VIBRAZIONI NOTTURNE - LIVE

This is a legendary Italian progrock band that produced several albums in the early Seventies. Halfway the Nineties Delirum made a comeback including some new studio albums and in 2006 they performed in the Italian city Trento, just released on this CD. We can enjoy the crafty and inspired musicians who treat us on a tasteful blend of folk (featuring swirling flute, warm acoustic guitars and strong vocals) and rock songs with fiery guitar and powerful saxophone. At some moments Delirum delivers jazzy sounding parts with swinging piano and bas. Most of the 13 compositions contain great work on guitar and saxophone and of course, in the tradition of The Seventies, we hear soli on drums and bass. My highlights are Villagio (powerful with swirling flute and fiery guitar and strong soli on guitar, saxophone, flute and organ), Preludio: Paura (folky with a wonderful solo on acoustic guitar), Gioia, Disordine, Risentimento (compelling with a raw and bluesy guitar solo), a Jethro Tull Medley (good play on flute, guitar and bass and a pleasant live atmosphere) and an excellent rendition of Joe Cocker his 'classic' With A Little Bit Help From My Friends featuring splendid organ floods and an inspired vocal performance! The song Notte A Bagdad is based upon the fact that the government of Italy send soldiers to Iraq for a mission, it sounds swinging and modern. I am impressed by this legendary Italian progrock band, this is a good live album with outstanding work on guitar, flute and saxophone in a captivating progressive blend of rock and folk, just like their inspiration Jehtro Tull! My rating: 3,5 stars.

Delirium was an excellent band of the early Seventies Italianprog scene. After many years of silence and thanks to Pino Di Santo's initiative, in 2003 the band was born again with a new line up featuring, along with Di Santo on drums, the veterans Ettore Vigo (keyboards), Martin Grice (flute and sax) and two new members, Fabio Chighini (bass) and Roberto Solinas (guitars). This live album, "Vibrazioni Notturne", was recorded in 2006 and "captures" a performance in Trento.

Anyway, this album is not a process of self-quotation or self-imitation; it seems more like a new starting point... "Opening" is just a short introduction to the instrumental "Villaggio" from Delirum's second album... Delirium are surprisingly fresh here and they seem to be perfectly fit, alive and kicking... The sound is definitely up to date and the band re-elaborate their old pieces giving them a new life... There's ample room for electric guitar (an instrument that they didn't use at all on their first two albums of the early seventies, "Dolce acqua" and "Lo scemo e il villaggio") and the interaction with the other instruments perfectly works while the music keeps on swinging blending wisely rock, jazz and touch of folk...

The frenzy "Movimento I: Egoismo" and the bittersweet "Preludio: Paura" come from their debut album and the members of the band show that they're able to perform excellent vocal parts even without Ivano Fossati, their first singer and now very successful singer-songwriter... The next track "Culto disarmonico" is a jazz-rock instrumental beginning with a drum solo where the members of the band showcase their excellent musicianship once more...

"E' l'ora" is a kind of surprise... The song was written by Lavezzi-Mogol and the original version was released only as a single... In my opinion it was just a weak pop one but here the band managed to transform it in a kind of Delirium's "Impressioni di settembre" providing a really improved version... Well, Mogol's lyrics are not so inspired like those he wrote for PFM but the result is not bad at all... Next comes "Dolce acqua: speranza", a classic of Delirum's repertoire and another excellent arrangement...

The following "Gioia, dolore, risentimento" is another surprise... The structure of the piece has been almost completely rebuilt exalting its "mystical mood" and it is very different from the original version on their second album: the "silly tarantella parts" have been cut off and the result is definitely good. In my opinion this new version is far better than the original one... Then there's a tribute to Jethro Tull... In my opinion it's just a useless interlude before three more great songs... "Notte a Bagdad", a new song inspired by the troubles in Iraq, "Johnny Sayre: perdono", inspired by an Edgar Lee Masters' poem, and Delirum's anthem "Jesahel", their most famous song...

The last track is a tribute to Joe Cocker and Beatles, but in my opinion it's just a useless filler... On this album you can't find any track from their third album "Viaggio negli arcipelaghi del tempo" and at length this live album almost leaves you wanting to shout: "I want more! Encore!". My overall impression is that "Vibrazioni notturne" is an excellent appetizer for the next studio album of the band... Welcome back Delirium!