CONTAMINAZIONE

Here's an enjoyable Rock Progressivo Italiano tour de force on which Il Rovescio della Medaglia put their own twist (or "Contamination") on the work of J.S. Bach, mashing up their own original compositions with themes from The Well-Tempered Clavier. Pino Ballarini plays some dynamite flute on here, and whilst it's a bad habit to compare every prog band which includes flute to Jethro Tull the hard rock style in which Ballarini plays his instrument really does remind me of Ian Anderson's approach; meanwhile, Franco Di Sabbatino's keyboard style shows an impressive range, from Keith Emerson-like flamboyance and forcefulness to a more subtle approach which puts me in mind of David Kaffineti of Rare Bird (and Spinal Tap, though it's his work in Rare Bird I'm reminded of here). Whilst I wouldn't put it in the top tier of RPI releases from the 1970s, it's certainly a decent one which is worth exploring once you've covered the RPI essentials.