DEDICATO A FRAZZ

There are a few albums in the rock universe written and recorded by younger teenagers and this is one of them. While those albums can sometimes be immature there is often an inherent excitement and passion that only the young, naïve, uninhibited spirit can conjure. Once a musician becomes older and more seasoned they may well produce better work but there is a certain spark to youth that can be imitated but not authentically captured again. Semiramis is one of those magical products of youth that is worth hearing. It also comes from the height of the classic period of Italian prog and lives up to the competition of the great work surrounding it.

The music of Semiramis is not easy to describe. I suppose if I had to try I would say its crazy theatrical edge brings to mind Ange. Gnosis reviewer Tom Hayes gives the best description I've ever read: "So it's an established fact that in Italy during the period between 1971-1974, a music movement existed where bands would challenge each other to see who could be the most imaginative, who could create the album for the ages. They were all painters and sculptors just as in Renaissance Italy. Dedicato A Frazz is Michaelangelo's 'David'. Combining elements of Italian folk, circus, hard rock, Baroque church music, jazz, classical, and a good dose of insanity, Dedicato A Frazz pounds every sense, challenges every synapse in a flurry of ideas. After literally hundreds of listens, I still hear a different album each time. There is no weak link, no attempt at copying others works, no tries at banal commercialism. Just uninhibited reckless abandon of the imagination combined with musical expertise. Most tracks have a few hundred ideas and change moods faster than a bipolar woman left in the cold. Acoustic moments are quickly offset by heavy electric ones. Quiet moments of solitude are blasted away by militaristic might. It's never enough to have one striking contrast. No, Semiramis pile it on from every angle. Synths go awry, voices scream, guitars go a hundred miles a second, drums jettison you across the room. How could a group compose so many ideas? There are literally 15 albums on this!" [quoted paragraph by Tom Hayes, 2001]

The boys from Rome started around 1970 playing covers of Sabbath, Zeppelin, Stones and Italian groups. Younger brother Michele Zarrillo, a 15 year old musical prodigy joined the band and wrote the material on this album. The band then started playing the Italian festival scene. Drummer Memmo Pulvano fondly remembered the Villa Pamphilli festival in this 2003 interview: "We had a 24 minute song to play there, at the sound check Michele made an astonishing solo, and all the technicians stopped their work to listen to him, you know he was only 15! But I remember noticing that some popular guitarists said to the sound engineers to turn the volume down....Then the show began, and when our turn came we were very excited: we had just played in front of small audiences, and there were lots of people there! People sitting on the grass and you couldn't even see the lawn! We started playing, and I had behind me the best italian drummers, and they were watching me. It was incredible; my favorite drummers were listening at me! At the end some of them came to me congratulating, it was very satisfying because I was a self-taught drummer. Our song ended with a long guitar solo, it was common at the time, and Michele played it perfectly, but the engineers turned down the volume, it was due to the other guitarists' pressures I had noticed before! Michele was really angry for this, but they told us we had played too much. I was very sad then, but after a while Banco del Mutuo Soccorso started playing and it was a pleasure!" [interview with Memmo Pulvano, by Augusto Croce, september 2003]

It's true as mentioned by others that the production is not perfect and the sound somewhat compromised but it's really not so bad. Poor sound is a turnoff to me but I have no trouble dealing with this album. The vocals are fine robust Italian at their lively best. The guitar playing is energetic on the electric side and expressive on the acoustic side. The rest of the band are fine musicians but not the best I've ever heard. Composition is amazing for a 16 year old kid, this is material you will have to play many times to fully appreciate. A definite grower. It is a great example of the kind of spirit that makes me love these classic Italian albums so much.

This is an essential classic for anyone pursuing an Italian prog collection. For the wider website I rate the album excellent but can't claim it essential to everyone. The Trident Records mini-lp sleeve reissue is fabulous with its faithful reproduction of the gorgeous inner gatefold art, and the fine booklet with band history and rare photo of the group playing live at a '73 outdoor festival. I would give anything to have been able to witness those large Italian festivals in 72-74. If anyone here ever had the pleasure of being there, you'll have to start a thread in the forums and write a review.