugurazione Museo Rosenbach, was created around 1971 from the fusion of two late 60's bands from Sanremo, La Quinta Strada and Il Sistema, and their first line-up included future Celeste member Leonardo Lagorio on sax and flute, and singer Walter Franco. The only recordings Il Sistema ever made were released on LP and CD by Mellow in 1991-92, while La Quinta Strada was just a cover band.The tracks for Zarathustra were ready at the end of 1972, when the band were suddenly contacted for a recording deal by Ricordi, who were interested in promoting new progressive groups such as Banco del Mutuo Soccorso and Reale Accademia di Musica and the album was released in April 1973.The long Zarathustra suite on side one is probably their best effort, with slight classical influences and keyboards in evidence as in the best Italian prog tradition, but side two with three shorter tracks has some great moments. Vocalist "Lupo" Galifi has a very distinctive voice and keyboard player Pit Corradi adds a touch of originality to the band sound.Museo Rosenbach had a short life, splitting soon after the album and some good concerts in the summer of 1973, and the two posthumous CD's released by Mellow let us understand what a great band they were. Drummer Giancarlo Golzi experienced a great commercial success with his later band Matia Bazar, still lasting today.A new 10-track album, Exit, has been released in 2000 by original bassist Alberto Moreno and drummer Giancarlo Golzi along with new members, in a more commercial direction than their brilliant debut album.The most recent product by the new line-up is an appearance on the Kalevala 3-CD box set by the French label Musea, dedicated to the finnish traditional epic, with a song called Fiore di vendetta.Singer "Lupo" Galifi formed new group Il Tempio delle Clessidre, that often plays excerpts from Zarathustra in concert. Their eponymous album has been issued in 2010 by Black Widow (BWR 123).In 2012 a new line-up of Museo Rosenbach featuring original members Galifi, Golzi and Moreno with guitarists Sandro Libra and Max Borelli, keyboardist Fabio Meggetto and bassist Andy Senis issued a CD containing a remake of their 1973 classic, entitled Zarathustra - Live in studio. In 2013 this line-up has issued a new studio album entitled Barbarica and played in Japan, for a concert released as a double CD, Live in Tokyo. Line-up / Musicians Giancarlo Golzi/drums,vocals Alberto Moreno/bass Enzo Merogno/guitar,vocals Pit Corradi/Mellotron,Hammond Stefano Lupo Galifi/vocals Discography(Album) Zarathustra 1973
1.Zarathustra a) L'Ultimo uomo b) Il re di ieri c) Al di la del bene e del male d) Superuomo e) Il tempio delle clessidre 2.Degli Uomini 3.Della Natura 4.Dell'Eterno Ritorno
More active abroad than in Italy (where only one of their 4 albums was released), Nova are a unique case of an Italian progressive group that spent almost all of its career in foreign countries. After the split of Uno, former Osanna founders Elio D'Anna and Danilo Rustici stayed in London and formed another band called Nova with other well-known Italian musicians as Corrado Rustici from Cervello and Dede Lo Previte from Circus 2000.The band, with a stronger jazz-rock influence than their previous groups, released their first album, Blink, in 1976, aided by such big names as Pete Townshend and with help from lyricist Nick J.Sedwick (who also wrote the lyrics for Uno). An usual Osanna feeling is still in the air, but the style is changing to a more commercial kind of music. Only two of the six tracks are instrumental, the singer role been taken by Corrado Rustici, and the album has some good moments.Since the following LP their records never gained an Italian release, the band having now stably moved to England and, since 1978, to the USA.Second album, Vimana, saw the band reduced to a trio, original members Elio D'Anna and Corrado Rustici augmented by ex-New Trolls Atomic System's keyboardist Renato Rosset and with help from international stars like Percy Jones (bass), Narada Michael Walden (drums), Phil Collins (percussion). Though some of the typical Osanna/Cervello sound elements can still be heard (listen to Elio D'Anna's sax or Corrado Rustici's frantic guitar), the band's style is slowly approaching a mainstream jazz-rock with a funky edge, and the last two albums