CELESTE

Celeste were one of the first RPI bands I'd heard of but it wasn't until around 2010 that I got to hear PRINCIPE DI UN GIORNO when a temporary colleague on secondment from Rome brought me back a second hand copy on CD after a weekend at home (from the legendary Elastic Rock.) The early- Genesis inspired bucolic prog on that album is indispensable and I managed to get the AMS vinyl reissue a few years later, then added the two similarly-themed LPs IL RISVEGLIO DEL PRINCIPE and IL PRINCIPE DEL REGNO PERDUTO when they were released. I've bought the limited edition vinyl version of ECHI DI UN FUTURO PASSATO (Mellow Records MMLP114) which has only five tracks and a different running order to the CD. Side 1 is comprised of PIGMENTI (8'47), ASPETTI ASTRATTI (7'34) and CIRCONVOLUZIONI (7'54) and side 2 ATTESE SOTTESE (10'31) and SOTTILI ARMONIE (10'51). The difference in running order doesn't affect the listening satisfaction because there is no overall concept to the album, with each tune standing up on its own merits. Despite moments where Ciro Perrino's distinctive Mellotron bursts into life, the album comes across as sonically disparate from the three 'prince' albums, being jazzy throughout with a marked swing (I don't find this a problem.) The difference between the 'prince' albums and this release is underlined by a full-colour, satisfying almost Roger Dean-esque cover illustration.

The tunes are beautifully melodic with plenty of room for development and the musicianship, writing and production are all excellent throughout. I can't believe anyone who likes PRINCIPE DI UN GIORNO won't enjoy this release.

4.5 stars

Two words to start: flute and mellotron. If for whatever odd reason, these two instruments are not among your favourites, please stop reading promptly. Phew, now that we got that out of the way, Celeste will always be remembered for their luminous 1976 debut album "Principe di un Giorno", a perennial monument of classic RPI with massive doses of the two instruments in question. Echoes of a future past is the title's translation, and it perfectly frames the music within the grooves, while the lovely cover art is as typically prog as one can hope for, a variation on the Roger Dean theme. Seven lengthy pieces should occupy your attention for the hour and 4 minutes, an aural voyage where the flute and mellotron mentioned at the start rule most authoritatively, giving enough spotlight to numerous saxophone interventions, ornate piano fluttering, and a solid rhythmic pulse. Two lesser known but legendary keyboard instruments are sprawled all over the album, namely the Eminent (an early Italian string synth) and the Solina (an ARP string ensemble), much to the pleasure of any vintage keyboard fanatic.

Surprisingly, the preliminary seduction is outright jazzy in its groove, the suave guitar and piano breezing along like two tanned lovers on the beach, until the warm mellotron arrives like a zephyr to thrill the skins' senses. "Pigmenti" is a gentle lilt, with a piano, bass and drum mid section that adds a mid-afternoon pace of calm reflection. Soon after, a relaxed vocal line paves the way for a glorious mellotron chorus, where a crowning sax takes the arrangement straight into the sky above, a liquid lead guitar solo adding just the right splash of intensity to the theme.

The lengthiest track appears next on "Sottili Armonie", a nearly 11-minute fluffy musical tapestry with a myriad of 'subtle harmonies' that titillated the senses to no end. Restrained pace, a focus on serenity and an unhurried buildup, still steeped in a jazzy mold, a platform for Francesco Bertone on bass and drummer Enzo Cioffi to set the atmosphere that would be ideal for any kind of introspective reflection, where flute and sax can conjure various pleasant sonic images. A delicate electric guitar solo from Mauro Vero seals the deal, inspired by a sensual Sergio Caputo violin cameo. This could have been Sade without her singing a single note.

Though the title might hint at a more experimental flip side of the coin, "Aspetti Astratti" (Abstract Aspects) actually seeks only to maintain the casual tempo, though a magnificent fretless bass solo is featured front and center, just in time for another radiant brass flight. The mighty 'tron enters the fray briefly, in partnership with the flute, just in time for Bertone to take an additional rubbery flex on his 4 stringed monster. Needless to state, I am gaga over this.

