ARROW HEAD

"Arrow Head" is the debut full-length studio album by Italian progressive rock (Rock Progressivo Italiano) act Osage Tribe. The album was released through the Bla Bla label in 1972. Osage Tribe was formed in 1971 by Franco Battiato (vocals), Ninzio "Cucciolo" Fava (drums), Marco Zoccheddu (guitars), and Bob Callero (bass). The former left after recording vocals for the "Un Falco Nel Cielo" single (material which was not featured on the original vinyl version of "Arrow Head", but which was included on the 1994 CD reissue as bonus material), and the vocals on "Arrow Head" are therefore shared by all three remaining members of the band.

"Arrow Head" is not one of those mellow, pastoral and tranquil Rock Progressivo Italiano albums from the early 70s (most of them strongly influenced by contemporary Genesis), instead it´s an often relatively heavy progressive rock album with distorted guitars, jazz-rock oriented drumming, and a generally high pace and energy level. This rocks pretty hard at times, although Osage Tribe on occasion also show a more mellow and less heavy side (the opening minutes of album opener "Hajenhanhowa" is a good example of that). Organ, piano, and hammonica are on occasion played by guitarist Marco Zoccheddu, which provide the music with some texture, but other than those moments this is a progressive rock album from the early 70s featuring mostly guitars, bass, drums, and vocals. If you hadn´t guessed from the songtitles Osage Tribe sings Italian language lyrics, which isn´t an issue. The relatively unremarkable vocals are though. They get the job done but not much more than that.

The album features an organic, powerful, and decent sounding production job. It´s not a perfect sound production, but it provides with material with a good portion of authentic live feeling. Upon conclusion "Arrow Head" is a pretty adventurous release, but it´s also quite inconsistent and sometimes sound a little directionless, and I wouldn´t call it an excellent release by any means. Less will do though and a 3 star (60%) rating is still warranted.

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