SALA BORSA LIVE 77

Funny how fate sets some its occasional wicked twists on the road that a prog band walks in order to achieve artistic excellence and the desired success. Consorzio Acqua Potabile is a current active Italian band that managed to make their official debut in the early 90s. but it had been founded in the mid 70s. This CD captures one of their early gigs, and you can tell that their repertoire was extended enough to fill a whole LP, and that they had already made an artistic stand of their own in Italy's prog scene; but, since they never got a recording contract, all that was left of them for years was this live recording. The poor sound quality (barely acceptable at times) cannot hide the fact that this band was actually very talented and that their material was strong and impressive. With influences ranging from BMS (splendorous dynamics, pompous symphonic structures), Corte dei Miracoli (somber romanticism), Goblin (occasional sinister synth layers), and even some 76-78 era Genesis (solid interplaying between keyboard and lead guitar), CAP created a strong sound of their own, captivating as a splendid afternoon landscape, energetic as summer sunlight. The dual keyboard textures and orchestrations are the main nucleus of each composition (in fact, both keyboardists are credited as the writers of the whole material), and the Moog solos and adornments are robustly featured in this rough mix: yet, this band is not simply a vehicle for keyboard virtuosity showcase, since the guitar interventions are well ordained as a complementing sonic source, and the rhythm section acts solidly all along this Sala Borsa gig. The album kicks off with 'Il Mercante', an excellent piece in which the various motifs are interconnected fluidly. Then comes a much longer number, 'Vecchio Castello', which conveys the most sinister passages in the album: this 11+ minute suite gets really creepy at times in a Gothic manner: its complex structure contains a well crafted balance between the epic moments and the most dense ones. The other long track, 'Vinendo un Giorno.', drags quite a bit, lacking a cohesive sense of direction in some passages, but it is not without its brilliant moments, particularly those in which a well articulated motif is laid down. 'Penta' is a beautiful instrumental, which is located somewhere between the architectonical magic of Baroque and the emotional density of Romanticism. The albums is closed down by another instrumental, less solemn and more playful: 'E' solo... Una Terza Traccia' sounds like an unabashed homage to BMS. The listening experience is highly rewarding, despite its obvious technical flaws. A new version of this album (besides some minor changes in the track list), which incorporated new arrangements and the intervention of digital keyboards, was released almost simultaneously, the very same year this document was rescued from the depths of oblivion: I personally prefer this one. My overall rating is 'excellent', despite the flawed sound quality.