STUDIO COLLECTION 1970 - 1980

Symphonic Prog is one of my favourite styles. Italian Symphonic Prog is really good, and I love PFM and BMS, so I decided to explore a bit more. The reviews about the different records of Le Orme are confusing, as "Italian soccer fans" each one saying his favourite record is better. Browsing the page of one of the sponsors of this site, I found this two cd set that looked as a bargain so I decided to order it. The two cd's are well different. I like the first one, wich covers an early single and the first four records, but the second one is more pop oriented and it really bores me, so I will review only to the first one. The first two tracks are songs from the early years, not prog but nice. Then, come five tracks from "Collage" and another five from "Uomo di pezza". In both cases, the selection covers more than 70% of the total time of each album and in my opinion are the best songs. Great music and lyrics, very enjoyable, with some British influence plus the "Mediterranean" touch of the Italian Prog. Finally there are three tracks from "Felona e Sorona" and three more from "Contrappunti". There are lighter than the others, but good. The booklet is excellent, with a review of Le Orme's history, and reproductions of the artwork of all of their albums and singles. In my opinion Le Orme, one of the pioneers of Italian Symphonic Prog, is well behind PFM and BMS, to name the most popular bands of the genre. Anyway,it was a wise buy. I think Le Orme is god enough to recommend this cd set to anyone like me, who loves prog rock and wants to know more about Italian Symphonic Prog.