COME TI VA IN RIVA ALLA CITTÀ

Prog legends in their own right, PFM's place in the gilded pantheon of progressive music is forever assured thanks to classic albums such as 'Per Un Amico' and 'Cook'. However, just like Yes, Genesis et al, the onset of the 1980's brought about a new sound aimed at a broader audience; prog-rock this really isn't. Issued in 1981 and sandwiched between the studio albums 'Suonare Suonare'(pretty decent) and 'Miss Baker'(execrable), this lightweight slab of slickly-proferred Euro-pop was the group's sixth Italian-language release, but only the third since 1978's 'Passpartu'. It was also the first PFM album to be released after guitarist-and-vocalist Franco Mussida had assumed control of the group following the sacking of former lead-vocalist Bernardo Lanzetti, the talented ex-Acqua Fragile frontman whose warbly tones had given the group's English-language albums such a unique flavour. With Mussida now augmented by Patrick Djivas(bass), Franz Di Cioccio(drums, vocals) and Lucio Fabbri(keyboards), the sound is all about melody, vocals and demographics. Melodies, to get that oh-so needed radio exposure; vocals, in Italian, for Italians; and demographics, because this is PFM the pop group, not PFM the prog-rock pioneers. As a result, there really is very little of interest for trye progheads here, yet 'Come Ti Va In Riva Alla Citta' is by no means a dreadful album. Those with a penchant for smooth melodies, upbeat pop hooks and slick production values may well find much to their liking, and fans of REO Speedwagon, Air Supply, Toto and Steve Perry-era Journey are all advised to take a peek. Comparing albums such as this and 'Suonare Suonare' to the group's early-seventies masterworks is, of course, a moot point. And we won't be doing that here. Suffice to say, unless you've a sweet spot for those bands previoiusly mentioned, you should probably look elsewhere for yout Italian prog thrills. As it says down below: 'collectors/fans only'. I couldn't agree more. STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON, 2015