Best Italian prog albums

lucas,

Despite my not agreeing with you about ELP's Pirates in another thread, I have to agree with you 100% on your list in this one. All excellent.

I'm just listening to Celeste's Principe Di Un Giorno now, on headphones for the first time and I am picking up various subtleties I had not noticed previously. Looking at the liner notes, which gives the instruments played by each band member for each track, they are very talented musicians. I have never heard such a laid-back, mellow prog rock album. This has to be the album to play at the end a tough day. With this playing and a glass of good wine, it wouldn't take long to unwind.

Having now heard four of Deus ex Machina's albums, I would have to say that Equilibrismo da Insofferenza is unequivocably the best.  Unbelievably incredible - though it treads that fine line into prog-jazz (or at least rock-jazz fusion).

And for anyone not familiar with Italian prog, you are missing something not only amazing musically, but extremely important vis-a-vis the history of prog.  Having now listened to a great number of the prog bands representing other-than-english-speaking countries (i.e, not counting England and the U.S.), there is no question in my mind that the Italian prog scene was - and continues to be - the single most important (to say nothing of productive and prolific) European prog.  Indeed, Italy was arguably the third country (after England and the U.S.) to have a thriving, influential prog scene (and it may even have pre-dated the U.S.)

At the very least, you need to hear Museo Rosenbach's "Zarathustra" (one of the earliest, most influential non-England/U.S. prog albums), and any albums by PFM (an early trendsetter in Italian prog), Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, Il Balletto di Bronzo, Quella Vecchia Locanda, Consorzia Acqua Potabile, Alusa Fallax, and Deus ex Machina (a newer entry, but, as noted, a superb one).

Peace.

I couldn't agree more with maani's comments on Italian prog, and would add some of the other bands mentioned in this thread to his list. The music itself, the musicianship and the range of instruments used by some of the Italian prog bands make the albums a joy to listen to. Most of the albums are timeless; the fact that they are still available 30 years later and appreciated so enthusiastically says a lot.

Alexander wrote: lucas wrote: Alexander wrote: My favorite is Area's Arbeit Mach Feri. Arbeit macht frei  (i. e. 'work makes you free' in german, unfortunately this slogan is quoted from the nazis ) Exactly...(Thanks for the correction by the way)

sounded more itallian that way