L'UOVO DI COLOMBO

The deeper one digs into the world of 70s Italian prog the more it becomes apparent that many bands were simply the result of the reshuffling of members from various other bands especially when it comes to the more obscure one album wonders of the era. Add to that very list the Rome based L'UOVO DI COLOMBO which translates into "The Egg of Columbus," a common phrase forged in the 16th century and used in the modern era to refer to a seemingly impossible task that becomes quite simple once it's comprehended. This short-lived band produced one self-titled release that emerged in 1973 with absolutely no support from its record label Columbia and as a result quickly folded and joined the growing ranks of Italian prog bands that were subjected to the obscurity bins for decades to come.

This band featured Enzo Volpini (bass, guitar, vocals) and Ruggero Stefani (drums, percussion, vocals) who had played together in the early prog band I Fholks along with Elio Volpini also having just left the band(s) Flea (On The Honey). Likewise the band featured singer Tony Gionta aka Tony Tartarini who would go on to sing with Cherry Five. Despite an admirable attempt to craft an accessible yet competently complex style of Italian prog based on the heavier psych elements of Flea with a more robust presence of virtuosic keyboard use, L'UOVO DI COLOMBO found little success with its singles and even less with its album in general despite a excellent delivery of strong vocals, well developed composiitons and a style that skirted the lines between a softer pastoral style of Le Orme and the more energetic drive of bands like Il Semiramis.

The band started out as one of the most promising new acts in the Italian prog scene having performed in Rome with Deep Purple as well as performing at the Viterbo Pop Festival along with artists such as Alan Sorrenti and such promise is evident on the band's sole self-titled release that followed in 1973 which unfortunately was a year that was glutted with similarly minded acts with just as much talent to match. Clearly there wasn't enough record company support or enough public bandwidth to accommodate every possible act especially when the bigwigs of the era such as PFM and Banco had pretty much cornered the market in terms of setting the bar so high that very few could match. Nevertheless L'UOVO DI COLOMBO demonstrated a high competency in its seven tracks (excluding the eighth short 22 second finale).

The album begins with the strong "L'Indecisione" which immediately establishes the album's dominant use of energetic keyboard runs as the primary focus along with a strong rhythm section of bass and drums with an equally competent use of guitar although emphasized much less than on Volpini's efforts with Flea. This musical competence continues throughout the album's run with Gionta's forceful yet brilliant vocals setting him apart from other Italian prog acts of the era however the band was less romantic and not operatic in the style that was popular during the day and didn't quite have the chops to deliver a deluge of avant-prog eccentricities in the vein of Area, Il Balletto di Bronzo or Osanna. With a clear reference to the keyboard virtuosity of Keith Emerson, the band adopted many British prog characteristics that unfortunately watered down the pure Italian sounds that were en vogue although like the majority of bands chose to sing in its native tongue.

The band's fortunes were really stacked against it in the fact that although invited to the prestigious Festival d'Avanguardia e Nuove Tendenze in Naples in 1973 the band had to refuse due to technical problems with its equipment presumably. Likewise no support from the record label in an oversaturated market led to a quick demise and the band members scattering to reform and go back to the drawing board. Although not the pinnacle of Italian prog of the 1970s, i find L'UOVO DI COLOMBO's one and only release to be quite a satisfying one with all the elements that make a great Italian prog album in abundance. Unfortunately this was a nation with an above average number of extremely excellent bands and therefore this one has been neglected however more modern reevaluations have revealed it to have been a veritable second tier band of the era. Certainly not a masterpiece of a definitive slice of excellent Italian prog without a doubt.

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