Another 10 minute+ composition, "Attese Sottese" (Underlying Expectations) has the acoustic guitar, flute and piano on the forefront, weaving a filigreed melody of pastoral beauty (a Celeste trademark after all), with an unforeseen saxophone solo blasting through the lace and elevating the tempo as the rhythm section revs up their engines, with Cioffi in particular hitting all the right beats. Bubbly Arp 2600 additions within the massive string synthesizers, give this piece that grandiose orchestral feel unique to Celeste.

Change of pace on the beguiling "Misteri Evoluti" (Evolved Mysteries), again forging a unique arcadian setting with a predominant acoustic guitar immersed in a kaleidoscope of sonic mosaics, before a brash sax takes the lead in flinging the track into a flute and bass romp in the rustic garden. The comfortable jazzy groove is delectably alluring, especially when all the instruments fuse in perfect harmony.

The crushing exquisiteness of "Madrigale" is heart wrenching, the most delicate music one could even dare to imagine, with a timeless melody that squeezes the arteries with loving affection. It has everything, a lingering passion that is skin deep, yet fragile, as expressed by the operatic female aria from guest Ines Aliprandi and a whopping saxophone outburst, one of the most emotionally charged one I have witnessed in ages. Utterly gorgeous.

The outstanding "Circonvoluzioni" (Convolutions) finalizes this melodious masterpiece with the mighty mellotron taking its rightful place as the leading feature, though the Hammond flirts temptingly when called upon, carving a massive symphonic wall of sound. Ines does another appearance on the microphone, adding more sophistication to an arrangement already moored in contemplative intricacy. A playfully whimsical saxophone fades into the celestial horizon.

All keyboards are handled by founding member and composer Ciro Perrino, while the piano was played by Marco Canepa, who also did all the mastering and engineering. A delightfully cohesive assembly of tracks that literally flow into the next one with nary a hint of boredom or rehash, this was quite the revelation, as I perhaps need to revisit my other 2 Celeste albums Il Risveglio del Principe (2019) and Il Principe del Regno Perduto (2021). Definitely candidate for Top album from Italy in 2024.

5 heavenly resonances

CELESTE was one of two bands that formed in Sanremo, Italy in 1972 following the disbanding of the group Il Sistema, the other being Museo Rosenbach which formed the exact same year. This group was the brainchild of Ciro Perrino (percussion, flute, mellotron, lead vocals) and Leonardo Lagorio (flute, sax and keyboards) who were joined by bassist Giorgio Santiano and took the complete opposite approach of Museo Rosenbach that delivered one of the most complex and demanding Italian prog albums of the entire 70s scene. Considered one of the most pastoral albums in the earliest prog years, CELESTE clearly adopted the sounds of early Genesis as did many Italian bands but accented the mellower parts even further thus making an entire album's worth of a style that many Italian prog bands were only using as introductory segments.

Recorded in 1973 - 74, CELESTE delivered a very light and breezy form of prog that offered softer chamber folk styled acoustic guitar parts with dreamy atmospheres courtesy of the soaring psychedelic atmospheres created by the synthesizers and mellotrons. While the bass and percussive parts are found throughout the album, they too are completely on mellow mode and only used to contrast with the almost new age styled melodies that were clearly inspired by the better known Italian bigwigs such as PFM, Banco and Le Orme. Sounding something like Anthony Phillips' late 70s albums such as "The Geese & The Ghost," CELESTE looked more towards the mellowest moments that early Genesis had to offer and left all the knotty time signatures and bombast behind.