will go to a lower level.The fourth and last one, Sun city was recorded in the USA in 1978 and showed a harder sound with the magic guitar of Corrado Rustici (one of the most talented guitarists from that era) in great Evidence.D'Anna then returned to Italy for a career as producer, leaving the musical scene to completely disappear, while Corrado Rustici stayed in the USA, returning back to Italy where he's long collaborated with such artists as Zucchero and Elisa, both as musician and producer.During their early days in England with Nova, both Elio D’Anna and Corrado Rustici (credited on the cover as Carrado Rusticci!) appeared on the 1976 album Sunset wading by Caravan’s bass player John G.Perry. Line-up / Musicians Elio D'Anna/ saxes,flute Franco Loprevite/drums Luciano Milanese/bass Corrado Rustici/vocals,guitars Danilo Rustici/guitar Morris Pert/percussion Discography(Album) Blink 1976
1.Tailor made - Part 1 & Part 2 2.Something inside keeps you down - Part 1 & Part 2 3.Nova - Part 1 & Part 2 4.Used to be easy - Part 1 & Part 2 5.Toy - Part 1 & Part 2 6.Stroll on - Part 1 & Part 2
A band from Pavia formed around 1967 from the ashes of local beat groups Gli Spettri, I Solitari, Gli Imprevisti, they only released an album in 1971 for the small Polaris label (the same as I Teoremi). The band included lots of covers by the likes of Free, Deep Purple, Grand Funk Railroad in their live act.The album, housed in a very nice cover, is song-based, with soft and dreamy atmospheres and good lyrics by composer Guido Bolzoni. He had worked with some important names of the Italian pop music (like Mina) and also had released a solo album, Happening, in 1969 under the name of Guido.Some foreign influences are evident in the guitar playing of Mario Rognoni (nicknamed Carlos for his ability in playing in Santana style), but the band's sound is very far from King Crimson or other English groups and more in a melodic vein, the only different track is the opening Alpha ralpha boulevard (sung by Bolzoni though he was not a member of the group). A new member, sax/flute player Paolo Fabbri, joined the band right after the album came out (he had already taken part in the recording sessions), to replace one of the guitarists, and this line-up had a good concert activity and even played at the Festival di Re Nudo in Zerbo in 1972, one of that year's main musical events.The group split later the same year, when drummer Sollazzi left to join Lucio Dalla's band. He formed a short-lived group called Corte dei Miracoli (not to be confused with the more famous group from Savona with the same name) that also included former Numi members Buccelli and Tiranzoni.Around the same nucleus a new Numi incarnation was reformed in 1975, this time with two keyboardists and a more symphonic and ambitious sound. This line-up composed a concept work entitled Storia di Zero that was played at Pavia's Teatro Fraschini and released in a limited CD issue in 1993. A long suite, this included good symphonic prog-inspired parts along with covers of famous tracks by Beatles, Moody Blues and others, this can be interesting to hear, though a bit fragmented. The CD also includes a good live jam by the 1972 line-up.Other reunions came in 1979, with the follow-up to Storia di Zeno, another suite called 2079, but even this group (including a horn section with ex-Maxophone Maurizio Bianchini) had a short life, and again in 1990 when a book on rock bands in Pavia was released.Drummer Sollazzi, whose surname was misspelled as Solazzi on the LP cover, still plays now in a Beatles-cover band called Back To The Beatles (with two CD's, Rubber songs in 1995 and Beatle-Sconcerto in 1998) and is still active in the musical field with reviews on newspapers and concert organization. Other ex-Numi play in the same group, bassist Paolo Buccelli and guitarist Aldo Tagliaferri that was in the band's first line-up. Line-up / Musicians Marco Pazzi/guitars,vocals Furio Sollazzi/drums Paolo Buccelli/bass,vocals Mario Rognoni/guitars,vocals Beppe Tiranzoni/keyboards,vocals Carlo Gatti/keyboards,vocals Discography(Album) Alpha Rapha Boulevard 1971
1.Alpha Ralpha Boulevard 2.San Miguel 3.La Nuova Età 4.Luce e Gloria per te 5.Furma Materiae Progredientis 6.325 7.Alpha Ralpha Reprise
