L'UOVO DI COLOMBO

Not quite the Italian prog monster some make it out to be, in fact I find this album a bit overrated. The group released this one and only album in 1973 on the EMI/Columbia label (some pressings are on the EMI/Odeon label, which was simply an alternate print, since they both use the same catalog number, with only the "Odeon" logo pasted over the "Columbia" logo on the Odeon versions). The band consisted of Enzo Volpini on keyboards and guitars, Elio Volpini on bass and guitar, Roggero Stefani on drums, and Toni Gionta on vocals. A certain T. Tartarini (as well as the band members) is credited to writing the material to this album. I presume this was Tony Tartarini, future vocalist for CHERRY FIVE.

L'UOVO DI COLOMBO is an ELP-influenced prog band, while many other ELP-influenced bands get a lot of mileage off "Tarkus", this band seems to get their mileage off their debut, specifically "Knife Edge". A perfect example of that "Knife Edge" vibe is "Vox Dei". The first two pieces "L'Indecisione" and "Io" is typical for L'UOVO DI COLOMBO, not exactly the most complex prog out there, simply grooving on the Hammond organ in that ELP fashion, but you wished the music would take off. "Anja" is one of the few detours where the band ends up sounding like SEMIRAMIS (complete with Eminent, a string organ) or NEW TROLLS circa N.T. ATOMIC SYSTEM. "Turba" is a totally killer instrumental piece with guitar work that just totally blows me away, with the keyboards trying to catch up. No doubt the highlight for me. "Consiglio" is another one of those "Knife-Edge" like songs, while "Visione Della Morte" attempts for a PFM-style, but falls flat on its face, no doubt helped by that useless drum solo, places where the music didn't reach an intense climax.

In conclusion, the album is a bit too uneven for my liking, and I've heard a lot better Italian prog albums. Don't overspend (I didn't, despite that I own the Odeon vinyl - you're better off finding the CD reissue than the original LP).

"I won't save you, you only can. I always listen to you and know you never pray, so now what do you want from me?"

L'Uovo di Colombo's unique release has his own place in the Olympus of the classic italian prog. As usual in the seventies, there were hundreds of talentuous bands. Only the best or the most lucky managed to survive after the decline of the first great prog wave. Meanwhile, many bands graced us with excellent albums, often inspired by ELP, as the one I'm reviewing. The main national references are Metamorfosi and Rustichelli e Bordini, in my opinion, even if L'Uovo are different for the addition of (very good) electric and acoustic guitar.

Lead vocalis is Toni Gionta, next to be Cherry Five's singer Tony Tartarini.

The songs' structure and arrangements are a little bit less complex than those of the other italian bands above mentioned but all the instruments are played powerfully. The result is so great that deserves to be remembered. This band's debut was very promising, imagine what they could have create if they continued to exist. A modern italian band that clearly took ispiration from them is Nuova Era. The references are evident in all the titles here, most evident in the track "Consiglio". No epic, though, neither longer song. All the eight tunes are under the 5 minutes. Their success could have been solid...

I strongly recommend this album to all the symphonic prog lovers.

I decided to take a break from my series of Uriah Heep reviews by listening to one or two RPI albums and this one was sitting handily on the shelf next to the UK heavy rockers' discs. Strangely enough some of the organ registers on this disc remind me of Ken Hensley's Hammond playing. The other obvious reference point for this band is ELP, as highlighted in other PA reviews. There is something of a similarity with ELP but much of L'Uovo Di Colombo has a psychedelic pop orientation. It almost sounds like two different bands recorded this album. Just out of interest, the album title (in English: Columbus' Egg) is an anecdotal saying that is popular in some Southern European countries. It refers to Columbus' discovery of America, and how he challenged a group of Spanish nobles to stand an egg on its end in order to demonstrate that a discovery or challenge is only easy once it has already been achieved.

This album features in the Italian Prog website's top 20. Now I own all but one of these discs and I honestly don't know what L'Uovo Di Colombo is doing in such exalted company. I'm not criticising Augusto's selection in his top 20; I simply don't rate this album myself. I despaired for this album after listening to the first couple of tracks. L'Indecisione starts off in a psyche groove with organ, before piano takes up the melody quickly followed by some twanging guitar. After a couple of verses of the song there are organ solos employing different timbres. String synth introduces a mellow interlude before a nice drum fill leads into a fast-paced section with Emersonian organ and a bit of Moog. Ok, so far this isn't so bad but during the last few seconds I'll swear I can hear a didgeridoo! Check it out. The next track starts with some really cheesy organ and the song itself sounds like a Eurovision Song Contest entry. I don't know if non-Europeans will be familiar with this competition but hopefully they'll get my point. However track 3, Anja, is more like the real deal. It features lovely Italian vocals, soothing organ, a gentle touch of Moog and a graceful melody. I like this song! It's one of those songs where you immediately press the repeat button on your sound system. Nice. Vox Dei is another goody. It begins with heavy organ and stomping piano and there are definite shades of ELP here. Enzo Volpini's fingers make some nimble runs down the keyboard manual, matched by the rhythm section to good effect. Once the song gets under way with Toni Gionta's vocals it seems a tad too light and airy compared with the dramatic opening, but that's just me being picky. There's a fast jazzy section just before the end that adds further interest to the track.

