IL TEMPO DELLA GIOIA

Quella Vecchia Locanda's second and last album "Il tempo della gioia" (The time of joy) was recorded in 1974 with a different line up featuring veterans Giorgio Giorgi (vocals, flute), Massimo Roselli (piano, organ mellotron, moog, vocals), Patrick Traina (drums, percussion) and Raimondo Maria Cocco (electric and acoustic guitars, vocals) plus Claudio Filice (who replaced the American violinst Donald Lax) and Massimo Giorgi (who took the place of bassist Romualdo Coletta). The strong classical influences are still there but overall sound is slightly different from the eponymous debut album and features a jazzier and darker atmosphere. The art cover is magnificent and tries to describe the content of this work where music and words loom nightmares and dreams.

The intense and dreamy opener "Villa Doria Pamhili" begins with a beautiful piano pattern, then acoustic guitar and violin delicately come in and melodic vocals try to describe the feelings that you could experience going to a pop festival in the early seventies... A sweet harmony plays with nature, soaring and gliding on the grass while joy makes people vibrating...

"A forma di..." (In the shape of...) is a classical inspired short instrumental that could remind of "Traccia" by Banco del Mutuo Soccorso. It starts softly, as if the music was coming from a distant place... Violin, counter-bass, flutes and harpsichord, then soaring vocals used as an instrument to colour some melodic lines... Amazing track!

The title track is more complex. It begins with a delicate and romantic melody. A sundown on the sea, a magic carpet ride towards new horizons... Then a sudden change of rhythm and mood brings in dark shadows... "It's like if you were beating the time of joy / And never the time of pain / Your smile is already there... Suddenly the air is trembling / Fear has already taken you...". Some vocal passages could remind of the gloomy atmospheres of "Ys" by Il Balletto di Bronzo, while others recall of Hans, PFM's merchant of dreams, and of his coach... A very peculiar dream full of colours and musical nuances.

"Un giorno, un amico" (A day, a friend) features jazzy touches and violin rides, delicate calm passages and fiery ones. It's a long and complex track full of changes and colours. Take a deep breath and imagine to run into the sun, just to find out new sparks of life and old fears, hidden words and thoughts concealed in a secret jewel-case...

The last track "E' accaduto una notte" (It happened one night) is dark and gloomy. It describes in music and words a nightmare. It begins with a choir setting a gothic atmosphere, then the music goes on quirkily while lyrics depict a snake crawling through the rocks in the night, a car falling into the void, bad omens and vanishing hopes... "A roar bursts out / A flash of fire / That suffocates voices already put out".

On the whole a really good album even if some passages could sound a little bit naives and derivative. Nonetheless essential in every Italianprog collection!