CAPITOLO 6

An obscure one and done band, Capitolo 6 recorded this album at the tail end of proto prog and delivered a very nice example of early RPI.

Another album that is oddly American Indian themed like Osage Tribe, the draw here is the sidelong title track Frutti Per Kagua. Like Osage Tribe, these guys lean towards the hard rock end of the prog spectrum-with Jethro Tull and Uriah Heep influences most prominently displayed. The title track opens in a fury of Tull-dom that could fool some. It veers into some 'Deep Purple with a flute' jams that will please late 60's rock fans, but are further from the typical 'symphonic Italian' sound- a nice jam that would be comfortable on Hawkwind In Search of Space powers along before rounding out in a nice pseudo classical ending. Side two is three songs that are more low key but more varied, with some random synth lines hinting at a feel later akin to Wakeman's band jams on Journey to the Center of the Earth era, far less raucous and more introspective than the flip side. Il Tramonto Di Un Popolo also nods to the future sounding like Gentle Giant wrestling/grafted with Tull and is a fairly wild cascading ride that brings the crackling electric guitars once again to the forefront. Final song L'ultima Notte finishes in a blast of Jefferson Airplane at full throttle jamming that shows their roots. It does end up veering quickly down several diversions (three or so) before finishing in a barroom single guitar singalong. A really unique and fun album.

RPI fans will still probably be more drawn to side two with some more traditional Italian prog approaches, but still filtered through their peculiar Capitolo take on prog.

The fact that they once opened for Led Zeppelin shows this band could hold their own with anyone, and had the chops to play off the cuff improvs well into the night if need be. These were not delicate art school flowers, they had cut their teeth in the heavy rock era. Vocals are solid, with the slight world weary rasp that so many Italian vocalists have. This occasionally is a sticking point for some (see Jumbo), but he's actually pretty tame for RPI singers. .

An essential RPI album? I'd have to vote no, but close. It is highly recommended for the rock n roll side fans of RPI. Because this album rocks.

Four stars for RPI fans and three stars for prog fans. Heavy rock fans of 1969-1970 of any area should check this out. Unique sounding stuff.

3.5 stars.

Italian group formed in the early 70s from the merger between two failed bands in the region of Tuscany. Then formed a quintet led by keyboardist and drummer Jimmy Santerini and Luciano House that in this case, House played only 12-string guitar and helped on vocals.

The band had its peak in 1971 when they signed with the Italian subsidiary of RCA Records to release an album that was finished only after some time. Also in that year, the band played in festivals in their hometown, Viareggio and still came to opening for Led Zeppelin in Rome for thousands of people.

In 1972 the band lost two principal members being replaced by excellent Antonio Favilla keyboardist and flutist / sax Loriano Berti, who left the band shortly after the release of this album in question.

With all these strange lineup changes over the short period of its legth, the band managed to maintain an essential quality in relation to the technique of their musicians with perfect vocal harmony.

The record is composed of only five but fabulous tracks, being the first a true gem worthy of what we know as Italian Progressive Rock. The track of almost 19 minutes, gives its name to the record and is conducted with extreme perfection by Berti with beautiful flute passages throughout its course. At times it is noticed a distinct similarity to the style of Ian Anderson playing his lead instrument but not forgetting the soft touch that only the Italian Progressive Rock can offer to the most discerning ears.

The second part of the album is composed of smaller tracks with very expressive vocals, giving more emphasis on the passages of acustic and eelctric guitars, mingling the tender Moog solos followed by a shy, but beautiful Hammond Organ sound.

3.7 rounded up to 4 :-) I'm rounding up to 4 in hopes of increasing the rating a little bit for this album.

Ever have one of those albums you bought and listened to only a few times and sold because you did not like it *only* to try it again years later and give it many listens and then end up liking it?

Along with Crimson's "Larks' Tongues in Aspic" (which I initially hated/sold and rebought years later and loved), this is such an album.

About 15 years ago (at the time I was getting into RPI), I loved the soft pastoral sounding RPI bands like Orme/PFM/QVL/etc.. I started exploring more of the 2nd/3rd tier RPI bands back in 98 after getting all the "50+ essential ones". I got this one and did not like it because it sounded too harsh and raw as if a garage band jam. I put it on my "for sale list" and sold it. Years later as I became more open minded (I was closed minded), I tried this again. Only this time, I decided to play it about 5 times in a row. Now I like it because it sounds harsh :-)

Although I cannot see credit to Jumbo's lead singer, he sounds like he makes an appearance towards the end of the 18 minute album side track as it does not sound like the singer you hear for the majority of the album. I don't see the Jumbo guys' name here nor do I see his name mentioned on the italian prog web site for this album. But I swear it's him. Can someone confirm?

