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The Italian Prog Appreciation den

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andrea View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote andrea Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 21 2014 at 14:18
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TheH Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 21 2014 at 14:24
Oh my god! RIP Francesco!!!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Finnforest Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 21 2014 at 14:29
As sad a day for RPI as ever there was.....Broken Heart

But oh what a legacy of music he leaves us....
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote hellogoodbye Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 21 2014 at 14:41
Oh ! terrible news. Broken Heart Goodbye Francesco. Your voice and your talent remain unforgettable.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Todd Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 21 2014 at 15:01
The voice that seduced me to RPI...

Ciao, amico...

Requiescat in pace

Broken Heart
"I have seen the broken sky turn blue."



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Andrea Cortese Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 21 2014 at 15:11
Oh no! That's not possible... Francesco   

it's a hell of a nightmare
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Aussie-Byrd-Brother Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 21 2014 at 15:38
Oh no, I sign off to head home from work, only to get here and discover this....

One of the defining and most recognizable voices in Italian progressive music.

Thanks for so many wonderful albums we'll treasure forever.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote presdoug Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 21 2014 at 15:52
This news is so sad, RIP, Francesco!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Finnforest Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 21 2014 at 20:14
Yeah, at first I was just shocked......now it is starting to hit home.  This is really a great tragedy for RPI and the music loving world.  While he shunned the role of "star" there could be no denying it, he was not only a force in one of the greatest progressive rock bands, his voice was as unique and special as any in rock music.  Think about it....you hear this man....do you not instantly know who it is and how cool it will be?  His voice just wraps the listener in warmth, passion, drama.  Operatic but unpretentious, larger than life yet down-to-Earth.   I am just heartbroken that I was never able to hear him sing live.  How lucky are you folks who did. 

Banco was one of the first to pull me in.  There was QVL, Metamorfosi, Balletto di Bronzo.....and there was Banco.  The biggest of the "Big 3", the most "Italian" of Italian progressive rock.   I will be listening to all of those albums over the next several days and hope all RPI fans do the same.  I will say a prayer for a good man and his family who must be devastated at this premature passing.  If any of his friends or family members read this, please pass on the fact that many, many music fans are with you tonight and the music of Francesco is playing all over the world, tonight and always.  You have the love of the "Italian prog" community with you and there are a lot more of us than people realize.  

As a long time fan of RPI at this site, I can say.....when I think of a summation of Italian prog music in my mind....I hear a slow and sweeping piano intro, I hear a violin come in, and then I hear Francesco start to sing.....he will always be a component of the form itself, not just a singer in one of the bands.  I can give no greater compliment than that.  Thank you my friend....





Edited by Finnforest - February 21 2014 at 20:37
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Atavachron Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 21 2014 at 20:20
He was an Italian national treasure to me, though maybe not a mainstream one.  I do hope someone over there publicly marks his passing.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dr prog Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 21 2014 at 21:49
RIP Frank. Banco were a fine band
All I like is prog related bands beginning late 60's/early 70's. Their music from 1968 - 83 has the composition and sound which will never be beaten. Perfect blend of jazz, classical, folk and rock.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Todd Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 22 2014 at 00:27
This was sent out by our friend Greg Walker of Synphonic Music, and it's just too good to not pass on:

"As most of you know, Francesco was the closest thing that prog had to Pavarotti. He fronted the greatest Italian 70's prog band and his amazing voice and stage presence was second to none. I still remember as a youngster (circa 1981 when I was 15 and just learning about progressive music) walking through the record aisles of an L.A. K-Mart trying to find a third album in the 3 for .99 cents record deal they were having (ah, those were the days!) when I came across the self-titled 1975 compilation release. Looking at it and chuckling over the cover of a fat guy throwing up a shoe and then turning it over to see the same fat guy on a scale I thought, well...I might as well buy it (as a joke). I then noticed the instrumentation and thought, holy crap, this thing might actually be good. I still remember taking it home and being blown away over the music, vocals and level of musicianship. I owned every Banco record soon after.

