DIETRO L'URAGANO

After their superb first album, I had high hopes for this one. It is rather disappointing. For one thing, it is entirely instrumental apart from parts of Claudette. For another each piece is rather a farrago of disparate ideas.

"Ripensando e" is an instrumental which runs out of steam about halfway though. Its not interesting enough to sustain its 6 minutes.

"Valigie di Terra" is like a patchwork quilt. It begins with a drum solo, not usually the best idea. After a while an atmospheric organ appears. Good chord progressions, but it does not lead anywhere. Instead a faster and repetitive section starts. About 5 minutes in (halfway through) a memorable and rhythmically incisive passage begins. Again this peters out and another unrelated sequence starts. Some Elp-esque chords end this. Then another repeating section which goes nowhere. An odd and unsatisfactory composition which could have yielded some fruit had its ideas been developed.

"Idea Imcompiuta" is under 2 minutes but still appears to be a hodgepodge.

The last and longest track "Claudette" begins with some soft jazzy guitar over discrete mellotron. Then some organ over a good bassline which, as usual peters out before it really gets going. A few more stop-starts and a singer enters. Having waited so long, his contribution is awful.

I doubt if there has been a greater gulf between two albums then this and their own other one. That was close to a 5 star, this close to a 1.