The album CELESTE wasn't released until 1976, a bit after the initial Italian prog boom and didn't find a second released until archival material in the form of "II" emerged in 1991. The album has been nicknamed "Principe di Giorno" after the album's title track. The original album featured eight tracks at just over 37 minutes playing time but subsequent releases have offered varying numbers of bonus tracks with the 2020 digital streaming version featuring a whopping sixteen which effectively doubles the number and playing time. This is a true slow burner with soft arpeggiated acoustic guitars, lush flute melodies and beautiful classical piano rolls. While considered symphonic prog by some, it is more a form of symphonic prog folk since the music never really takes off into the world of rock even at its most feisty which would be moments when the saxophone parts can be heard on tracks like "Giochi Nella Notte."

The music is so pastoral that it makes you think of a soundtrack in some distant past in a quaint quiet village unaffected by any outside influences and despite being in the middle of one of the most sophisticated musical movements in the history of recorded music, CELESTE managed to completely drift off into a world of its own making where only fluffy clouds and zephyr winds gently blowing forest canopy provided any inspiration. Resembling non-Italian bands such as Quebec's Harmonium, the English Mellow Candle and of course early Genesis and Anthony Phillips, CELESTE surely must have stood out from the more complex and brash bands that populated the 1970s Italian scene. Despite these differences, the style is clearly rooted in that classic Italian symphonic prog sound but just set to acoustic mode. The lyrics are completely in Italian and eschew the turbulent topics of politics and rather craft an uplifting even triumphant soundtrack.

This one took a while for me to warm up to as i much prefer the whole enchilada effect that not only implement these soft and lush passages but take things into the world of heavier rock and beyond replete with mind numbing technicalities but after a few spins of this one, it's admittedly a bit hard to resist these soul piercing melodies that are polished to perfection with gorgeous compositions fortified with a beautifully woven tapestry of guitar, bass, flute, piano, violin, saxophone and tons of synthesizers including the mellotron. Definitely one of the most distinct and accomplished mellower albums from the 70s prog scene and probably one of the only examples to emerge out of Italy.

Review Nº 569

For whatever reason, Italy has been a country with a great tradition in music. Therefore it's not surprising the immediate success of the prog rock in the 70's. The introduction into the prog of the typical forms of the Italian music style gave to it a special packaging. There are three bands that have always monopolized the Italian prog scene. Le Orme, Premiata Forneria Marconi and Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso enjoyed some success brilliantly practicing a spectrum of prog that was divided between the delicacy of Genesis, the poignant airs of King Crimson and the irreverence of Emerson, Lake & Palmer. To the shoulders of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, all them published English editions of some of their works. But, other bands saw their commercial expectations somewhat restricted. Many had also a high quality, but they never were able or had the opportunity to have the success of those three Italian prog acts. One of those many cases is Celeste.

It was the idyllic coastal setting of Sanremo, with its warm Mediterranean climate, which gave birth to two of the most wonderful Italian progressive rock bands of the early 70's. Of course I'm talking about Celeste and Museo Rosenbach whose music still inspires and encaptivates our longing to recapture that early 70's period. Celeste was founded in 1972 and released their eponymous debut album, "Celeste" aka "Principe Di Un Giorno", in 1976. The music on the album is often described as pastoral prog rock with very mellow compositions and with some medieval and jazzy influences, embellished with a lush instrumentation, acoustic guitars, flute, saxophone, and topped with some wonderful Mellotron layers, like early King Crimson and The Moody Blues. That's a progressive album about beauty and it's always gentle.

More than forty years have passed since the release of "Principe Di Un Giorno" and Celeste got back to the original project in 2016 with a vastly changed line up. Now, we have their new studio album, "Il Risveglio Del Principe". The founding member Ciro Perrino is still on board with his excellent vocal work and the wide array of vintage keyboards.