Unique in the history of Italian progressive music, NEW TROLLS were leaders and were for a time the top band in Italy. In 1973, NEW TROLLS split into two camps, the hard-rocking IBIS and the symphonic-oriented NEW TROLLS ATOMIC SYSTEM. They crossed many different permutations of line-up changes, many musical stylings... and great hits, passing through beat, pop ballads, progressive rock works, hard rock, and melodic pop followed groups like GENESIS and PFM. In 1971, the TROLLS released their greatest album "Concerto Grosso No. 1" that's still recognized as one of the most important Italian rock releases ever made. This album was to take them in a new direction. It was the first effort in Italy to fuse rock music with classical treatments. 1972 was the year in which NEW TROLLS became the producers of a mature music. Two albums were released that year, "Searching For a Land" and "UT". "Searching for a Land" (1972) is full of great songs and amazing musical highlights. "UT" is an amazing amalgam of progressive rock covering a wide variety of styles (references: YES, ELP, GENESIS, KING CRIMSON). The second "Concerto Grosso No. 2" (1976) is severely overrated and suffers from an inherent design flaw: The second side bears no relationship to the first and breaks up any continuity that could have made music history. The Beatles, Moody Blues and Pink Floyd had all fused popular and classical music by 1971. New Trolls had an opportunity to be the first rock band to actually play classical music, at least in Italy, for an entire album's length. Instead, the opportunity is squandered with a bloated side-long improve.The first three movements, or Tempos, of Concerto Grosso are essential listening for all prog rock fanatics. Unfortunately, this eleven minutes of RPI glory doesn't necessitate its purchase. "1 Tempo: Allegro" establishes the formula, alternating literally between the speakers from Baroque instrumentation to the band. As these ingredients homogenize, New Trolls are able to achieve something really groundbreaking. This becomes more evident during the second minute, with unison playing between the low strings and rhythm section. De Scalzi and Di Paulo double their guitars in octaves and hop on for the ride. This is great, great stuff and a perfect opening statement to an important yet indulgent album. Line-up / Musicians Frank Laugelli/bass Maurizio Salvi/piano,organ Vittorio De Scalzi/guitar Nico Di Palo/guitar,vocals Gianni Belleno/drums,vocals Discography(Album) Concerto Grosso Per I New Trolls 1971
1.Tempo: Allegro 2.Tempo: Adagio 3.Tempo: Cadenza - Andante Con Moto 4.Tempo: Shadows 5.Nella Sala Vuota, Improvvisazioni Dei New Trolls Registrate In Diretta
Parallel to NEW TROLLS and OSANNA, this band made a psychedelic and heavy classical rock on their debut. Typically seventies group remarkable by the predominance of keyboards, singing (often in choir), beautiful and polished melodies. Evokes CITTA FRONTALE, LE ORME, and BIGLIETTO with percussive rhythms, vibrating guitar solos, and vocals close to VANILLA FUDGE."Mr. E Jones" was another superb 70's Italian Prog release. The lighter sections of the album kind of reminds me of early CAMEL at times. A wonderful recording which Italprog heads will love. Their 3rd album "Clowns" is generally regarded to be their best and most bombastic. In 2010 the band reconvened for a new album which can be found on this site under the moniker of "Siani and friends feat. Nuova Idea, Paolo", as the new material was composed entirely by Siani and officially released under his name. Released in 2011 the album is very good and a fitting postscript to the story of Nuova Idea. Do check out that album from Siani, hopefully there will be more to come. Line-up / Musicians Claudio Ghiglino/guitars Giorgio Usai/keyboards,vocals Enrico Casagni/bass,flute,vocals Paolo Siani/drums,percussions,vocals Ricky Belloni/guitar,violin,vocals Discography(Album) Clowns 1973
1.Clessidra 2.Un'Isola 3.Il Giardino Dei Sogni 4.Clown 5.Una Vita Nuova
