All Prog From Italy Appreciation Thread

12. Metamorfosi – “Inferno”
…heavy keyboard Italian album, guitars are present but pushed to the back behind an array of moog, organ, piano and harpsichord. Vocalist Davide Spitaleri is likewise considered to have one of the better deep, rich operatic voices and is sometimes compared to the Banco vocalist. Together they create a unique sound that could be described as baroque prog, very dramatic and grandiose…dark and mysterious. An overwhelming presence of keyboards with a very stately and strangely disconcerting sound. You often feel trapped or like you are lost in some maze…

The Finnforest Italian Symphonic Prog lesser-known Gems list!

The Rules…

• Lesser known bands…ie…no PFM/Banco/Orme.
• Symphonic-only, no other genres.
• 1970s classic period only. (Later stuff is another list!)
• Subject to change at any moment…of course.
• Get the gatefold mini-lp sleeves wherever possible for maximum sound enjoyment and full display of art!  Japanese or Italian pressings are available for many of these titles.
• Brief excerpts from my reviews are included. 
• One album per band only, to get more groups on the list.

The Top 10 “Essential” titles:
(not necessarily in order)

1. Quella Vecchia Locanda – “Il Tempo Della Gioia” 
The heart and soul of romantic Italian, heavily classical with great piano and violin.  Very beautiful music… creative songwriting fusing the rock, classical, and jazz genres; immaculate production with great attention to recording details; exceptional use of violins, flutes, and other classical elements; warm and passionate Italian vocals; and perhaps most importantly an unabashed willingness to project a most romantic style of music.  Don’t miss their first album either.

2. Alusa Fallax – “Intorno Alla Mia”
A well-rounded, representative Italian work with a little something for everyone.  It has a distinct avant-garde feel to it, more so than some of its peers. They do mix clever musical surprises but it never gets outright silly or juvenile, and while things do seem chaotic I have the feeling that the albums excursions were not only planned but agonized over. Nothing sounds like filler here and that’s one of my benchmarks of a great album. Classical elements are mixed with rock and jazzy passages, acoustic instruments are mixed with electric seamlessly, vocals sections balance well with the instrumental ones. The playing is very capable but not flaunted for ego. The keyboards are prevalent and perfect here, the vocals are warm and passionate, and the quality guitars/bass/drums are accented by touches of flute, sax, and hand percussion. I love how the keyboards are layered on the first track, you have some in the foreground with these soft misty ones slowly rising and falling in the background.

3. Cervello – “Melos”
So awesome, but from the “difficult” branch.  Heavy, sometimes harsh, always playful and wild.  From the darker side, would appeal to VDGG fans.  The musical approach and the sound are very sophisticated and unique. A combination of primarily guitars, flutes and saxes are tightly woven into a very dense, often dark, unsettling, and just plain eerie feel. Some sources say there are no (or very little) keyboards used to create this sound palette which is certainly unusual. Sometimes I think I hear some but I can’t be sure the way the other instruments are employed. It took me many plays to really get past the rather exhausting outer shell and discover the melodies hiding inside…

4. Raccomandata Ricevuta Ritorno – “Per un Mondo di Cristallo”
Deeply layered, good vocals, stunning arrangements, complexity, varied and interesting songs, and extremely talented musicians displaying their chops.  Another “challenging” album with much energy and chaos, on the heavier side generally.  This is music for people who like chaotic prog, “hard” prog, music that is not necessarily easy to listen to but rewards after many spins.

5. Reale Accademia di Musica – same
…one of the most stunning examples of the beautiful side of Italian progressive. If you like the legendary Italian sounds of the first two PFM albums or Locanda, you will salivate over RADM…This album is just chock full of great piano, nice laid back vocals, organ, acoustic guitars, violins, mellotron, and solid bass and drums.