By the album cover, I'd guess that this album has something to do with the politics of US treatment to the native American's either in the 19th century or since? Maybe I'm wrong.

Musically, this album sounds like the musicians jammed and cranked out 4 tunes in 1 take amidst mediocre sound equipment. There's a certain raw-sound/recorded-live-in-the-studio-with-no- overdubbing feel to this album. But I like it quite a bit. Most of the time the album is hard rocking with some prog and some psychadelic tendencies. Sounds more like proto-prog with the rawness of the "Indian Summer" (another pretty cool album) album if anyone has heard that album? Throw in a flute that tends to be more rhythmic than melodic (this is not a bad thing) along with some italian beat vocal harmonies (the kind you hear from about 1970), heavy deep purple-ish guitar leads and a lead vocalist who can be harsh at times. On a few occassions, the vocal harmonies tend to even remind me of that on Jesus Christ Superstar. All the while being a heavy-hard-rock melodic album with prog and psych leanings.

If you like your music primarily heavy with heavy guitars and the RPI vocal harmonies/melodies (along with some harsh lead vocals at times) that you're familiar with along with the token Jethro-Tull sounding flute along with a raw-ness about this album that indicates that it could have been recorded in one take in a high school gymnasium, this album is definitely an album to check out.

If you're just getting into RPI, I'd check out the usual suspects that tend to rate the top 50 RPI albums to get. If you can't get enough of those first tier albums and want more (like I did) of RPI and want to start checking into the non-first-tiers (in which there are a lot of great gems like Ricordi Di Infanzia, etc..), please check into this Capitolo 6 album and give it at least 5-10 listens before you decide whether or not you like it.

Not essential but definitely a good RPI album to have in your collection if you're exploring the non-first tier albums.

Obscure, raucous, and ahead of its time: These all describe Frutti Per Kagua, the sole album from Capitolo 6. After some lineup changes and furious live activity, the band released its only LP in 1972 featuring one side-long suite and three shorter tracks on the flip side. The main attraction is of course the title track, an 18-minute opus that covers a variety of styles and evokes several different emotions. The primary sound is rock, with touches of folk and sheer balladry. In 1972, no Italian bands were attempting anything this grandiose with the exception of Jumbo and maybe Flea. Both Yes and Genesis would famously release 20-minute songs that year, but I think "Frutti Per Kagua" was quite groundbreaking considering its contemporaries.

"Frutti Per Kagua" grabs your attention with a straightforward rock riff and strong vocals right out of the gate. The tempo increases and adds even more energy. I love the half-time feel at the three-minute mark; these guys could jam, although the Jethro Tull comparisons are valid and fully apparent by this point. Only five minutes in and the feel changes yet again, this time to a sobering ballad. This may be my favorite section of the entire piece, as the instrumental break allows the musicians to really sink into the material and flesh it out. The tempo again gradually increases, until a crescendo of crashing cymbals and rotating Leslie speakers cause the song to self-destruct, and return to a folky slow jam. As the song rides to its close, you get the sense Capitolo 6 could keep going for another twenty minutes, but alas, are constrained by the limitations of the vinyl medium.

"Grande Spirito" was released as a single, but fell on deaf ears. This is a neat litlle song that features some outstanding vocals and synth flourishes. Unfortunately, the last two songs pale somewhat when compared to the excellent "Frutti Per Kagua," and prevent the album from becoming truly excellent. Frutti Per Kagua is still a very good album, but ultimately non- essential until you have filled out your collection a bit. Luckily the Sony CD is still in print and shouldn't be too hard to come by.

Raw, rocking, epic RPI suite on board

Capitolo 6 were an early RPI band who origins date to the late '60s and who have many common story RPI storylines: plenty of line-up changes, hard times, and of course, only one album. They did a nice job with their moment in the sun however. "Frutti per Kagua" is a raucous title that brings to mind solid bands Jumbo, Campo di Marte, Flea, and Tull. The latter comparison is mostly due to the heavy and bold use of the flute as a prominent instrument. Otherwise this is a solid RPI sounding album but one that resides firmly in the heavy, rocking camp as opposed to flamboyant camp or the highly avant garde camp. The big sell here is the side one title track, which in true pompous prog form takes up the entire 20 minute side. It's a true feast for heavy prog fans recalling the edgy, grooving side long pieces from Flea (Topi o Uomi) or Jumbo's "Suite Per Il Sig. K". Or at least parts of it groove. As noted in Scented Gardens the piece takes a very formal compositional structure, part 1 a ferocious rocker; the large middle section for experimentation and multiple crescendos; the third part a sort of summary and finale.