Just when things were picking up we get the instrumental Turba, another track with tacky sonics. The first couple of minutes are just about bearable, but then there's this keyboard that sounds like a child's toy. Seriously, I think I can remember this thing that kid's played with in the '70s but I can't remember its name. I don't know if this is the band's idea of a musical joke but I ain't amused. The guitar is pretty lame as well; in fact this track is a complete cheese-fest. Consiglio has a melody very similar to Vox Dei and features some nice synth and psychedelic guitar. Visione Della Morte begins as a gorgeous acoustic ballad, similar in style to Le Orme's Frutto Acerbo. However, it quickly turns into a psyche jam complete with drum solo. The return of the main theme on synth then introduces a solo piano section, joined by flute-effects that bring the track to a close. This song contains some nice themes that could have been realised to greater effect. As it stands it's something of a hotchpotch of musical ideas. The final piece is the 22-second Scherzo, an odd end to an odd album.

I hate to be the dissenting voice where this album is concerned. It does contain some good songs but some truly awful ones counterbalance these. I would certainly advise newcomers to RPI to tread carefully here. This album is comparatively rare so you may have to shell out big bucks to buy a copy. It's not a complete turkey but there's so much better stuff out there. For anyone looking for some ELP-tinged RPI then Rustichelli & Bordini's excellent Opera Prima is well worth seeking out. For a more psychedelic sound I would suggest Panna Fredda's Uno.

I like this album a lot. It was released in 1973 and three of the members would go on to play in other well known bands.The singer to CHERRY FIVE, the bass player to FLEA and ETNA, and the drummer would play percussion on SAMADHI's album.

"L'indecisione" features pulsating organ with drums early on then the piano replaces the organ as the guitar joins in then vocals.The organ comes and goes.This is a catchy uptempo track until it settles 3 minutes in. It does pick back up. "Lo" is uptempo with drums, bass and organ. It settles when the vocals arrive. Contrasts continue. A calm 2 1/2 minutes in with sparse drums then it kicks back in. "Anja" is a top two for me. Very impressive with these fragile vocals that become passionate,the instrumental section also goes from mellow to full at the same time. I like the synths too which remind me of LE ORME.

"Vox Dei" opens with gusto as drums and piano lead.The organ comes in with attitude.The tempo shifts occassionaly. Vocals arrive before 2 minutes. "Turba" is uptempo with drums, organ and bass standing out. Guitar comes and goes. "Consiglio" is my other top two. Organ to start as drums and bass kick in then vocals. Great sound here. Guitar after 2 minutes.The tempo picks up before 3 minutes. Check out the organ ! "Visione Della Morte" features acoustic guitar and vocals early on. It kicks in before 2 minutes. Nice. Love the drumming. He ends up doing a solo. "Scherzo" is mainly piano melodies.

Andrea may be right in saying that NUOVA ERA had to be inspired by this album. No wonder I like it so much. And thanks Todd !

A charming but not exceptional "one album wonder" from the Italian prog boom of 1972-1973, L'Uovo di Colombo play a style of prog reminiscent of Collage-era Le Orme with a bit more Keith Emerson worship. Beginning with a wild organ-dominated track and concluding with a pastoral instrumental featuring piano accompanied by gentle flute, the album takes in a fair range of prog styles but ultimately doesn't quite produce anything especially original out of the mix, and whilst it's competently performed, it never quite manages to catch fire. On the whole, it's one of those obscure albums whose scarcity has amplified the hype surrounding it. Worthwhile if you absolutely love Italian prog from the boom years and simply can't get enough of it, but if you're just beginning to explore the genre there's plenty of better examples out there.

I've noticed that while most Europeans are familiar with the fable of 'l'uovo di Colombo', no one in America knows the parable. Supposedly Columbus was sitting back home in a bar with Spanish captains grousing about a lesser sailor getting credit for discovering the new world, insinuating that Columbus didn't deserve credit they should have garnered. Columbus randomly challenged the captains to stand an egg on its end, either end, their choice. None could do it. They asked if anyone could ever do it. Columbus brought the hard boiled egg down, flattening one end so it could stand. "we could have done that!" the captains complained. 'Yeah, but you didn't" was Columbus' reply, whereafter he presumably had the captains buy him drinks for the rest of the night. Moral of the story-'I did it first'.

The point of that off topic preamble is that the cover, with its distinctive partially shattered egg is the illustration of this fable. Whether this refers to any challenge-two band members were from the well known top 40 pop band I Fholks, so maybe there is an industry inside joke in there.