6. Rovescio Della Medaglia – “Contaminazione”
…sometimes cited as one of the best, perhaps *the* best example of classical music with progressive rock. The stunning baroque arrangements are seamlessly tied to the RDM sound and are amazingly natural and unforced.

7. Balletto di Bronzi – “YS”
On most Italian top 10 lists, complex and keyboard heavy, on the dark and challenging side.

8. Basso, Luciano – “Voci”
Voci is a dynamic instrumental powerhouse with much life and vigor, and album guaranteed to delight fans of solid composition, virtuoso piano playing, and those who enjoy strings in their prog. You know when you hear the first notes of piano wonderfully accompanied by the violin, that this album is going to be a special one. It is so alive…it breathes. The composition is elaborate and satisfying, dreamy and longing. Eventually the piece is bolstered by the soaring guitar of Michele Zorzi whose airborn leads appear in several places over this album.

9. Jumbo – “Vietato ai Minori”
Jumbo sounds like the Italian version of Ange! If you like Christian Decamps boisterous spirit and the bands rowdy theatrical sound you will love Jumbo. They are over-the-top sometimes but this music is lively, fun, and interesting despite the somewhat dark lyrical content. A special mention goes to drummer Tullio Gianatello who is nothing short of fantastic.

10. Semiramis – “Dedicato a Frazz”
A hundred car pile-up on the musical freeway.  Insane.  Heavy.  Bold.  Not for the faint of heart but rich and rewarding as a roller-coaster ride after partying a bit.  The vocals are fine robust Italian at their lively best. The guitar playing is energetic on the electric side and expressive on the acoustic side. The rest of the band are fine musicians but not the best I’ve ever heard. Composition is amazing for a 16 year old kid, this is material you will have to play many times to fully appreciate. A definite grower.  

And the rest….almost as essential as the first 10 in my book!

11. Blocco Mentale – “POA”
…a middle ground combining catchy and memorable melodies with playing that is not flashy but is nearly understated perfection. The album glows with a warm organic sound that stimulates emotionally and intellectually on the musical side.  POA stands up with my other favorite lesser known gems by providing a musical experience that is extremely accessible and yet fulfilling enough for Italian prog fans… blending superb musicianship, great vocals, enthusiastic flurries of ideas, good sound, and thoughtful arrangements.

12. Metamorfosi – “Inferno”
…heavy keyboard Italian album, guitars are present but pushed to the back behind an array of moog, organ, piano and harpsichord. Vocalist Davide Spitaleri is likewise considered to have one of the better deep, rich operatic voices and is sometimes compared to the Banco vocalist. Together they create a unique sound that could be described as baroque prog, very dramatic and grandiose…dark and mysterious. An overwhelming presence of keyboards with a very stately and strangely disconcerting sound. You often feel trapped or like you are lost in some maze…

13. Volo, Il –
Two fine albums of lush Italian prog (ok, cheating by not picking one…it’s too hard.)

14. Torquati, Toto – “Gli Occhi Bambino”
…a strange concoction of orchestral music, prog rock, and pop that might remind you of Rustichelli Bordini or Tower in that you have an accomplished keyboardist dabbling his toes in whatever tickles his fancy. The results were very good despite the potential pitfalls. What is quite notable is the fantastic playing and solid production values; the bass, drums, guitars, keys, and vocals all shimmer with brightness and clarity considering this is 1973 (and the nice cd remaster helps too.)

15. Festa Mobile – “Diaro Di Viaggio Della Festa Mobile”
…at first listen it sounds less well-rounded and more one-dimensional with the primary focus on rumbling and fast paced piano runs and drumming, while the guitars, vocals, and other things seemed more an afterthought. It was offputting a bit but I stuck with it and now enjoy the strange hybrid jazzy jamming and unique sound. The remastered version features punchy, loud sound and also well-defined separation. Piano and percussion seem to be the leaders of the album but I now notice the other elements as well: tasty lead guitar licks, bass played like a lead instrument, and good vocals.

