RACCOMANDATA RICEVUTA RITORNO

RACCOMANDATA RICEVUTA RITORNO (Registered Mail Receipt Return) or RRR for short was one of the short-lived bands that participated in the exciting prog scene in 1970s Rome and yet one more band that released one mere album before disbanding and becoming somewhat of a footnote in the greater Italian prog scene. The band was formed by Luciano Regoli (vocals, acoustic guitar), Francesco Froggio Francica (drums, percussion), Manlio Zacchia (bass), Damaso Grassi (flute, sax), Nanni Civitenga (guitar) and Stefano Piermarioli (keyboards) and released its sole album PER? UN MONDO DI CRISTALLO in 1972 but soon folded due to tensions and disagreements between the band members as well as the record company applying excessive pressures to perform at certain events.

While in many ways the band was a typical Italian prog band with the classic folk and rock format that included two guitarists, a keyboardist, drummer, bassist and in RRR's case also a saxist / flautist, the band was led by the eccentric Luciano Regoli whose desire was to follow in the footsteps of the flamboyant Arthur Brown who was still rather unknown in Italy at the time. His first band was in Il Ritratto di Dorian Gray which never recorded its own music but proved to be the spawning grounds for Goblin's Claudio Simonetti and Quella Vecchia Locanda's bassist Massimo Giorgio. This experience prepared Regoli for the leadership role to steer his band RRR into more eclectic territory than what many other bands were aiming for.

PER? UN MONDO DI CRISTALLO is an early example of a science fiction themed concept album with lyrics written by the poet Maria Comin about a man who engages in an expedition to space only to return to a destroyed planet and all the loneliness and suffering he has to endure as he ponders the meaning of life and his struggle to find the will to continue on a depopulated destroyed planet. The album was one of the few post-apocalyptic albums of the Italian prog scene which set it apart significantly from the competition. The album features a series of musical motifs that shift between acoustically infused folk music with flutes to the more energetic guitar heavy rock. Regoli's vocal style is the top notch variety covering a wide range of octaves and evoking the classic PFM or Banco vibe however the music is darker and more mysterious.

Incorporating everything from knotty progressive rock workouts to jazzy touches, this album is designed to narrate the theme and offers a wide range of moods and dynamics shifting to pull it all off. The musicians are top notch with crazy keyboard runs and energetic hard rock outbursts balanced by dreamy symphonic prog touches that keep it within the realms of the romantic side of the Italian prog scene. The tracks are rather unpredictable in how they progress with off-kilter curve balls thrown in throughout the album's run without derailing the album's excellent attention to melodic processions that occasional veer into the avant-garde. The opening "Nulla" sets the tone with a dark brooding keyboard intro that paints the bleak picture of the stated man's mood as he returns to his once thriving life giving planet that is no more.

The album wastes no time ping ponging all over the place on "Su Una Rupe" which begins as a lush acoustically strummed dreamscape before erupting into a frenzy of knotty workouts and a passionate vocal led rock procession that finds an endless series of variations that continue throughout the album's playing time. While the musicianship is absolutely stunning, the production is a bit lackluster and has been a complaint of prog enthusiasts since the albums release however i can tolerate a less than perfect mixing job if the music delivers enough mojo magic to elevate the experience beyond that sole element and RRR certainly succeeded in that department. Fluent Italian speakers will also complain that the lyrics don't always relate to the concept but since my Italian is not of that level i can't say it bothers me too much especially since lyrics aren't my main focus anyways.

While considered by many to be a second tier band of the Italian prog scene, i beg to differ slightly. As far as success is concerned RRR may exist on a lower plane however as far as the talent and craftsmanship of the band's sole album is concerned i find this to be one of the most dynamically creative and well performed albums of the entire era. It's a bit of a strange one upon first exposure no doubt and requires an acclimation period but certainly delivers as many bold daring prog moves as all the greats of the day without sacrificing any of the attributes which makes it rather accessible in the melody making department. Nice diverse drumming styles, fiery performances contrasted with pastoral placidity and a more than competent singer and musical section. What's not to love about this one? Well, yeah the production which unfortunately many will cite as an inferiority. Masterpiece? Well maybe not quite but this is no doubt an excellent slice of creative Italian prog from the golden years.

