STORIA DI UN MINUTO

No tour of Italian Prog would be valid without PFM, and so it was that I acquired their debut album after being pretty ambivalent toward the samples I'd heard. I am not a big fan of early King Crimson or ELP, which clearly heavily influenced this disc. However, one of my biggest beefs with those bands is meandering songs and an overbloated approach. PFM, in contrast, takes the big keys and Moody Blues airiness and adds a much more economic sense of composition and monstrously better focus within each song. Once again, I prefer the 2nd generation better than the 1st in this case.

While each individual song is nicely constructed and consistent, the songs do not relate very well to each other. There is an airy COTKC track, a heavy prog track, an acoustic guitar showpiece, an overture. Each performs its specific task wonderfully. But going from track 2 to 3 it's almost as if I'm listening to a different band. And while PFM often equals or even bests their influences, those influences are often obvious and always looming over the music. Besides the Italian flavor, PFM (at least on this album) really isn't adding anything to prog in general other than great skill. (Unlike for instance Il Balletto di Bronzo's YS which has a place in the greater prog canon without consideration of origin or genre). Similarly, the vocals are beautifully delivered but not distinctive.

But now we get to the real point. These guys can play. And write. This is really good stuff. Each song is good enough to challenge the best in the prog genre. Always it is the entire band playing a piece of music, never a specific player taking over just to show technique. There is no extraneous material, and things move from idea to idea quickly. There are a LOT of musical statements on this disc.

Another excellent addition to any prog collection, but not truly essential to this listener.

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