SPETTRI

Once I read something wrote by someone that in Italy in the 70's there were more prog rock bands than there were fans. As such there were plenty of fine bands who fell through the cracks and never got that record deal and a chance to reach for the ring of wider recognition and fame. Spettri was one such band. Founded in the mid of the 60's by brothers Ugo and Raffaele Ponticiello (vocals and guitar respectively) and two other musicians to round out the line up, they managed to release a few singles during those early years in the then prevalent beat style, but as the decade closed, after many personnel changes, their style turned to a more ambitious prog bluesy hard rock style, influenced by their British contemporaries bands such as Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Atomic Rooster, Uriah Heep, early Tull, and others.

The story of Spettri is very romantic, really. Strangely enough, Spettri recorded their eponymous debut studio album in 1972. However, the album had to wait until 2011 to can see the light of the day, where it was remastered and released by Black Widow records. Tough I have heard of some albums going through production hell and it's a shame that Spettri did not get a chance to burst onto a more global scene. Although this debut album from Spettri often feels more like a promising demo than a legitimate full length, the self-titled "Spettri" gives a glance into the past that the vast majority of proggers will not have been able to hear until now. It sounds to me like something from the past, a proto-prog album.

First and foremost, the production will catch a listener's ear as being quite raw, perhaps too raw even for Spettri's hard rock leanings. While the demo-calibre studio quality certainly fits Spettri more than an elaborate overproduction, I can't help but hear the music as if it were a work-in-progress. The musicianship is strong, but it feels as if Spettri hadn't got smoothed out the rough currents in their performance yet. Ugo Ponticello's vocals hang beneath the rest of the sound, spouting metaphysical Italian lyrics. Ponticello's vocals sound much more influenced by the UK bluesmen than most Italian progressive singers, although his delivery, like the rest of the performance, feels just a pitch under the weather.

This eponymous conceptual album appears to be a concept that portrays a man's search for his inner self by means of a séance, although it's also an allegory of the selfishness and hypocrisy of modern society and the decline of humanity.

The ambitious four-part suite that comprises the entirety of this 1972 recording was written over the previous two years and features many novel ideas along with changes in tempo and dynamics, with blazing aggressive guitar and Hammond organ leading the way, fronted by the Ugo's powerful voice style. By this time the younger sibling Vincenzo Ponticiello had joined on bass, along with drummer Giorgio di Ruvo and keyboardist Stefano Melani. For all the positives, the down side is that this recording was basically a demo, not professionally produced and one listen on the headphones will reveal a world of hiss and noise that might not be noticeable otherwise. Black Widow did what they could to clean up the sound, and because of their effort we have a chance to hear this proto-progressive good album.

What I like about the album is that it doesn't have "normal" songs. They only appear as a string of experimental songs of dark tone but not subtracting the much creativity and some supreme elegance on the album. So most songs aren't very original, but that doesn't mean that they aren't worth listening to. The guitarist and organist play rather strong and I heard enough fine musical moments. Take for example the track "Terza Parte: Essere" that starts excellently with an acoustic guitar followed by some fine playing on the Hammond. When the rest of the band joins in, the music certainly has its fine moments, really. The vocalist has a strong voice and he sings in his native language, the Italian, which is a common point with most of RPI bands. It might have been the main reason they never made it abroad and split in 1975.

But, the real standout here are the keyboards, and this is what I think Spettri would have become "known" for, had they gone forth with their music. Stefano Melani's Hammond organ has a rich, organic sound to it, and most of the band's compositions are wrapped around this, their greatest strength. The parts performed on the Hammond organ could have been done by Jon Lord or Ken Hensley. But it also reminded me at times Dave Greenslade. Even the early albums of their fellow countrymen Le Orme could have been an inspiration for Spettri due to the keyboards of Antonio Pagliuca.

Conclusion: This debut album of Spettri is a great archival discovery. They emerged out of the beat scene and went for a more progressive sound. They were obviously influenced by British bands such as Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Uriah Heep and even Jethro Tull. The band never hit the studio proper. This features recordings that were done live in the studio in 1972. But don't worry. The sound quality of the album is fine enough. It's a conceptual work with some spoken narration. Fans of hard rock with a progressive edge should find "Spettri" enjoyable, although even the album's greatest moments feel imperfect by nature. An obscure album, but one scratched and scarred by a weak studio execution. However, I would recommend to give the music of "Spettri" a try, even if the album is forty years late, really.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Share this SPETTRI review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to VianaProghead
• Report this review (#2944974)
• Buy SPETTRI music online with PA partners
• Show all SPETTRI MP3/Stream
• Go to SPETTRI page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to Spettri page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for SPETTRI related discussions