A slightly scattered concept album about an astronaut returning to a dead earth. One of the top bands in the second tier of RPI 70's bands. R.R.R.(REGISTERED MAIL WITH RETURN RECEIPT) is yet another 'one release and disappeared' bands. (A second album from them was postponed until 2010, a bit late for most who loved them).

First song Nulla is only a church organ intro to Su Una Rupa, a Tull-esque baroque mid tempo gem. It's a varying of moods: some frenetic riffing immediately followed by classical guitar that leads to some Genesis in a pastoral mood but then collapses in a heap at the end.

Third song is the first real gem, Il Mondo Cade (Su Di Me), acoustic guitar and flute intro is good, but shows that at first listen, they lack in some catchiness to melodies. It follows into some nice drums with creepy high vocals, and is the best song yet. Univers Zero would be a reference point on this song. it then blends into an Amon Duul 2 Yeti style flute bongo and acoustic guitar jam...which trails off and fades out. That's twice now songs just end awkwardly. Final song of side one, a lurching jazz piano and sax jazz song seems very out of character, perhaps trying hard to display different moods of the protagonist returning to a ruined earth. This is their only burst of jazz on the album.

L'Ombra starts side two with an organ and piano duet that devolves into a Magma like piano and drum duel that I really wish was recorded better, as instruments sink into a not very dynamic sonic midrange. Vocalist Lucian Regoli is yet another powerful RPI vocalist that doesn't have that edge that can be offputting to some newcomers to Italian prog. Their best song, Un Palco Di Marionette is a medley of styles. What could be considered American 70's FM west coast stylings (albeit through that darn Italian lens) collide with some stops for a little Tull riffing. Atonal piano and film dialogue. harpsichord and a bit of le Orme all mix for a pretty good jam (their best one on the album) which finishes with some genuinely catchy heavy rocking reminiscent of VDGG that ends far too soon.The final bits are reminiscent of first Procession album, big 12 string acoustic guitars (here accompanied by flute) lay down a nice ending to the ride. Orchestral arrangement at the end attempts to put a bit of gravitas into the mix, with middling success. It is a nice outro, with background synths whistling and warbling over elegiac acoustic and flute melodies that are some of the strongest of the album. They saved their best stuff for side 2.

My gripe is that this is not a great recording. It reminds me of some of the first obscure Italian import stuff I heard in the late 70's when I didn't really know anything --but bands I had never heard of had in common lots of quiet sections followed by a bursts of activity with vocals that don't cut through well in a murky recording.

Pretty satisfying, somewhat scattered but definitely worth a listen. HIghly recommended for RPI fans though. Not for beginners, only those who have dipped their toes a bit into RPI.

Jethro Tull, Osanna and PFM with a small dab of UZ RIO stylings? Very Italian, and that is a compliment . This is another one that might not grab you at first. I wasn't blown away initially but after four or five plays, it made me come back at least once a week.

The painting that is the center of the gatefold album is a perfect encapsulaton of the whole concept.

3.75 stars

Raccomandata Ricevuta Ritorno have always been a band to slip a little under the radar of the more casual Italian progressive music followers, but they are truly deserving of far wider recognition! Their underrated debut `Per...un Mondo di Cristallo' from 1972 established them as an atmospheric band of note, and their long-belated follow-up almost forty years later, 2010's `Il Pittore Volante' was a hair-tearing, heavy monster of a disc that reminded that the `oldies' Italian bands truly set the standard in `comeback' albums of dramatic worth and artistic merit.

Fast forward to 2019, RRR have a very welcome surprise release courtesy of AMS Records for the annual Record Store Day event, in the form of a compact twenty-eight minute LP. `In Rock' offers an all-new eleven minute suite, a cover version and two earlier pieces that never appeared on the original vinyl release of their previous studio album. Vocalist Luciano Regoli and bassist/acoustic guitarist Nanni Civitenga remain from the original line-up, keyboardist Maurizio Pariotti and Alessandro Tomei on sax/flute have been involved in the band for a few years now, and contributions from renowned drummer John Macaluso and talented guitarist Lorenzo Milone fill out the group for this limited release, and it's going to prove to be a real treasure for RPI fans!