composer and keyboardist Carlo Barbiera dedicated a full album to the life and works of sculptor Luciano Ceschia (1926-1991), both coming from near Udine, Friuli Venezia Giulia, in the north-east of Italy.The rare album is a rather original example of experimental electro-acoustic progressive style, mainly based on synth effects and acoustic guitars and often reminding some of Battiato's early works. Despite the presence of five singers in the line-up, the vocal parts are short, spoken or recited rather than sung. 19 tracks are listed on the cover, but these are connected to form two long suites.All in all an interesting album for the adventurous listeners in search of something different. Line-up / Musicians Carlo Barbiera/keyboards,vocals Paciuli/vocals Paolo Coretti/vocals Ettore Lo Cascio/vocals Flavio Variano/vocals Maria Zanetti/vocals Leo Croatto/guitar Alberto Zeppieri/sax,flute Gianfranco Lugano/keyboards Edi Croatto/vocals Paolo Tosolini/guitar Roberto Colella/guitar,bass Zladko/percussion Discography(Album) Per una scultura di ceschia 1978
1.Nascita 2.La Sfera 3.Ankh 4.Zed 5.Stelle Cadenti 6.Cheope 7.Campanelli 8.Pianeta Terra 9.Violenza vestita 10.Puntine 11.Verdi prati 12.Magia 13.Adam 14.La fonderia 15.L'incoronazione 16.Luci dal pianeta 17.Sotto il ponte 18.Nell universo 19.Sul ferro
Italian band NOTTURNO CONCERTANTE has been a going concern for almost 20 years, citing 1984 as their year of formation. The first half of the 90's appears to have been their most active period, with a substantial amount of years between new album releases from the second half of the 90's and onwards. "Canzoni Allo Specchio" is their sixth full length production, following 10 years after their previous album. Notturno Concertante have made themselves a solid sixth full length production, a smooth and well produced affair that emphasizes on accessible, harmonic melodies and finely controlled arrangements. As it is a CD that broadly can be described as progressive folk rock for the first half and accessible but sophisticated jazz-oriented music in the latter half, and those who tend to enjoy both of these stylistic expressions explored in an accessible manner should be a key audience for this album. Line-up / Musicians Lucio Lazzaruolo/guitar,keyboards Raffaele Villanova/guitars,vocals Giuseppe Relmi/vocals Carmine Marra/sax,clarinet,whistles Carmine Meluccio/violin Gabriele Moscaritolo/accordion Antonio D'Alessio/bass Giuseppe D'Alessio/bass Simone Pizza/drums Discography(Album) Canzoni Allo Specchio 2012
1.Ahmed l'ambulante 2.Young Man Gone West 3.Come il vento 4.Le anime belle 5.On Growing Older 6.The Price Of Experience 7.Lei vede rosso 8.La Milonga di Milingo 9.Canzone allo specchio 10.Ark En Ciel
NUOVA ERA were one of the first in the new wave of Italian progressives and also one of the most highly regarded. They are a symphonic quartet (or a quintet if you count the lyricist on album cover of "Dopo L'Infinito") with a style influenced by the 70's masters but performed with contemporary technology. The album was a concept around the states of war and marked a very dark-sounding and lyrically intense effort by Nuova Era.Never denying their 70's firmly rooted sound, the new work of Nuova Era sees an even greater E.L.P. and LE ORME influence due to the total lack of guitar parts and the constant use of keyboards by Walter Pini.His playing is based on organs, Mellotron, bells and synths, delivering nice piano interludes, organ solos, Mellotron-led orchestral passages and a fair amount of virtuous offerings.The style remains highly symphonic with strong Classical influences and new singer Claudio Guerrini sounds a lot better than Camaiti, having a controlled and very expressive voice. Line-up / Musicians Walter Pini/keyboards Claudio Guerrini/vocals Enrico Giordani/bass Gianluca Lavacchi/drums Discography(Album) Il Passo Del Soldato 1995
1.All'ombra di un Conflitto 2.Lo Spettro dell'Agonia sul Campo 3.La Parata dei Simboli 4.Il Passo del Soldato 5.Armicrazia 6.L'Armistizio 7.Riflessi di Pace 8.Epitaffio 9.Nuova Era Atto Secondo