On "Il Risveglio Del Principe", Celeste has remained true to the spirit and atmospheric feel of the early 70's sound and in particular to their debut. The entire musical score is beautifully constructed with stratum upon stratum of laid-back and gently swaying symphonic music. Many subsequent forays are needed to absorb and fully appreciate the subtle and deft instrumental interplay between all musicians. The collaboration between the various lead instruments and vocal arrangements are fascinating. We are treated to a great array of many different introductory sounds. There's an abundance of drama created within the music, the essence of which is the clever duets of interchanging lead instruments, flute, cello, violin and saxophone over a backdrop of melodic swirling keyboards. The vocals, too varying from fully projected voice and other background fills are beautifully delivered with much warmth and panache in Italian.

"Qual Fior Di Loto" opens with the reciting voice of a child. It includes beautiful acoustic prog with delicate vocals and nice Mellotron, acoustic guitars and flute parts. This is a beautiful and relaxing opening track. On "Bianca Vestale" the Mellotron strings are great, the flute weaving in and out with the violin, at times jazzy, at times folky, but in the end pure grandiose progressive rock as only an Italian band can deliver. "Statue Di Sale" starts with some majestic piano before the Mellotron kicks in, with a little help from violin and flute, making for some tremendous musical ear candy. Add a sax solo and you have one of the albums highlights. "Principessa Oscura" is a nice music piece with great violin and flute melodies, delicate acoustic guitars and nice angelical vocal parts. Again the beautiful flute and Mellotron are presents. On "Fonte Perenne" drums, violin, acoustic guitar and Mellotron offer sumptuous, dramatic and beautiful sounds to add to enchanting vocals. A bit of Mini-Moog also appears along with a sax and a jazzy electric guitar. "Giardini Di Pietra" has a nice opening with gentle Mellotron strings. Great flute melodies and some piano parts are contrasting with the classical atmosphere of the acoustic and Mellotron strings. The sax and flute are featured mightily on "Falsi Piani Lontani". But, we have also some piano Hammond, acoustic guitars, violin and of course, the ever present Mellotron.

Conclusion: "Il Risveglio Del Principe" has beautiful melodies, excellent sound quality, and vocals perfectly matching the music. It's an album for the progressive rock fan looking for easy to listen to music, calm and relaxing. This is an album full of delicate and pastoral prog perfectly in the same vein of of their album of the 70's, "Principe Di Un Giorno". It's full of beautiful melodies and played by a bunch of talented musicians. The album is beautifully recorded and has no weak points. This is one of those albums where the music is just so beautiful that your heart will ache with emotion and delight. Nothing overly complex, loud, fast, or aggressive to be found here, just lush, enchanting music by an Italian prog act that we should all be very happy that they're coming back. This is a consistent album that will be a must for Celeste fans and fans of RPI in general. If you like the the melllow side of progressive rock you will love this album.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Review Nº 568

As almost all prog fans know, the progressive rock music was almost an Anglo-Saxonic phenomenon in the 70's. But, it was especially a British phenomenon, in spite of some names that appeared in USA. However, there were many other interesting cases all over the Europe. We can especially mention cases that appeared in Sweden, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain and Portugal, despite many other interesting cases, some of them that ppeared in an unexpect place, I mean the East Europe, especially in Hungary and Yugoslavia. But, of course, we can't forget the Latin American countries and the Canada, especially the Quebec. But, above all, we must especially mention a European country, Italy. I think that once I read that someone said that there are probably much more Italian prog bands than Italian prog fans.

Towards the end of the 60's, the Sanremo group Il Sistema, was one of the first to spread the prog rock in Italy, even though it had never recorded a single LP. Not only the guitarist Enzo Merogno who later formed Museo Rosenbach in 1971, but also the drummer Ciro Perrino and the keyboardist/flutist player Leonardo Lagorio who, with Mariano Schiavolini, guitar and violin, and Giorgio Battaglia, bassist, were part of that historical formation and gave birth to the band Celeste in 1972. After about a year of work in which Celeste prepared an amount of tracks, in 1974 the quartet entered in the recording studios and recorded an album. However, for some reason (probably due to problems with the record label), the album was only released in 1976 when the progressive rock wave was running out. In any case, and certainly due to that, 'Celeste', also known as 'Principe Di Un Giorno', was released with the band already dissolved.