The three-part suite that adorns the first side is everything an Italian prog fan could want, an extended set loaded with heavy moods, classical bombast and grandiose gothic theatricality. The opening passage `Oscuramente' holds spectral piano, stark spoken words samples and Luciano's solemn rasp purring with dignity between the speakers. `Frammenti Di Vita' introduces ghostly droning synths and a disorientating collage of drifting voices, before `Il Momento Supremo's whips up a feral storm of thrashing violence by way of wailing electric guitars and wildly huffing sax. Macaluso's drumming really dominates here, an unceasing battery of pounding tension!

The flip side offers a cover version of Ozzy Osbourne's `Mr. Crowley', and while the English-sung tune remains very faithful to the 1980 original, RRR have spiced it up with plenty of flighty flute and colourful keyboard soloing in the fine vintage RPI tradition! Both `Raoul' and `La Spiaggia' originate from the CD version of `Il Pittore Volante', and for vinyl purists, this is the first time these two tracks have appeared on this format. `Raoul' begins as a cool Deep Purple-like bluesy swaggerer before lifting to emotional heavens, and the latter is an exquisite ballad with gorgeous acoustic sensibilities and a warm lead vocal.

Not a full-blown new album, a bit more than an EP, or perhaps something of a compilation?! Whatever it is, `In Rocks' offers a tantalizing tease of vital new material and worthy extra selections, and that it's housed in a luxurious gatefold cover with striking gothic artwork (painted by Luciano himself) makes it even more special. It's hardly essential, but an endlessly appreciated release all the same for Italian prog collectors!

Three and a half stars.

(NOTE: Hate to ask, but did anyone else find their copy of this LP had quite a murky A side, in comparison to the warm and full sounding B side?)

In 1972 RRR presented their highly acclaimed debut LP entitled Per 'Un Mundo Di Cristallo (an excellent example of the very distinctive' classic' Italian progrock) with huge variety and blending many styles), then the group disbanded and some members started to play in other bands like Samadhi and Procession.. But almost 40 years later RRR delivered a new album entitled Il Pitore Volante, already during my first listening session I got exited. What a glorious return, RRR still change very easily different styles and their music still sound captivating and adventurous with lots of musical surprises.

The album opens with the alternating Il Cambiamento: first a thrilling blend of mouth organ and propulsive guitar riffs, then a compelling climate featuring wonderful classical orchestrations, a spectacular synthesizer solo and blistering guitar leads and finally an experimental part with drums, piano and brass. All topped by powerful, slightly theatrical Italian vocals. This promising start epitomizes RRR their music because in the other 8 tracks we can enjoy a huge variety, an adventurous approach and strong solos. For example, from the sultry Eastern climate with passionate vocals to a surprising acceleration with folky violin and cheerful vocals in Il Vecchio. And the varied guitar work in Eagle Mountain: a Hackett-like classical guitar intro, then fat Texan bluesrock guitar and finally a Floydian guitar solo. Or take the Seventies symphonic rock in L'Uomo Nuovo featuring swirling Hammond, flashy Minimoog and sparkling flute traverse and the cheerful folky final track La Spiaggia that contains warm acoustic guitar, vocals and flute. So much to enjoy!

RRR their music succeeded to keep my attention during every second, but you have to be up to their varied sound and their musical contrasts. In case you are, this album is highly recommended! By the way, 3 years ago RRR released the live CD Live In Elba featuring both old and new tracks as some surprising covers (Led Zep and Jimi Hendrix) in the second part of the set.

Excellent and supposedly the only official live release of (La Nuova) Raccomandata con Ricevuta di Ritorno. Performed in December 2013 at Teatro Dei Vigilanti di Portoferraio, Elba Island.

Good set list with both old and new (from the very good "Il Pittore Volant" album) compositions, and three very well performed covers of Led Zeppelin, Arthur Brown and Jimi Hendrix! I was particularly pleased by the saxophone in Led Zep's Babe I'm Gonna Leave You.

Luciano Regoli's voice continues as good as 45 years ago (!) and the female vocals by Cristina Cioni is a nice addition to some of the songs. All musicians perform superbly and my only "complaint" is that I would like some 15-30 min more added to this relatively short (64 min) live set.

In conclusion, a ****1/2 stars, rounded to five stars.