In 2000 we invited Banco to our Progfest 2000 festival. We didn't know that we were supposed to pay for their food while they were here (they never mentioned it in advance) and I remember the sweat dripping down my forehead as I begrudgingly handed over my credit card to Francesco. Spock's Beard was performing that evening at the Troubadour in Hollywood and I drove the band out there to see them. About halfway through they decided to go nearby to get something to eat. About an hour later I went to check up on them and found them next door at an Italian restaurant (of all places!). The band and crew was sitting around a 12 foot table amid piles of salad, pasta, bottles of wine and everything else they could possibly order. I'm almost in tears at the sight and I think I'm still paying off that darn meal to this day.

They had a great performance and we had an after-festival party at my house the next evening. I have a picture somewhere of Francesco asleep on my couch.  It was kind of a surreal moment as here it was 20 years later and Francesco's in my living room. Back in the early days, these guys might as well of lived on the moon as you figured you would never see them in concert and certainly never meet them. Of course those were the days before the invention of the internet (thanks Al Gore!) and the prog music festivals which changed everything (for the meager prog community). The next day I drove him to the airport and we talked about music and art the entire way.

I was fortunate enough to see Banco perform at NEARfest in 2001. To this day, it stands out as my all-time favorite concert. It was one of those magical concerts you rarely see. Those of you who were there know what I mean."

R.I.P. Francesco! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIGvLXHd2ZM

"I have seen the broken sky turn blue."



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sagichim Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 22 2014 at 01:28
Oh No!! I can't believe it...

My favorite Italian vocalist by far...what a giant loss.

RIP big man.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Tony R Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 22 2014 at 02:28
Sad news.
Is someone creating an appreciation thread?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote hellogoodbye Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 22 2014 at 03:57

That short and unfinished song on the first Banco's album has always meant for me the promise of an eternal return. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa25XcUek7U


RIP, mon ami. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote verslibre Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 22 2014 at 12:47
RIP Francesco. Greg Walker (Syn-phonic) circulated an email yesterday reporting the passing of FdG. He included a nice flashback about meeting the band (his heroes) after booking them for ProgFest 2000 in Los Angeles. I attended that fest and was fortunately able to witness Banco in all their glory, Their 2-hour performance went by so fast because it was so good. A sad time in the progressive rock community...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote verslibre Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 22 2014 at 13:24
Originally posted by Aussie-Byrd-Brother Aussie-Byrd-Brother wrote:

I've been doing almost all my shopping here for endless years:

http://synphonic.8m.com/

Now, the website isn't much to look at, and you don't know if something is actually in stock until you contact, but all you have to do is make a list, email the owner Greg Walker, and he'll get back to you. His shipping costs are superb, items arrive super quick, and he's a very nice guy as well.

Check it out, and prepare to have your wallet emptied!


A M E N. Greg is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet, too. And if you've a question, he's got an answer. Been buying from him for twenty years.
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verslibre View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote verslibre Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 22 2014 at 13:26
Originally posted by presdoug presdoug wrote:

I have some big news, guys. I recieved a nice thanks in a PM to me from none other than the lead guitarist of Libra! He is now a member of PA, and his username is "musicanico", and just joined this morning.Thumbs Up                      (I guess he must have read my 5 star reviews of two Libra albums)



That's awesome. Great, great band. I prefer Schock to the debut, but both are essential.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AEProgman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 22 2014 at 19:35
Very sad news to hear.  I am just beginning to appreciate him and the band.  His voice is as Jim mentioned above, Operatic but not over the top.  His vocals perfectly captures the Italian flare!
 
I just got the live album "Seguendo le Tracce"  this evening from iTunes and am on my second listen (first live album of any RPI I own).  What a great, great performance!!
 
arrivederci...Francesco
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Prog_Traveller Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 22 2014 at 20:22
Yep, sad news in not just the world of Italian prog(RPI)but prog in general. I can't believe nobody started an official thread for this in the prog forum. Banco might not be a household name among US music fans but I'd like to think they are among prog fans at least. If not they should be.

I had the honor of meeting the band including Francesco briefly after their first performance at Nearfest 2001 and had them sign my copy of "Darwin." A great, great singer and that performance was one of the best I've seen. RIP Francesco.


Edited by Prog_Traveller - February 22 2014 at 20:45
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