The intention of Celeste was to aim of deepening those musical spaces that had only been touched with Il Sistema, the more classic and acoustic ones. The melodies sought were not those from across the channel, because that had to be 'Mediterranean', manifesting the firm intention of regaining their own strong identity, a kind of an identity of the South European music. This led to the idea of creating less rock and a bit more symphonic music. The result is a dreamlike atmosphere that permeates the entire album, a sense of lightness that accompanies listening. Even the texts written by Perrino are poetic and dreamy. Thanks to their previous experiences, their musical culture and the excellent skills of all musicians, they've managed to create a very innovative and different product, where the 'classic' instrumentation, guitar, flute, piano, violin, sax, bass, percussion, mixes perfectly well with the electronic parts, Mellotron and synths.

The sound of a Mellotron opens and closes the title track. The delicacy and lightness present in the entire album are perfectly shown on this song with an excellent fusion between voice, guitar and flute, especially on the first part of the piece. The second part flows slightly along the lines of the first one. 'Favole Antiche' has an electronic start with the support of a vocalization. Soon the dreamy atmosphere takes over the track with the flute and xylophone between voices and laughter in the background, underlined by the organ and a choir. The ending is entrusted above all to the piano. 'Eftus' starts with voices and flute. The continuation of the piece is a skilful mix of flute, guitar and bass, with the use, for a short stretch of the synth. The use of the flute is nice, never too loud nor boring or tedious. 'Giochi Nella Notte' continues the sense of the album. Around the second minute, the sax stands as the driver, compared to what Celeste was getting used us. But, everything comes together very soon with the entrance of the whole band. Only in the last part of the track, vocals take over the control. 'La Grande Isola' starts directly with the voices to flow, with a crescendo, in a suggestive game between Mellotron and synth. After this, as happened on 'Giochi Nella Notte', after the 'storm', we return to peace by the sound waves of Celeste. In the end the synth returns. 'La Danza Del Fato' begins with space sounds. It might almost seem like the beginning of an experimental song, but it doesn't, really. The trademark of the Celeste is felt immediately with the guitar and the flute, above all. The very short track 'L'Imbroglio' closes the album. The guitar, the tambourine and the flute give a sense of a 'medieval' feeling to the composition.

Conclusion: Celeste released a very beautiful and pleasant album that ranks among the best releases from the Italian 70's progressive rock scene. They're a four piece that consisted of guitar, bass, flute, Mellotron and some synths. There are no drums, and the music is always very quiet and atmospheric. In fact, it's undeniable that its weaves of Baroque bows and woodwinds can leave a good flavour to those who mainly ask for moments of peace and serenity from the music. It's a very beautiful and romantic album, layered with Mellotrons and synthesizers to give it a huge, rich of the 70's atmosphere. The songs are brilliantly crafted and show just how profound a symphonic album could be at its most gentle and tranquil. It has great vocals too. It's an absolute gem, an overlooked classic that deserves a place among the best Italian releases of the classic period. This is a worthwhile listen, especially if you're into the Italian 70's prog scene.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Oh yes! "Il risveglio del principe" (The prince re-awakes) is a quite appropiate title for this album. You can hear remembrances of their first album "Principe di un giorno": slow, mellow songs with nice melodies. Almost exclusive use of acoustic instruments: flute, recorder, sax, violin, cello, guitars, piano, voices, and extensive use of mellotron (not an acoustic instrument, but it sounds like one, isnt it?), and yes, the occasional synth line. Fortunately (at least for me) they keep singing in italian.

Not a gem like their first album, but nonetheless a good follow-up. Though one criticism I may have is a sometimes sloppy drumming. If you did like "Principe di un giorno", you will like this one, just dont make your expectations too high.

"Il Principe del Regno Perduto" is the 5th full-length studio album by Italian progressive rock act Celeste. The album was released through Mellow Records in December 2020. It´s the successor to "Il Risveglio Del Principe" from 2019, and marks the band´s second album after their comeback in 2016 (after disbanding in 1977).

