QUELLA VECCHIA LOCANDA

QVL's debut album is a good choice if one is interested in jumping into the ISP environment. Here you'll find a lot of the issues that made the sub-genre fame: bombastic instrumentation, dramatic vocalization, all-weather symphonic atmosphere blended with touches of jazz and folk, weird sound effects and neat rock tunes. The influences are all displayed too: Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, late Beatles, other contemporary Italian pop & rock & prog acts, opera compositions, some classical movements, etc.

In many cases, this mayonnaise may taste sour and indigest but it's not the case for QVL's "QVL" where all condiments are disposed accordingly, turning this release into a nice appetizer, truly an indication for beginners - considering that notorious ISP fans know this album from heart since it's really basal. Also noticeable is that unlike other Italian prog conceptual albums of the same period, QVL show a bit of irony together with the usual tragic and/or pastoral widespread themes.

'Prologo', the opening track is a fine introduction card for the album content, a real summary of everything to be heard en suite: flute, guitars and vocals are grabbing. 'Un villaggio, una illusione' keeps the climate warm with its colorful violin intro, later replaced by a mix of instruments playing in frenzy. 'Realta' is soft and catchy while 'Immagini sfuocate' jams intensely. 'Il cieco' closes album's first half not in the same level of previous tracks.

Final part is a memorable one, thanks to the stunning section provided by the last 3 tracks, a gorgeous and admirable musical adventure, supplied with beautiful flute and violin chords, backed by splendid piano and keyboards tunes. The farewell song, 'Sogno, risveglio e.' deserves the honor to be included in the pantheon of the great prog songs ever recorded.

No need to add more, except to recommend this magnificent album as an excellent addition to any music collection (be it prog or not).