L'ISOLA DI NIENTE

This is thrilling and extremely good music is what I will start to say about Premiata Forneria Marconi's fifth studio record from 1974. The only bad thing I have to say about it is that it is too short. First we meet a green record with a painting of a vulcano island in the middle and then comes the music in a wonderful way.

The title track is one of the record's best. "L'Isola di Niente" is a powerful, very progressive and epic track. Epic because it's telling a story in the tunes and it's not only rhytm, verses and choruses. It starts with a mighty choir and envolves to powerful rock music with fast vocals. It turns softer and a symphonic flute takes over the authors role along with great keyboard work and the hard rock and choir parts return too. If you have a quiet room, listen to this recording, but concentrate, don't listen with a noisy background.

Then we have a song in English, I think PFM should sing in Italian but they yet do a marvelous work with pure emotion and power. The song "Is my face on straight" gives prove of fantasy and I especially love the ending with the french like accordion. "La luna nuova" continues wonderfully with fanfares and for example happy flute. A strong melody takes form in the middle with a melancholic, almost Swedish feeling. The vocals and sweet but original. "Dolcissima Maria" reminds me of Genesis "Harlequin" or perhaps "More fool me"videlicet a calm song that's not in parity with the other songs. It's clear and beautiful and very different. Finally "Via Lumiere" starts very jazzy with a great bass solo and then turns to a fusion party to end in an instrumental marsch or a soundtrack to a film.

Well, another well produced and musically wonderful record from the magnificent music country Italy. On this record plays Franz Di Cioccio drums, percussion and sings, Jan Patrick Djivas plays bass and sings, Franco Mussida plays guitar and is the main singer, Mauro Pagani plays violin, flute and sings and Flavio Premoli plays keyboards and is the other main singer. Well I think It's a pity the record ends so fast but the 35 minutes scream quality so I do not hesitate to honour it with five prog stars.