RRR went right by my radar in 2010, but thankfully I got a reminder from my cat burglar prog friend that I should go out and hunt this sucker down. I know of them but never took the plunge back in the 70s when they made a slight stir with their debut "Per?Un Mondo di Cristallo" released back in 1972. 38 years later they reappear with "Il Pittore Volante", getting marks for patience especially when one realizes these dudes are from Rome, the bastion of calm (hahaha!). The crazed voice of Luciano Regoli is a highlight to say the least and guitarist Nanni Civitenga is quite a legend in RPI circles (both having fronted the delicious Samadhi) and drummer maestro Walter Martino is ex- Goblin. Add to that list some stellar guest stars in Lino Vairetti (Osanna), Claudio Simonetti (Goblin) and Carl Verheyen (Supertramp) and you get quite a stage to fill.

From the opening rocking martial shuffle of "Il Cambiamento", one gets the gist of what will unfurl with this long awaited effort. Powerfully confident, creative and expertly played the album has a crisp sound, a sublime cover and artwork, everything is there to keep any listener fascinated. Sitar noises, distant voices and rattling choices, evolving into a surprising bluesy harmonica that introduces the megalodon riff, accosted by the shrieking Robert Plant-like vocal and the plaintive synth searchlight. Tinges of Led Zeppelin, what with the booming drums that only add to the glory. Guest guitarist Massimiliano Castellini peels off a rippling solo that oozes painfully forward, letting fabulous percussor Walter Martino to bash to his heart's content.

Jazzier realms surface on "Il Vecchio", a more controlled piece led by sultry piano played by another cameo guest in Francesco Venerucci that ultimately peppers violin and sax into the stew, a tumultuous track that definitely evokes the passage of time as Regoli sings in his tired and broken tone.

The charming ballad "Il Fuoco" sets the spotlight on Cristina Cioni and her rapturous voice, some slick guitar flicks, both acoustic and electric, and a gentle expanse for Luciano to duet wonderfully with the expressive female voice. I mean a prog duet! If someone says that's too poppy and should be labelled next to Andrea Boceli/Sarah Brightman, well they need to listen to the instrumental background as it isn't classical orchestra, by any stretch. Nanni actually handles all the instruments save the drums and does a masterful job on guitars (both acoustic and electric), keyboards and bass. Wow!

The longest track is the 10 minute "Eagle Mountain", deservedly beginning with an extended acoustic guitar introduction that is spellbinding, then morphing into a bluesy paced rocker with sweeping synth coverage, Regoli grasping the microphone and howling appropriately, organ boiling and guitar sizzling. Further alteration as another duet with Cioni kicks in, before veering into a cosmic groove that is close to Floyd than anything, extended by a lengthy synth streak, giving invitee Maurizio Pariotti a lot of room to display his ivory tickling skills. Nanni on bass really kills it, propelling nicely. Finally, Nicola di Staso shoots off a frazzled electric guitar solo that howls, screeches and pleads.

The withdrawn mood of "La Mente" calls on the marvelous Fabio Pignatelli of Goblin fame, one of my all-time favorite bass players, to take center stage with his Rickenbacker and lay down a tight furrow. A distressed saxophone emerges from the fire, likes some fiery phoenix. The second section propses a total change of sound, as dual guitars show off a hard-edged bluesy tinge with both Regoli and Riccardo Santini stinging their frets, ministered by smooth as silk synthesizer phrasings and an icy cool rhythmic drive. Regoli's voice is sonically altered to be detached and vacuous as the crazed sax (Fabrizio Desideri) returns angrily, dogs barking harshly in the background. Really fine track, indeed.

RRR does Goblin on "L'Uomo Nuovo" with the renowned Claudio Simonetti handling the raging and spooky Hammond organ, the thumping bass guitar, piano, vocoder and the guitars. Cioni does sublime backing vocals of a more angelic nature, as Regoli does his finest vocal performance, nearly the equal of giants like Di Giacomo, Tagliapietra and Corviglia. Fast, rapid and furious, this is a crimson red Ferrari rolling down the autostrada, handling the pavement like a blanket. At first I thought "Le Anime" was a classic Robin Trower song, until the symphonics kicked in, densely solidifying the theme with synthesized dynamics, booming bass and forlorn drum beat. The streaking guitars are up-front and center, bleeding notes as hard as Regoli's impassioned rant, shrieking at times like the Zep Plant. He also reminded me of Mona Lisa's theatrical vocalist Dominique LeGuennec on their classic "Voyage avec les Morts". ZZ Top riffs and a hard rock female backing vocal choir accompanies Regoli's agitated voice as the guitar sounds even more like Trower, here played by Supertramp sideman Carl Verheyen to prodigious effect, tossing in some Santana-isms to boot. Prog-blues at its finest, there is also some Floydian elements found mainly on the Martino drums and Pignatelli's sure-fire bass playing. This was "Raoul".

