MOTHER FROM THE SUN

Marco Ragni is an accomplished Italian musician who prefers the psychedelic tendencies of Pink Floyd, which should not come as a surprise as Floyd is, after The Beatles, probably the most successful rock band anywhere. Besides Dave Kerzner's recent 'New World' release, this would be the finest PF styled recording on the market today, a clear and well defined opus that spans over 2 hours on 2 CDs. My esteemed friend and colleague Angelo has dissected the lyrical content, so I will refrain from paralleling his excellent observations and just focus on the music. The colossal set list is loaded with epic tracks that are woven with silkily smaller threads that act as bridges and intermezzos.

With a profoundly riveting bass line, 'Into the Wheel of Time' sets the controls to the heart of the Mother from the Sun, swooning electric guitar filaments weaving among the gentle rhythmic lilt, a bright sunshiny vocal from Marco and finally sliced open by a serene sax solo from guest Enrico di Stefano. This is most pleasant and utterly enticing 9 minute + psychedelic romp of the finest quality. The equally extended 15:15 long 'Sea Vibes' extols the virtues of glistening acoustic guitar interplay from guests Giovanni Menarello and Davide Gazzi, challenged by Enrico Cipollini's electric device and bolstered by Marco's now ballsier voice. The rhythm shuffles nicely, the bass guitar less prominent then before, all the focus is one the web created by the various 6 strings, and the complex vortex they create, harmonious one moment and suddenly despairing the next. The true essence of disquieting space comes across in the floating nature of the seamless arrangement, extremely deliberate and completely relaxed. One of the finest tracks ever, the sensationally distraught guitar solo is one for the ages, closer to Hendrix than Gilmour, raging and rabid as opposed to languid and pastoral.

'Haven of Marble' is another longer piece, this time clocking in at over 17 minutes, a thrilling platform that gives Marco a chance to comment on human stupidity in dealing with nature and finding crude (oops!) ways to screw the planet up perhaps permanently. The bass grumbles nicely giving a lot of gravitas to the subject matter (Marco does get theatrical in the vocal department) and launching a blistering explosion of pyrotechnics that sizzle slowly at first and then the boom-boom-tchak drum machine kicks in! Cipollini loosens a nasty rip, full of anger and disdain, tortuous and irate, a thrilling solo indeed. Ticking clocks, moody shifts and that darned saxophone blaring through the thick rain-soaked clouds, yes, there is atmosphere and creative expanse in these grooves.

A trio of short ditties, the first is 'Faint Memory' is mostly acoustic piece, guitar, keyboard special effects and voice. The second is 'The Light is Burning' and is more vocal oriented, upbeat and intense. Last is 'Get out of Here' and they all serve to expand on the story and offers no real musical journey as such. Not to panic, cosmonauts, the massive epic is coming up in the form of 'Far beyond the Line', a 4 part extravaganza that spans a whopping 22 minutes and change, with loads of detail and essence. A sparkling piano leads the way, gliding along a gorgeous melody and an angelic vocal that espouses an awakening of a conscience and some clarity in the road ahead. Acoustic guitars and flute intertwine like two perennial lovers for the longest time, until a jagged Gilmourian slide flight settles in, overtaking the spiralling vortex of sound and pulsating like a hurricane gone berserk. This is quality material indeed.

From here on in, the mood swerves into more acoustic realms, very trippy nevertheless with some late 60s brightness, contradicted by an absurd buzz-saw linear axe solo on 'Skies painted by the Wind' that has more Fripp to it than anything. A quartet of sparser songs finishes off the opus, a musical voyage of great value and character. As for finding some negatives, there are some but quite minor in the grand scheme of things: programmed drumming can be a distraction for some purists (I have no problem with it when it is well done), I would have liked more saxophone (but that just me) and on occasion Marco's voice can be tinged with a little overkill and sounds forced. But again, it's kind of normal to pick out nits in such a huge work.

Great cover art and a neat package that should please psychedelic rock fans of all stripes.

4 Solar mammas