They break it down as follows: Part I contains three sung verses, alternating with enthusiastic electric guitar and flute riffs. Part II takes the form of a two-part crescendo, each time starting from silence with one instrument added to the others at a time. After 4:47 minutes, the first crescendo starts with acoustic guitar introducing a new musical theme (but no relation to Part I), gradually joined by bass, wordless chanting, drums, flute and electric guitar of increasing intensity. After 9:09 minutes, the second crescendo starts with another musical theme (more celestial in character) introduced by organ and then joined by percussion, flute, bass, drums, sax and a second organ. Part III mainly consists of a vocal rendition of the musical theme from the first crescendo. [from Scented Gardens, edited for brevity]

The piece has all of the "in your face" attitude of the bolder RPI titles, with a rough, unshaven lead vocal of good quality. It must also be noted that the music, unlike many classic RPI albums, is led not by the keyboards but by the guitars (bass, electric, and acoustic) and the flute. Keyboards are there but they are generally speaking the background and not the exterior. The middle sections of the song have a well developed "Child in Time" quality building from the serene to the explosive though the payoff is instrumental and not vocal ala Gillan. In the first extended section a long electric guitar solo wails in the rock style of a Zep admirer. In the second crescendo it almost sounds (loosely, not exactly) like a combination of Tull and Sabbath, with the highly animated flute swirling together to relentless bass and drums, with guitar and organ around the edges. Many times even the electric guitar holds back, allowing the flute to come well to the front and jam with a very active, pronounced bass guitar, while to the side is an acoustic guitar doing its own little part. Never completely predictable and pretty cool I think. I love the feel and structure of the track even if it doesn't quite rise to what Jumbo did. Side two is very similar in quality and sound though with the shorter songs is not quite as memorable as side one. I'm a little more bullish on Capitolo 6 than many reviewers, I think this album is a slam dunk for fans of RPI. I would rate side one as 4 stars and side two as 3 stars, thus 7/10.

"Frutti per Kagua'", a concept album about the tricky negotiations of Indian lands by the white man, is the sole album by Italian ensemble Capitolo 6. This band shows a varied assortment of family airs with other one- or two-shoot bands such as Raccomandata Ricevuta Ritorno, Campo di Marte and Garybaldi, as well as some traces of early Ossana. The album's repertoire comprises three tracks, with the first half strictly occupied by the namesake suite. This piece kicks off with a strong bluesy rock section that may remind us of early Jumbo-meets-"Benefit" Jethro Tull. The bucolic section that follows gives room for the flute to show off a bit, and the same can be said about the electric guitar lead (which is very emotionally charged, by the way). Once all the instruments shut up for a couple of seconds, the emergence of classicist organ arpeggios build up a momentary crescendo that gives way to a progressive rondo motif, upon which the flute and organ state interesting dialogues. This section occupies a considerable time scope of the suite, and ultimately, its abrupt end leads to yet another bucolic acoustic portion. The last 30 seconds bring a passionate coda. This suite is the band's definitive manifesto, and all in all, I understand why it is the most acclaimed track by Capitolo 6 connoisseurs (I do not agree, as I'll explain later). The album's second half begins with 'Grande Espiritu', which happens to be an OK acoustic ballad: the main motif is catchy indeed, but not really brilliant. The last two tracks are the most colorful in the album, and they are certainly my personal favorites. 'Il Tramonto di un Popolo' starts with a brief chant and drum rolls, before the instrumentation brings a solid alternation of furiously rocking passages and pastoral ones. The diversity that took 18 minutes to develop and settle for the suite is here comprised in 5 ½ without losing an ounce of tension. The closer 'L'Ultima Notte' bears a very similar vibe, albeit with bigger doses of expansion and fluidity, which is fine for its 11 ½ minute span. The drummer works efficiently in the basis while the lead guitarist delivers what are arguably his best solos in the album. The last rocking moments are filled with sarcastic gibberish: a touch of Zappa in this exposure of Mediterranean psychedelia. Capitolo 6 is a very good item in any good prog collection.

Capitolo 6 was another of the many groups that rode the tidal wave of progressive rock that swept across Italy in the 1970. Personel issues hampered the group, and despite good reviews from their various apperances on TV, and in the pop festivals across Italy in the early 70's they only left us with this one album. Frutti Per Kagua.

