GENERAZIONI (STORIA DI SEMPRE)

Of all the Italian prog artists that came and went throughout the 1970s, perhaps none have remained as obscure and mysterious as the legendary E.A. POE (short for Edgar Allen Poe) from the town of Ornago near Milan. This band has a rather unusual history having started as far back as 1967 in a band called Angelo and the Spaceman. Basically this band consisted of an older man named Angelo and the three remaining members were mere kids ranging from 11 to 12 years of age. When Angelo called it quits in 1969, the three remaining members decided to stay a band and continued on as EDGAR ALLEN POE with the intent to write music reflecting the famous poets themes and subject matter.

As time elapsed though the moniker stuck but the desire to continue the themes of his poetry diminished. While starting out as a mere cover band that focused on popular music from bands like Led Zeppelin, Grand Funk Railroad, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and The Beatles amongst others, eventually the band members grew quite proficient on their instruments and became veritable songwriters in their own right to the point that by 1974 they released their sole album GENERAZIONI (STORIA DI SEMPRE) as a bonafide progressive rock release that featured a mature developed band style that fit well into the symphonic prog ethos of the day yet sounded completely distinct and unlike any other act.

The album was recorded in a mere three days in September 1974 and released soon after and has remained a rarity with only 500 copies printed on the Kansas label for decades until it was rediscovered and reissued accordingly but the band has remained a mystery for most of that time leaving no traces of its existence beyond this single point in history. The music is on par with countless other exquisitely talented bands of the era which were in no short supply in 1970s Italy. The seven tracks that add up to 34 1/2 minutes all showcase exquisite compositional fortitude with excellent instrumental interplay to bring it all to life. The band consisted of four members: Giorgio Foti (keyboards, vocals), Beppe Ronco (guitar, mandolin), Lello Foti (drums, mandolin) all Marco Maggi (bass), all of whom mastered their parts with perfection.

The music delivers the typically romantic classically inspired musical motifs with a brilliant rhythm section and outstanding excursions into creative forays that set the band apart from the competition. The weakest aspect of E.A. POE were the vocals of Giorgio Foti who didn't quite have the pipes to belt out the operatic bravado like many of his contemporaries but he was by no means a slouch either and delivers within his range quite well. While not perfect, the album is amazing in that it was basically recorded live in the studio with minimal overdubs and eschewed any bells and whistles as it was basically a DIY affair. Garage prog if you will without the shoddy talent. The ingenuity displayed on the tracks showcased a band that would've gone far had they emerged just a couple years prior and received the proper backing.

As a stand alone album that basically went unnoticed and remained so for decades, E.A. POE really is a testament to the creative whirlwind of talent that permeated the Italian prog scene in the 1970s with bands oozing out of every Italian municipality that developed the chops to release such strong material. It always makes me wonder how many bands existed and never even had the opportunity to record a single note. Probably too many to count. While GENERAZIONI (STORIA DI SEMPRE) certainly could've used a more robust production and pretty much everything else that goes into making a great album, it's amazing that this quartet even managed to write such amazingly competent music much less record it and put out an album. One of the lesser known but worthy editions of Italian prog that well deserves its place in the annals of history beyond a mere footnote.