Born as Pow-Pow in the Biella area at the beginning of the seventies, the group changed its name to Odissea in 1972 after the entrance of guitarist Ferrari, only issuing in the following year an album and a single with this five-piece line-up.The album is in a rather melodic-inspired progressive style, with eight tracks and the first side better than the second, good but not essential. The music is dominated by vocal parts, with very few instrumental breaks, and the overall feeling is similar to Jumbo's first album (even in the singer's voice). Two tracks from the album were released as a single, Unione being one of the best cuts along with the instrumental Crisalide, while Cuor di rubino, also on single, was based on a Jacques Prevert lyric.The group had a good live activity, supporting Genesis in their April 1972 Italian dates and playing at Festival d'Avanguardia in Mestre, at IX Mostra di Musica Leggera in Venezia, along with an Italian tour with Banco del Mutuo Soccorso and Rocky's Filj. In 1974 singer Roberto Zola left Odissea for a career as soloist that never started, the others went back to play as backing band for singer Michele (which they had already played with in 1971) and with La Famiglia degli Ortega for some concerts in the USA. In 1976 Elio Vergnaghi (vocals) and Aldo Ambrosi (guitar) joined the group and Odissea played some concerts in Switzerland, but, when drummer Cerlati quit in 1977 they went back once again to play with Michele for many years. Ennio Cinguino (who had played in the 60's with New Blues) and Alfredo Garone still play in the piano-bar circuit. Line-up / Musicians Roberto Zola/guitar,vocals Luigi "Jimmy" Ferrari/guitar Ennio Cinguino/piano,organ,mellotron Alfredo Garone/bass,guitar Paolo Cerlati/drums "little" Simona/vocals Discography(Album) Odissea 1973
1.Unione 2.Giochi Nuovi Carte Nuove 3.Crisalide 4.Cuor di Rubino 5.Domanda 6.Il Risveglio di un Mattino 7.Voci 8.Conti e Numeri
Officina Meccanica (OM) may not be well known but they are one of the most original and exceptional Italian progressive bands of the 1970s. The band members convened from two cities near Rome (Anzio and Nettuno) in the early '70s and by 1974 they were one of the most important acts in Italy doing shows with Banco and PFM among others. There are a few things that make this band unique and memorable. First, their sound was extremely provocative and daring, incorporating horns into the mix reminiscent of VDGG with even some lesser nods to funk and fusion. Second was their highly theatrical stage shows featuring a mime-faced lead vocalist pushing Ange-level expressiveness. OM rest firmly in the more challenging bracket of Italian Prog. While there are moments of great melodic beauty the main emphasis is on the edginess, tension and passion. The band featured self-taught guitarist Gianni Barbati, vocalist Luciano Maiozzi, bassist Randolfo Canini, trumpeter Luigi Canini, saxophonist Vincenzo Bentivegna, and incredible drummer Bruno Dionisi. The main reason they did not get the credit other groups did is that they never released their album at the time. The material was there to be sure, worked up to fine form over many live gigs, but released only individually as singles and a rare (for that time) conceptual video for Italian television .Gianni Barbati recalled that the video "was shot in a magnificent garden in the Tor di Quinto area of Rome. The band continued their busy touring schedule rather than cutting the album in '74 and by the time they came back from Tunisia the opportunity to record cut the full length album had gone. Thankfully that tragic lost opportunity was remedied by BTF/AMS in 2007 with the long overdue release of "La Follia del Mimo di Fuoco" (The Madness of the Fire Mime.) The beautifully assembled project includes the essential recorded pieces from the 1970s along with live versions of the tracks that did not see release at that time. All of the live tracks were recorded in 1976. Line-up / Musicians Luciano Maiozzi/vocals Gianni Barbati/guitars,moog Randolfo Canini/bass,vocals Luigi Canini/trumpet Bruno Dionisi/drums,percussion Vincenzo Bentivegna/sax Discography(Album) La Follia Del Mimo Di Fuoco 2007
1.Suite bambini innocenti 2.Primo turno 3.Via non esiste 4.Insieme al sole 5.Nel grattacielo delle idée il pensiero piu alto e la pazzia 6.Amanti di ieri 7.Il viaggio di un uomo non piu uomo nella valle del tempo
