SULLE CORDE DI ARIES

Franco Battiato here offers a strange blend of progressively inclined folk rock and early electronic experimentation; I'm inclined to suggest a collaboration between Nick Drake (or a version of Drake steeped in the Italian folk tradition) and early Tangerine Dream. Those whose exposure to Italian progressive rock has focused on the big name bands like Le Orme, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, and PFM will find this decidedly surprising, because although this is a distinctively Italian album (through the folk influences in particular) and it's undeniably progressive, Battiato seems to be performing from an entirely different planet from his RPI contemporaries, making him a true original.