"La Spaggia" culminates this splendid offering, a dainty affair, bucolic and breezy, a dizzying butterfly flute and playful minstrel-like voice telling the story with hushed amusement, and mellotron backing. Perfetto.

4.5 Flying Pictures

Bassist Manlio Zacchia was replaced by Roberto Gardin after the release of ''Per... un mondo di cristallo'', but Raccomandata con Ricevuta di Ritorno disbanded shortly afterwards, refusing to play at the Sanremo Festival, forced by Fonit.Luciano Regoli and Nanni Civitenga later formed Samadhi and Francesco Francica became a member of Procession and Kaleidon.But in 2010 the band surprisingly returned with a new album and a line-up comprising of Luciano Regoli, Nanni Civitenga, Roberto Gardin and drummer Walter Martino, formerly of Libra, Reale Accademia di Musica and Goblin.The album ''Il pittore volante'' was released on BTF, featuring guest performances by Osanna's Lino Vairetti, Fabio Pignatelli and Claudio Simonetti from Goblin, Nicola Di Staso from Libra, Maurizio Parlotti from DGM and Carl Verheyen from Supertramp.It was recorded at Walter Martino's Minirec Studio on the island of Elba.

Firstly you've got to give credits to Luciano Regoli for the impressive artwork of the album, the man had been a painter for years as well as a leading figure during the early years of Italian Prog Metal'lers DGM.Second, you shouldn't expect something very close to ''Per... un mondo di cristallo'', gone is the ethereal, bucolic and symphonic sound of the band's legendary debut and the style presented here is much heavier, retaining much of the symphonic qualities of the long gone past.''Il pittore volante'' should be considered propably as a Heavy/Symphonic Rock album with occasional Medieterrenean flavors through the use of acoustic guitars and violin, while the expressive Italian vocals dominate the album.The music is based on powerful electric guitars with some lighter solos and moves on the way, the extended use of synthesizers and the Classical-influenced calm piano lines, which are often interrupted by acoustic textures and more poetic moments.The tracks are pretty long with a deep sense of diversity and some BANCO DEL MUTUO SOCCORSO sensibilities during the romantic vocal parts, the flexibility of the album is definitely tremendous with some dark and complex passages via the use of sax and even some hidden Fusion tastes, when the violin is upfront.''Il pittore volante'' glances to the past in the sparse organ-colored tunes and the vintage acoustics are still pronounced for a fair length of the album.But the overall sound is rather updated, especially when the electric guitars, the high-pitched vocals and modern keyboards come in evidence.Fortunately the arrangements are certainly written with a symphonic background and the Italian nuance is evident throughout the album.

One of the most decent comebacks among the old Italian groups, especially when considering that many of them were pretty dissapointing.Updated Italian Prog with folky, symphonic, pop and Fusion vibes and a few pretty great instrumental parts.Recommended.

The future and the progress needs the intelligence of men to discover always more. So a man leave for a space travel, but on his return on Earth the world that he knew is not the same, devastated by a nuclear war. In a "not world" dominated by nothingness this man looks at the ruins of Earth upon the only remaining cliff, asking to himself why men have destroyed themselves. While he was thinking his childhood, a flash take to the sky remembering to him the life. An apocalyptic world which was theater for puppet where everything is now his enemy, leave in his mind only crystal dreams, destined to crumble. This Sci-fi tale, written by poetess Maria Comin, is well described by on of the most important one shot band of 70s RPI. This band was born in Rome in 1971, and despite they were very young, they had already had some musical experiences. Texts so visionary are well bonded with musical atmospheres with tones that try to represent the reflection of a man about solitude created by humanity, probably for the progress's advent that in its crazy run has fixed in collective imaginary the figure of a destroyer monster of their freedom.