Like Osage Tribe's Arrow Head, my last review, this is another America Indian inspired album. As any true RPI album, it is in Italian not English. And like many RPI albums.. the 'sound' on the surface sounds like a clone of the English 'masters'. This case being Jethro Tull if only for the prominent up front flute of Riccardo Bartolotti. Other than that.. there is no similarity with Tull.. or any of the 'masters'. While not a masterpiece.. is quite an individual work.. with no real discernable influences from the major English prog groups. Unless you think every prog band with flute is Tull influenced hahhaha. The structure and tone of the music is nothing like them.

The album kicks off with a bang with the side long title track. Kick off it does alright with a heavy bluesy flute riff doubled by the electric guitar. The riff is interupted for several lyrical sections which deal with Indian spirituality as best as I can tell.. this was the 70's you know. After a sudden stop.. the another flute and guitar riff is introduced at a quicker tempo and with the drummer more pronounced. A third shift in dynamic comes with the introduction of a saxophone and a monsterous repeated riff that the sax plays over and around. Then bam... the frenetic and rather heavy music to this point (about 5 minutes) ends and we have a atmospheric section with the ensemble voices taking the place of what normally we would have heard the Hammond Organ with an ascending chord progression that the flautist dances over until the voices drop out and a tasteful electric guitar solo.. in the line of the atmospheric nature of the music and the lyrics. Rather minimalist in there is not much going on.. but rather effective. This continues for another 5 mintues or so before the drummer increases tempo and the flautist adds some wah-wah'd flute passages over a high register bass pattern. This continus again for several more minutes. It tends to be sort of hypnotic after the 3rd minute or so. A brief moment of silence leads us into the next musical section where the singer reappears to the same rhythm and tempo as the first atmospheric section. If I'm reading the lyrics right the warrior has prepared himself to die and bid farewell to his mortal body and enter the spirit world. The track ends not with a bang like it began ..but almost with a whimper.

The next tracks are short (3 and 6 minutes) are are rather unremarkable.Grande Spirito has some inspired vocals by the groups 2nd singer (Donati I believe)r. Musically.. not much to say. The next song Il Tramonto di un popolo does have a bit more life in it with a high energy, fast tempo riff.. that is broken into with musical sidetrips with some accoustic guitar and 'clean' flute. I do like the drumming on this track.. especially in the last couple of minutes of the song when the energy level is on max. The last song L'Ultima Notte is probably my favorite on the album. Lots of twists and turns.. nice solo... I like the harmony singing on this.. comes across to me in a rather theatrical way. Good solos.

I wouldn't call this one of the highlites of the RPI movement.. but it is a worthy addition to any collection. A good album I would recommend for those who want to push their RPI collections into the 3 digit range. I do listen to this album with some regularity mainly for the first part of the title track and for L'Ultima Notte. For me 3 stars.. a good solid RPI album.. for the forum at large.. 2 stars. For collectors of RPI only.

Michael (aka Micky)

Yet another great album, this is actually one of my favorite prog-albums. There is great dialogue between the voice, guitar and flute. In some parts in gets pretty raunchy (pesado...pesado...) but it never looses its melodic attributes. The guitar is never to loud, all the instruments are perfectly sinqued and never does one get lost behind another. It changes mood pretty dramatically in some parts, but the changes are never abrupt or out of place it follows a well developed structure.

A really nice classic, the voice is another nice addition. A great example is my fav. pick on the album "Il Tramonto di un Popolo" where the voice is another part of the set of the mood of the whole track, not like in other albums where it just kind of follows along with the song. the best part is the end of the song where it just bursts out with this huge sentimental yell, its awsome! I always try to look for this one album efforts, where, sadly, the band employes/explode all off their creativity into a hand full of really great tracks. Like this type of albums, NOT allong the musical style of Capitolo 6, I could amply recomend Panna Fredda "Uno" and Le ali del Vento "1969-1971" (a girl on vocals, really cool!). Get this album if you dont have it.

"Frutti Per Kagua" is a previously rare and expensive album from early progressive rock masters CAPITOLO 6. If you are a collector or love prog-rock, this respected classic Italian progressive rock LP should have a place in your collection. Interestingly enough, even though the band hailed from Rome, this was is a concept album based on late stories of Native Americans.

The title track encompasses the entire first side on the album, running for 22 minutes. Their crowning glory is truly a prime slice of prog-rock heaven with beautiful flute passages interlaced with guitars and keyboards. The vocals are exceptional, even though I did not understand them; they seemed very expressive and fit well with the music.

This was yet another revelation for me in regards to the importance of Italian progressive rock. I realize I probably have said this before but it is worth reiterating, some of these bands early on were just as critical to the prog-rock genre development as British bands were. I certainly have heard enough proof of that over the last few years thanks to the superb reissues of Comet Records. This one is definitely a must have!