I think of this band as a catchier and more sprightly version of Le Orme: better singer, better use of electric guitar (see Turba on side two). The ELP comparisons are easy to see, some either intentional or not synth nods to the first ELP album are on display. Tony Gionta, later Tartarini is one of the better vocalists in Italian rock. He later was the singer for Cherry Five, the obscure Goblin precursor. Drummer Ruggero Stefani is an underrated force on this record, but overall it's not about any individual members, This record succeeds because one can sense the absolute comfort the musicians have with each other. It is hard to believe that they only did this one album, but a special album it is-no mountainous highlight peaks, just consistently good organ driven prog rock from front to back, zero weak points.

On transparent blue vinyl currently if you look hard in gatefold cover.

This was one of the first 'off the radar' RPI purchases I made after decades of only owning a bunch of PFM and a smattering of whatever got released in the states-RDM, Perigeo, Le Orme. I was blown away at first, but then as the wave of Italian prog vinyl mysteriously kept showing up in my living room, it seemed as if I had overreacted. But listening later, this record does deserve the kudos it quietly has accrued. I honestly like this more than the whole Le Orme catalog barring Felona and Serona.

Reference points: ELP, some Wetton led UK. Definitely Le Orme.

Highly recommended

4.25 stars

The deeper one digs into the world of 70s Italian prog the more it becomes apparent that many bands were simply the result of the reshuffling of members from various other bands especially when it comes to the more obscure one album wonders of the era. Add to that very list the Rome based L'UOVO DI COLOMBO which translates into "The Egg of Columbus," a common phrase forged in the 16th century and used in the modern era to refer to a seemingly impossible task that becomes quite simple once it's comprehended. This short-lived band produced one self-titled release that emerged in 1973 with absolutely no support from its record label Columbia and as a result quickly folded and joined the growing ranks of Italian prog bands that were subjected to the obscurity bins for decades to come.

This band featured Enzo Volpini (bass, guitar, vocals) and Ruggero Stefani (drums, percussion, vocals) who had played together in the early prog band I Fholks along with Elio Volpini also having just left the band(s) Flea (On The Honey). Likewise the band featured singer Tony Gionta aka Tony Tartarini who would go on to sing with Cherry Five. Despite an admirable attempt to craft an accessible yet competently complex style of Italian prog based on the heavier psych elements of Flea with a more robust presence of virtuosic keyboard use, L'UOVO DI COLOMBO found little success with its singles and even less with its album in general despite a excellent delivery of strong vocals, well developed composiitons and a style that skirted the lines between a softer pastoral style of Le Orme and the more energetic drive of bands like Il Semiramis.

The band started out as one of the most promising new acts in the Italian prog scene having performed in Rome with Deep Purple as well as performing at the Viterbo Pop Festival along with artists such as Alan Sorrenti and such promise is evident on the band's sole self-titled release that followed in 1973 which unfortunately was a year that was glutted with similarly minded acts with just as much talent to match. Clearly there wasn't enough record company support or enough public bandwidth to accommodate every possible act especially when the bigwigs of the era such as PFM and Banco had pretty much cornered the market in terms of setting the bar so high that very few could match. Nevertheless L'UOVO DI COLOMBO demonstrated a high competency in its seven tracks (excluding the eighth short 22 second finale).

The album begins with the strong "L'Indecisione" which immediately establishes the album's dominant use of energetic keyboard runs as the primary focus along with a strong rhythm section of bass and drums with an equally competent use of guitar although emphasized much less than on Volpini's efforts with Flea. This musical competence continues throughout the album's run with Gionta's forceful yet brilliant vocals setting him apart from other Italian prog acts of the era however the band was less romantic and not operatic in the style that was popular during the day and didn't quite have the chops to deliver a deluge of avant-prog eccentricities in the vein of Area, Il Balletto di Bronzo or Osanna. With a clear reference to the keyboard virtuosity of Keith Emerson, the band adopted many British prog characteristics that unfortunately watered down the pure Italian sounds that were en vogue although like the majority of bands chose to sing in its native tongue.

The band's fortunes were really stacked against it in the fact that although invited to the prestigious Festival d'Avanguardia e Nuove Tendenze in Naples in 1973 the band had to refuse due to technical problems with its equipment presumably. Likewise no support from the record label in an oversaturated market led to a quick demise and the band members scattering to reform and go back to the drawing board. Although not the pinnacle of Italian prog of the 1970s, i find L'UOVO DI COLOMBO's one and only release to be quite a satisfying one with all the elements that make a great Italian prog album in abundance. Unfortunately this was a nation with an above average number of extremely excellent bands and therefore this one has been neglected however more modern reevaluations have revealed it to have been a veritable second tier band of the era. Certainly not a masterpiece of a definitive slice of excellent Italian prog without a doubt.