SIEGFRIED, IL DRAGO E ALTRE STORIE

A very hard to find nowadays LP,''Siegfried, il drago e altre storie'' is the only work by this obscure Italian band,who were formed in 1974 in Turin.Initally ERRATA CORRIGE started as a no-name trio,before becoming a quartet and record two tapes entitled ''Da mago a musicista'' and ''Saturday il cavaliere'' respectively.With the addition of guitarist Mike Abate they named themselves as ERRATA CORRIGE and recorded the presented LP in 1976.

A nice album containing dreamy and pastoral progressive rock surrounded by countless vocal harmonies.Lying somewhere between folk,jazz and classical rock with only a touch of pop,''Siegfried, il drago e altre storie'' is based mainly on the soft acoustic guitar playing,the light flutes presented from time to time and the slightly jazzy yet wonderful rhythm section with a psychedelic edge.Nice electric guitar melodies,sparse cello work and the careful use of piano and synthesizers fill this release with a tremendously unique colour,while additionally the album contains some light yet extremely beautiful instrumental interplays..All of the above elements of the musicianship are covered with superb,dreamy and ethereal vocal lines by almost the whole band,which gives the album an extra point of intensity and atmosphere and sometimes you'll be amazed,realizing that you are focusing more on the vocal arrangements than the musicianship.At the end,all tracks seem like a nice story unfolding through the listening (though I do not understand Italian) and are nicely connected to each other.''Siegfried, il drago e altre storie'' is a very good album indeed and could be appreciated from a simply decent work to a lost gem of the 70's,depending on your tastes...By my side ERRATA CORRIGE's debut is considered as a very nice and forgotten work from the 70's,heading mainly to fans of soft symphonic and folkish progressive rock.

Final rating: 3.5 stars.. ...