GLEEMEN

GLEEMAN was the first stomping grounds for the band Garybaldi which formed in Geneva, Italy in 1965 by Pier Nicolò "Bambi" Fossati. As GLEEMAN the early version of the band was a typical 60s beat band playing covers of rock bands like The Rolling Stones however it didn't take long at all for Fossati to discover the late great Jimi Hendrix who single handedly inspired him to up his game and jump into the world of heavier psychedelic rock with more complexities. Along with Lio Marchi (organ, piano), Maurizio Cassinelli (drums), Angelo Traverso (bass) and Marco Zoccheddu (guitar) the band released its sole eponymously titled album which showcased Fossati's feisty Hendrix inspired guitar playing that allowed the GLEEMEN / Garybaldi sound to stand out in the early years of Italian prog.

While not quite a crazy complex prog act yet, GLEEMEN were pioneers of Italian progressive pop and crafted some excellent songs on its ten track album that featured Fossati's wild and eccentric Hendrix inspired guitar playing as well as some excellent keyboard and organ performances by Lio Marchi which weren't quite Keith Emerson but much more virtuosic than the average heavy psych band of the era. Bordering on hard rock and hinting at the prog path that Garybaldi would embark on for two albums, GLEEMEN mastered the art of crafting catchy pop infused songs that added the extra edge of excellent instrumental interplay and top notch musicians who were ready for the more complex world of prog but just hadn't gotten there yet.

The album featured that 1970 transition sound where the worlds of 60s beat and heavy psych were morphing into progressive rock and hard rock. GLEEMEN somehow skirted the very middle stages where all those styles intersected. The catchy tunes begin right off the bat with the opening "Farfalle Senza Pois" which features a period Hammond organ and some vocal harmonies before jumping into a feisty funk guitar riffing session accompanied by some excellent 60s psychedelic organ playing sounding like a mix of The Doors and perhaps Shocking Blue! Fossati wastes no time demonstrating his virtuoso guitar playing skills that are clearly out of the Hendrix playbook but with a personality and style all their own. In fact he sort of reminds me of the style Uli Roth would adopt on the Scorpions' first hard rock phase.

The album delivers some excellent harder rock performances but also knows when to turn up the psych with a nice trippy second track "Shilaila dea dell'amore" adding a lysergic touch. Here Fossati demonstrates his ability to adapt his guitar playing to just about any style. The use of echo effects and a solid groovy bass and percussive offers the perfect heavy psych sound of the era made all the better by Fossati's equally impressive vocal style that delivers that romantic Italian language delivery system yet given a bit of a rougher edge to fit the heavier aspects of the album. Tracks like "Spirit" provide the perfect platform to showcase the Hendrix guitar style as well as some of the coolest organ performances in the world of heavy psych. Fossati also shows his ability to sing at a rapid pace and almost sounds like he's ready to rap and roll! The longest track "Chi Sei Tu, Uomo" is a near 7-minute bluesy rocker sounding something like Led Zeppelin's first album but a bit more energetic. The track also features some excellent drum solos.

"Un'amico" features a bouncy even danceable groove that finds the dueling guitar and keyboards that sounds like a Beatles pop song played with Doors-like keys and Hendrix-like guitars. The organ parts get down and dirty on this one. Very cool! The tracks "Bha-tha-hella," "Clakson" and "Dei O Confusione" deliver more of the same with different flavors but once again generate the perfect mix of heavy psych, blues rock, early Italian prog and sunshine pop! The last two tracks are very different with "Induzione Part 1 & 2" more in classical mode with the opening keyboards but then morphs into a guitar riffing heavy psych frenzy with clever song shifts from verse to chorus. The band members were excellent composers. The closing "Divertimento" takes a completely opposite approach and provides the proper meltdown to end the album with an avant-garde performance of improvised soundscapes that are rather nebulous and devoid of melody.

While not quite a prog band yet, GLEEMEN did feature a nice group of excellent musicians who performed surprisingly well and best of all the songs on this one are all instantly catchy and showcased a true creative genius of mixing and melding 60s influences and putting them into the context of Italian progressive pop. The band would continue with this basic formula as Garybaldi but would take it all into a more sophisticated progressive arena. While prog purists may find this album a bit too mainstream for their tastes, for anyone who loves some very well performed beat-inspired 60s pop mixed with the harder heavy psych elements of the 60s rockers, especially Hendrix then you will love this. These guys did an excellent job reinterpreting the classic sounds of the 60s and putting them into an Italian rock context. Add to that i absolutely love the album cover art as its one of the most satisfying and trippy representations of the entire psych era. This album is excellent!