Excellent early-70's Italian progressive trio (still around today) with classical stylings, featuring keyboards to the fore and a unique dreamy/powerful style. Le ORME was one of the three major Italian groups, the other two being PFM and BANCO. This band is usually considered as the Italian EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER and even BANCO DEL MUTUO SOCCORSO by the Italian singing. Its music is based upon organ developments and soli reminding Seventies groups which works are essentially built upon keyboards parts. The band's truly classic period begins with their third next releases. "Uomo Di Pezza" (1972) is one of Le Orme's definitive Italian progressive rock albums. Although there is definitely an significant EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER influence here, as in the bombastic Moog and Hammond workouts countered by mellow balladry. It's not quite as integrated a feel as would characterize their next two albums, "Felona E Sonora" and "Contrappunti", though its fantastic nonetheless, and one of Le ORME's three essential albums. "Collage" and especially "Florian" offer a music tinged with classical music. "Felona E Sonora" (1973) is probably one of my top favorite Italian progressive rock albums. "Contrappunti" (1974) is another fantastic Le ORME album, and really the close of their classic trilogy. This album would effectively close out the band's streak of success."In Concerto" is an excellent live album from 1974 with many unreleased tracks. "Piccola Rapsodia Dell' Ape" is more recent, an excellent mixing of Progressive and Italian baroque music. "Collage" and especially "Florian" offer a music tinged with classical music. In 1993 the Japanese progrock label Crime Records released the 2-CD "Live Orme" with live-material from '75-'77. A far more captivating document than "In Concerto" from '74.Their story goes on. After "Piccola Rapsodia Dell' Ape" (1980), in 1982 the band decides to break up. In 1986 they rejoin only for concerts but in 1990 a further work is issued ("Orme"). In 1992 Tony Pagliuca leaves the band, replaced by Michele Bon. That year they obtain the title of best Live-Act band seen in Italy. They never give up symphonic prog and their further works show it clearly. In spite of the success obtained by their live performances, in 1996 they publish a suite ("Il fiume"). After obtaining a great success at the Los Angeles PROG FEST and at the PROG EAST in Quebec, they commit themselves to the new work which will be finished in 2001 ("Elementi"). This latter, together with "Il fiume", will be part of a trilogy completed, in 2004, by "L'infinito". The trilogy, a mix of songs and instrumental pieces, tells about the mankind through the 4 elements of the universe. In 2005 they are invited at the NEARFEST concert in Pennsylvania. Their music may well be considered as a continuous commitment in PROG ROCK: over the last 42 years they never gave up their passion. They also tried to convey PROG Rock to the people by participating to song contests such as Festival di Sanremo, a very popular TV music happening in Italy. LE ORME is one of the few foreign bands who have been produced by a British label. The Famous Charisma Label issued "Felona e Sorona" in English, lyrics by Peter Hammil, after their tour in England in 1973. Line-up / Musicians Aldo Tagliapietra/vocals,bass,guitar Toni Pagliuca/keyboards Michi Dei Rossi/drums Discography(Album) Felona E Sorona 1973
1.Sospesi Nell'Incredibile 2.Felona 3.La Solitudine Di Chi Protegge Il Mondo 4.L'Equilbrio 5.Sorona 6.Attesa Inerte 7.Ritratto Di Un Mattino 8.All'infuori Del Tempo 9.Ritorno Al Nulla
Osage Tribe were formed in 1971 by Franco Battiato, then working as pop singer, with his loyal drummer Cucciolo, guitarist Marco Zoccheddu who had just left Nuova Idea and bass guitarist Bob Callero. Battiato found a recording deal with the newly born Bla Bla label, but soon left the band, just singing on their first single Un falco nel cielo, before starting his solo career; the single is rather commercial and was also used for a popular TV quiz show at the time.The remaining trio, based in Genova, a prolific city for many great bands, veered towards a more aggressive sound and released their masterpiece, Arrow head, in 1972, a five tracks album that's still regarded as one of the finest in its genre. Mainly hard rock based, but with strong progressive influences rather than dull solo parts, the album has in the long Soffici bianchi veli and the softer Cerchio di luce with some jazzy influences are the best cuts.The band had a good live activity but a short life, and Zoccheddu and Callero formed Duello Madre at the end of 1972, leaving Cucciolo with the name Osage Tribe and a new line-up with ex-Capsicum Red singer/guitarist Red Canzian and bassist Giampiero Marchiani coming from Forlì. This line-up lasted for a short time, Cucciolo was called up in the army, replaced by Enzo Vallicelli (from Hellza Poppin and later with Uno), then Canzian was recruited by Pooh, causing the definitive split of Osage Tribe.The drummer Cucciolo later played with The Trip after their fourth album (but this line up never recorded) and then Dik Dik. Bob Callero has had a very active career, with Il Volo and many collaborations as sessionman. Line-up / Musicians Marco Zoccheddu/guitar,keyboards,harmonica,vocals Bob Callero/bass,vocals Ninzio "Cucciolo" Fava/drums,vocals Discography(Album) Arrow Head 1972