Stylistically "Il Principe del Regno Perduto" pretty much continue the mellow and pleasant sounding progressive rock style of "Il Risveglio Del Principe" (2019). It´s an ambient, soft, and atmospheric type of progressive rock, featuring flute, saxophone, piano, loads of vintage keyboards/synths (mellotron in particular play a dominant role), subdued Italian language vocals, violin, and acoustic and electric guitars. It´s all well composed, well performed, and "Il Principe del Regno Perduto" is a well produced affair too. Unfortunately it has the same issue as "Il Risveglio Del Principe" (2019) had, and that´s a relatively lifeless rhythm section. There are a few moments where the drums are a little more lively here than on the preceding album, but they have a tendency to just plod along to the music without leaving much impact, and it´s a bit of a shame and it becomes a minor issue along the way.

"Il Principe del Regno Perduto" is a relatively lengthy release, featuring 7 tracks and a total playing time of 62:44 minutes, which includes the 24:28 minutes long "L'Ultimo Viaggio del Principe". It´s an album loaded with pleasant and tranquill moments of velvet sounds and atmospheres, and it is overall a smooth listen. Sometimes it´s almost a bit too pleasant though and lacking attitude, which means that it sometimes ends up being pleasant background music instead of an album they you pay attention to. Some of the saxophone parts for example have a tendency to sound like something out of a cheap 80s movie soundtrack.

So upon conclusion "Il Principe del Regno Perduto" is an album featuring both great elements, but unfortunately also elements which aren´t that interesting and if I have to compare it to the predecessor, I´d say it´s a step down in quality in terms of intriguing songwriting and memorable moments. It´s not a bad release by any means, but I hope for a more stripped down and conscise release next time. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

"Il Risveglio Del Principe" is the 4th full-length studio album by Italian progressive rock act Celeste. The album was released through Mellow Records in 2019. It´s the successor to "I Suoni In Una Sfera" from 1992 and it´s the first Celeste release to feature material not recorded in the 70s. Both "II" (1991) and "I Suoni In Una Sfera" (1992) features archive material recorded in the 70s.

Stylistically it´s obvious that Celeste have aimed for a mellow and pleasant sounding progressive rock style, which is similar in sound to their 1976 debut album. They succeed some of the way as "Il Risveglio Del Principe" is a beautiful and tranquill sounding release, featuring a longing melancholic atmosphere and the occasional more epic moment. Subdued Italian language vocals, flute, saxophone, cello, violin, acoustic guitars (and the occasional use og electric guitars too), and loads of mellotron and other vintage keyboard/synth sounds. The influences are both from 70s progressive rock (early Genesis in particular), classical music, folk rock, and a slight touch of jazz. That part of the music is generally well composed, well performed, and well produced.

Where "Il Risveglio Del Principe" doesn´t succeed as well and where it differs in sound from the iconic debut album, is the omnipresence of drums. An instrument only rarely heard on the debut album. It´s not in itself an issue that "Il Risveglio Del Principe" features drums, but the fact that they aren´t that interesting and just seem to plod along is. Drums could have added a lot to the album, but instead they become a tedious element. They are a bit low in the mix and don´t feature the most interesting production either, so unfortunately that part of the music leaves a bit to be desired.

Other than the relatively lifeless drumming, "Il Risveglio Del Principe" is a high class progressive rock album, so if you can look past that issue, Celeste have crafted a great comeback album. So many years down the line and they still sound like themselves. I´m impressed by the strong identity of the band and how they are able to release something of this quality. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

"I Suoni In Una Sfera" is the 3rd full-length studio album by Italian progressive rock act Celeste. The album was released through Mellow Records in 1992. Tracks 1-9 were recorded in February 1974 (all composed by Ciro Perrino) and some sources say they formed a part of the soundtrack for a motion picture titled "I suoni in una sfera" written and directed by Enry Fiorini. I have neither found proof of the existence of the movie nor the director, so until I´m made wiser, I´m not sure they exist. What I do know, is that the tracks are selections from two various artists compilation albums released by Magma records in 1976 ("Musica Del Mare" and "Sensazioni D'Estate"). Tracks 10-12 are unreleased recordings from Celeste´s vault. Two of them are demo recordings of "Eftus" and "Favole Antiche", which are both tracks which appeared on Celeste´s 1976 debut album in completed studio versions.

