In early 1974, the proper line-up of Errata Corrige came to be with the addition of guitarist Mike Abate. After playing live around Torino for a spell they settled into a friend’s studio and recorded the material for this album, which had been written and performed by the group for some time. Their intention was to pursue a Genesis-like direction but admit the results didn’t turn out like that, their album sounding more like the pastoral Italian albums of Era di Acquario or the second Procession album. By the time the small 500 count pressing hit the streets the band had pretty much split though it would partially reform for work on the ’77 album. According to Abate the original line-up would remain friends and get together once a year to jam for fun.

But to write off “Siegfried” as simply one of those soft acoustic albums that can be dismissed is to not give it due credit. While on the mellower side for the most part, the album has depth from its complex arrangements, varied instruments, and good performances. The vocals may not be the band’s greatest asset as others have mentioned but they are certainly acceptable. The album builds a luxurious pastoral prog sound through layers of acoustic guitar, flutes, cello, organ, piano, synth, bass, and drums. Vocal harmonies and occasional rocking lead electric guitar add more layers to the cake. The album seems to forge its own blend of rock, jazz, and folk elements for a unique sound. They are very thoughtful at creating perfect atmosphere with little melodic bursts here and there that are just right, there seems to be a great deal of compositional control at play-perhaps the result of working with this material live for a long time. The five-part mini suite has many such moments that make the album irresistible. One such moment is an injected second acoustic part at 5:55 of the suite that is like a ray of sunshine breaking through. I guess the point is that these guys were adherents to the “attention to detail” philosophy. On “Siegfried leggenda” they run the board from achingly beautiful and light to a downright blistering solo at the end. For me the album is nearly a highlight from beginning to end of its short running time. It is not groundbreaking by any means and for that reason perhaps I should round down but I'm too much a sucker for such romantic themes.

My apologies to your credit card but “Siegfried” is a must for Italian genre fans and recommended to anyone who loves melodic 70s pastoral prog with lots of acoustic guitar and good ambiance. It can safely be avoided by those seeking hard rock however. The Vinyl Magic remaster sounds really great for the period and includes 20 minutes of bonus music and the rare chance to hear them live…although that track has the expected sound quality issues. A bit north of 3 ½ stars.