This work is based on a classic guitar and keyboards fusion with the flute that has exercised a magnetic attraction for young RPI of 70s, especially associated to the figure of Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull style in general. The main themes of songs are "interrupted" by sudden changes of time which make more interesting the "apocalyptic" atmospheres sink into nothingness. Hysteric and obsessive rhythms dominated by piano, are alternated by folk passages of flute and classic guitar. All is enriched by some jazz tones and the creative voice of Luciano Regoli that vaguely remind me Peter Hammil style, however a versatile artist with a crazy love for art in general (later he'll discover to be a great painter!).

The dark atmospheres "painted" by a distressing organ in the opening song "Il Nulla" (nothingness), introduces the desolation of this world now ended that sometimes remind me the intro of the album "Inferno" by Metamorfosi. The whirl of thoughts that kidnap the mind of protagonist in "Su Una Rupe" (on a cliff) is represented by many changes of time that makes more fragmentary not only this piece, but the entire album. The voice appears as a lamentation of a desperate man afflicted by these visions, that try to understand the essence of men. To searching something the astronaut walks alone in "Il Mondo Cade Su Di Me" ( the world falls on me). The song is opened by beautiful arpeggios in Led Zeppelin style, and later obsessive rhythms of piano and bass give to us an idea of the walk trough the nothingness with some chorus on background, that seems to come from hell damned. Maybe this is their best musical passage."Nel Mio Quartiere" (in my neighborhood / area) is a nice jazz intermezzo, in fact the lighter side of these tones maybe remembering his childhood games. But here's return in "L'Ombra" (the shadow) the previous obsession that leaves no way out. A mixture of anxiety and madness that instruments reproduce perfectly, with a repetitive piano and usual distressing voice and crazy laughter. The beautiful "Un Palco Di Marionette" (a puppets stage) is a memorable song characterized by flute and piano with some Jethro Tull passages, in which is expressed a "sweet" criticism to the men that are little and without will, oriented only to their unnecessary problems. This is maybe their better piece, and in RPI certainly one the most memorable. The last song "Sogni Di Cristallo" (crystal dreams) sounds lighter however highlighting that all is lost, that "there are a thousand colors, that have no more colors".

A very impressive sound, with tracks that were often "segmented and interrupted" sharply, giving the impression of a confused work, sometimes. However this is a classic RPI album to listen to, made maybe by the youngest RPI band (the oldest was 22 years)!

4 Stars - An album not to be missed.

"For a Crystal World" - to translate the title - is one of the better of the second-tier Italian prog albums from the great RPI boom of 1972. With Luciano Regoli's gentle voice being a particular highlight, the album is also worth listening to for the skillful keyboard stylings of Stefano Piermarioli. The concept seems to be something about an astronaut who returns from a mission to find that life on Earth has been destroyed - perhaps a nod to "The Crystal World" by J.G. Ballard? - but there's not much very spacey about this release - instead, it's the typical RPI fare of early Genesis blended with other progressive influences. A strong effort, though not quite enough to put the band in the front rank of RPI bands.

Nearly 40 years passed between the recording of the bands debut album, the subsequent split- up, and the release of this, their second album. From reading reviews of those more familiar with the classic era of this sub-genre then myself, I get the impression that the music has changed quite a bit in this time.

This is to be expected, of course, and not just because of the passage of time or some changes to the bands lineup. This album was conceived by Luciano Regoli, who also handles the vocal and guitar duties on this album, as a companion to several of the paintings that he had done. My copy of the album (the mini-LP version) comes with a booklet that includes small images of the paintings, which is quite nice.

The music on this album includes some of the heaviest stuff I have heard in the RPI sub-genre thus far, especially the hard-rocking opener track (Il Cambiamento) which includes the use of a harmonica - a great sounding track! Luciano's singing really makes a great first impression, he just straddles the line where dramatic crosses over to cheesy, giving the music a lot of intensity.

Of course, the music on this album features more than just hard-rock sounding music, with jazzy interludes (Il Vecchio), great acoustic lines (the opening of Eagle Mountain), and even some great female vocals. This variety gives the album a lot of life.

Ultimately, it is these elements - the variety, the great vocals, and a healthy dose of melody, that really make this album an enjoyable listen from start to finish for me. It's obvious that many of these Italian bands coming back after so many years are doing so purely because they have something they want to say, not out of a desire for money, and as the listener, we reap the benefits of their passion.