1.Hajenhanhowa 2.Arrow Head 3.Cerchio di Luce 4.Soffici Bianchi Veli 5.Orizzonti Senza Fine
One of the greatest bands in the Italian prog field, Osanna came from Naples, formed in 1971 by the members of I Volti di Pietra and Città Frontale (another band with the same name came from Osanna ashes and recorded El Tor) whose keyboard player Gianni Leone has gone to Balletto di Bronzo. Reeds player Elio D'Anna came from Showmen, the others didn't have significant experiences.During their four years lifespan Osanna failed to create, as many critics have pointed, the perfect album, but left us four very good LP's, among which Palepoli deserves a particular mention.L'uomo, their first album, released in a memorable triple gatefold cover, already contains their distinctive elements, the nice voice of Lino Vairetti (with interesting lyrics indeed), the aggressive flute of Elio D'Anna, fluid guitar playing by Danilo Rustici and the solid rhythm section of Lello Brandi and Massimo Guarino. Taken from this album the tracks L'uomo and In un vecchio cieco were also released as a single, both starting with an acoustic guitar introduction followed by guitar and flute riffs. The band also had an intense live activity, with band members all dressed in long vests and with their faces painted. The collaboration with theatrical groups produced interesting shows, unique for the Italian audience of the time. They also played with Genesis in their early Italian tour, and who knows if the Osanna stage show has somehow inspired Peter Gabriel...In June 1971 the band won the first prize at "Festival d’Avanguardia e Nuove Tendenze" in Viareggio, along with Premiata Forneria Marconi and Mia Martini.Second album, Preludio, tema, variazioni, canzona, also known as Milano calibro 9 from the name of the film for which it was chosen as soundtrack, is a step backward, with few band compositions mixed with composer Bacalov's orchestral themes. Some of the Osanna tracks are beautiful, though, like the first three Variazione.Third album, and their best one, Palepoli, from 1973 sees the band at their peak. The album only contains three long tracks and is housed in a nice gatefold whose inner picture is based on the band live stage background. The starting track, Oro caldo, mixes the band typical style with folk chants from their native city Naples. while Stanza città and the side long Animale senza respiro all give space to the good playing of the band members. In many writers' reviews one of the best Italian prog albums.Unfortunately things didn't go well between the group's members and the band came to a split during the Landscape of Life recording sessions, producing a sparse album. Housed in a great cover designed by drummer Massimo Guarino, with an inner gatefold painting by singer Lino Vairetti (some of the band members came from the Naples Academy of Arts and also had an artistic career), the album contains some nice tracks, but suffers from the lack of a real band playing it. The band was trying to play abroad and the album was also intended for the foreign markets, so five of the seven tracks are in English, but due to the split it had to be finished with the help of Corrado Rustici (Danilo's younger brother from Cervello) and drummer Enzo Vallicelli (then with Uno).Danilo Rustici and Elio D'Anna, with drummer Enzo Vallicelli, went to England to form Uno, while remaining members Lino Vairetti and Massimo Guarino gave a new life to their old band Città Frontale, this time with new musicians and recorded an album in 1975 called El Tor. Things were not so good for both the newly formed bands and Osanna reunited in 1977 with new members Enzo Petrone (that had played with Lino Vairetti in I Volti di Pietra and later with Moby Dick) and Fabrizio D'Angelo, but their album Suddance is very far from their best days, despite some good tracks. After the last split Danilo Rustici formed Luna. Line-up / Musicians Danilo Rustici/guitars,organ,piano,vocals Lino Vairetti/vocals,guitars,Mellotron Elio D'Anna/sax,flute,vocals Massimo Guarino/drums,vibraphone,percussion Lello Brandi/bass Discography(Album) Palepoli 1972