Although the existence of the "I suoni in una sfera" movie may be disputed, tracks 1-9 on the album do feature a soundtrack atmosphere. They are subdued and relatively simple progressive rock tracks, using elements from both classical music and folk. As the material were written and recorded around the same time as the material which ended up on Celeste´s debut album, there are of course some similarities, but "I Suoni In Una Sfera" is generally slightly less interesting than the material featured on the debut album. It´s warm, organic, and mellow progressive rock, but it´s also slightly uneventful and at times bordering repetitive, which of course makes sense if the material were recorded to be used as a soundtrack to a movie.

The ambient nature of the music probably won´t please every progressive rock fan out there, but if you crave something nice and soothing on the ears and just want to relax and not have to think and analyse too much on what you hear, "I Suoni In Una Sfera" is a great little album. Sure at times it has a tendency to become background music, but it´s not a major issue and most of the time the pleasant organic instrumentation and the simple pretty melodies save the day. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

"II" is the 2nd full-length studio album by Italian progressive rock act Celeste. The album was released through M.M. Records Productions in 1991. The original release features 4 relatively lengthy tracks, but a 1993 reissue by Mellow Records titled "Second Plus" adds quite a few bonus tracks to the album, making it a 12 track, 71:18 minutes long release. The tracks on the 1991 version of album were recorded at Perrino Studio, Sanremo (Spring-Summer 1976). The 1991 version was limited to 300 vinyl copies. I´m not sure the additional material from the 1993 version of the album were all recorded during the same time period, but most of the those tracks seem a little unfinished, and in some cases they still appear to be in a demo state (some of those tracks are demo parts of the longer tracks). Actually all the material on the album have an unpolished and jam like nature to it, which makes sense since (at least the four longer tracks), where recorded in 1976 shortly before Celeste disbanded in 1977, and were probably demos of material, which would have appeared on their sophomore album, had such as thing been released in the 70s.

Those familiar with Celeste´s eponymously titled debut album from 1976 (also known under the title "Principe di un Giorno"), will know that it´s a mellow, intriguing, and subdued progressive rock album, featuring a consistent flow and atmosphere. That´s not exactly the case with this sophomore album though, which is a bit more diverse in style. While there are still plently of soft mellotron moments ("Il Giardino Armonico" and "Lontano profondo" are for example deluxe mellotron heaven), beautiful acoustic guitars, flute and saxophone, many of the tracks sound like either short unfinished jams, or longer jams. Celeste even break out of their comfort zone and play some jazz rock/fusion styled tracks. So does that make for at consistent listen? No not really...but it´s still a pretty interesting release, loaded with creative ideas, which unfortunately ended up not fully developed. The recording quality is also a bit up and down, as some of the tracks are obviously demos while others are studio recordings, but it´s actually less disrupting for the flow of the album than it could have been, but that ultimately boils down to the high quality of the material. You can´t keep quality down, even with a murky demo sound quality (which really isn´t as bad sounding, as it may sound).

So upon conclusion "II" is more a compilation of rare and unreleased material than an actual studio album with tracks recorded for this particular release. It does have the effect that it´s an inconsistent album and a diverse listen, which could confuse some listeners, and I wouldn´t recommend starting your Celeste journey here. Still there are enough quality tracks and ideas here to warrant a 3.5 star (70%) rating in my book, and it speaks volumes of how great Celeste were in the 70s, when an unfinished product can still be this interesting.