GLI ANNI SETTANTA

I had always wanted to hear the songs from "Photos of Ghosts" in their original form, plus some of PFM's other work, and the 2-CD set "Gli Anni Settanta" (The 70's) seemed to be a good way to do that. And so it proved.

There are 4/7 tracks from "Storia Di Un Minuto" and 4/5 tracks from "Per Un Amico", PFM's first two (excellent) albums. There are 4/5 tracks from "L'Isola Di Niente", another excellent album. Also included is the track 'Chocolate Kings' from the album of the same name, 1 track from the album "Jet Lag" and 2/8 tracks from the album "Passpartu".

All my favourite pieces from "Photos of Ghosts" are here, but sung in the original Italian, plus other songs of equal stature. If you like progressive rock and jazz rock then you will not be disappointed. Violin, flute, keyboards of various types, guitar and percussion are used to form a rich, complex sound. Some tracks have an almost jazzy feel, others are laid back, others heavy; sometimes there is even an Irish sound to the music.

Apart from the more 'progressive' tracks I love the mellow tracks 'Grazie Davvero' and 'Dolcissima Maria' (from "Storia Di Un Minuto" and "L'Isola Di Niente", respectively).

If you are looking for melodic Progressive Rock with class then early PFM is a great choice, and this is a very good collection of their work from the 70's. Highly recommended to those who don't have the original albums but who want a good selection of PFM music. (If this were a 2-CD original rather than a compilation then it would have to be rated as a 5-star release.)