1.Oro Caldo 2.Stanza Città 3.Animale Senza Respiro
This quartet from Milan began as a beat band in 1964. They made one Italo-beat album in 1968, had a number of successful singles and then broke up - only to reform in 1971 for a brief burst of progressive glory and the release of a superb album entitled "Terra in Bocca". In addition to the band proper (guitar/keyboards/bass/drum combo), the album features guest musicians who later went their separate ways (keyboard player and composer Vince Tempera became a permanent member of IL VOLO; guitarist Marcello Dellacasa joined LATTE E MIELE; bassist Ares Tavolazzi moved on with AREA). This album is their most progressive effort featuring two long compositions (both more than 20 minutes). The music is very alternating and delivers many captivating moments: heavy compelling keyboard play, subdued acoustic guitar and emotional vocals, mellow swelling Mellotron (especially the beautiful intermezzo halfway Part Two), virtuosic piano work in the vein of Keith Emerson (but more refined) and fiery, propulsive guitar play. Despite the long running time of the two tracks, it sounds cohesive and pleasant. Line-up / Musicians Giacomo "Mino" Di Martino/voice,guitar Francesco "Checco" Marsella/vocals,organ Sergio Di Martino/vocals,bass Sergio Enrico Maria Papes/vocals,drums Discography(Album) Terra in bocca (Poesia di un delitto) 1971
1.Arrivano I GigAnti 2.Giorni Di festa 3.In Paese e Festa 4.Tema 5.Summertime 6.Proposta 7.Da Bambino 8.Piri Piri Va 9.Una Ragazza In Due 10.Cara Mia
Paciana story was a mid-70's Italian project, following an idea of Dalton's keyboardist Temistocle Reduzzi and journalist Luciano Capoferri to musically perform the story of Vincenzo ''Paci'' Paciana, a mythical figure of Bergamo during the 18th century, who was the Robin Hood of the area, stealing from rich and giving the poor, until he died falling from a bridge in the Brembo river, chased by the police. The studio project featured five additional musicians/singers, among them Dalton's guitarist Aronne Cereda and the album ''Opera Pop'' was recorded in 1975 at the recording studio I Raminghi's bassist Franco Mussita. This is very delicate and romantic Folk Rock with plenty of acoustic textures and a few proggy overtones, while Reduzzi always supports the music with his synths, electric and acoustic piano. Lots of male and female vocals present the thrilling bio of Paci Paciana in some very good vocal arrangements with warm singing. The music, while remaining fairly soft throughout, has an inner atmospheric content, mainly due to Reduzzi's symphonic keyboards and jazzy electric piano, while half of them contain the smooth electric guitar touch of Cereda or even some ethnic vibes through the sax and clarinet of Ferdinando Ghisleni. Of course the main driving forces remain the folky textures and the album has a strong singer/songwriter feel as a whole, but Reduzzi's obsession to constantly use his keys adds always a light proggy feeling.A couple of tracks are also close to DALTON's sound like the excellent closer ''Salto dal ponte'' or the keyboard-drenched ''Tema condutore''.Paciana story toured the theaters for some years, featuring over a dozen of musicians and actors in a very good Folk/Pop/Prog opera, that definitely should have been a great experience if caught live. The nice CD reissue by BTF makes the album easily approachable and this comes warmly recommended to all fans of light Progressive Rock, Folk Rock or melodic Italian Prog. Line-up / Musicians Temi Reduzzi/keyboards,compositions Aronne Cereda/guitars,vocals Callisto Callioni/trumpet Claudio Ciao/drums,vocals Mario Marcaletti/bass,vocals Raffaela Cattaneo/vocals Ferdinando Ghisleni/sax,clarinet Discography(Album) Paciana Story 1975
1.Ballata 2.Tema Conduttore 3.Al E' Sira 4.Tema D'Amore 5.Licenziamento 6.Rapimento 7.La Me Murusa Egia Confronto 8.Salto Dal Ponte