16. Latte Miele – “Passion Secundum Mattheum”
…a true Italian classic, a heavily Bach inspired concept album based on the Passion of Christ. The album is a feast of sound experiences. You will get some soft and lovely passages that sound like Reale Accademia di Musica, but you will also get hard and heavier moments that recall De De Lind’s harder sections. In fact, for the prog metalheads this album may be interesting because you have an example of the Therion “choirs vocals” with rock guitar sound a full generation before…

17. Ricordi D’Infanzia – “Io Uomo”
“Io Uomo” is one hell of an album. Short but memorable, it is an energetic mix of Deep Purple like hard-rock with lots of organ and ballsy guitar, softer pastoral moments of a sentimental nature and some of the typical Italian strangeness for good measure. Comparisons to other Italian groups might put them somewhere between Califfi and Jumbo, better than the former but less adventurous than the latter.

18. J.E.T. – “Fede, Speranza, Carita”
The material is quite strong and successfully combines heavy rock, great melodies, and some of the Italian prog feel without sounding like the PFM style Italian. The guitarist is quite nimble and I really like the strong bass presence. The deeper we get into the album, the more varied and interesting the song's arrangements get. There are some quite lovely softer moments too although they are definitely in the minority. This album rocks hard!

19. Celeste – “Principe di Giorno”
The granddaddy of “pastoral prog” in the opinion of many, this is an album so pretty that your grandmother may like it as much as you.  Decide for yourself if that is a good thing.
… gorgeous melody made of soft acoustic guitars, flutes, trons, bass, and vocals. The arrangements are impeccable.

20. Osanna – “Palepoli”
...here is much here to absorb for fans of wild music, different ideas and sections come and go as fast as nervous birds at a backyard feeder. Psyched up electric guitars, mellotron, sax, lots of flute, chanting, singing, loud, quiet, street noises, percussion, all drifting along like a strange lucid dream.  I can’t say I quite understand this beast yet, but it needs to be here so Micky doesn’t kick my ass. 

21. Apoteosi – same
…a wonderful blend of melodic symphonic Italian prog. Primarily a keyboard album it is filled with marvelous piano and moog but also a decent amount of electric leads. One thing that makes Apoteosi unique is that we have the angelic voice of Silvana Ida on several tracks rather than the typical deep operatic male vocals one is used to on Italian albums. Her singing is a bit meek and too low in the mix but it is very pleasant. The sound is a bit of a problem on Apoteosi, there was obviously little budget and things sound a bit thin. But the music is solid, a little mysterious, and full of heart from people who were likely aware this album would be their only one.  I can feel the tight sense of family and youth (made by 3 teenage brothers) in the music.  A quirky choice. 

22. Murple – “Io Sono Murple”
…a nice mixture of symphonic and rock elements with just a touch of jazzy feel here and there. I would say keyboards are slightly more prevalent than guitar but not by much, both are used liberally. I can’t speak to the lyrics, but the music is certainly not dark, but rather upbeat, positive, energetic prog perhaps sometimes comparable to the feel of Druid but only a bit.

23. Errate Corrige – “Siegfried, il Drago e Altre Storie”
…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.

24. EA Poe – “Generazioni (Storia di sempre)”
… Poe’s music is accomplished if not as outwardly stunning as PFM or QVL. Their sound is a bit rawer, more psych-bluesy and muscular than groups like Errata Corrige but places the same great care on mood, detail, texture.

25. Procession – “Fiaba”
...a more rounded symphonic sound with keys, flutes, sax, and plenty of acoustic guitar. There are still moments that rock but the sound is more varied, rock in some places, alternately jazzy or folksy in other sections. For Italian fans I would suggest they are somewhere between the sound of Era Di Acquario and Delirium. In several places their English influences do show through.

Other recommended bands: Exploit, Hunka Munka, Locanda delle Fate, Museo Rosenbach, Rustichelli Bordini, Acqua Fragile, Califfi, Campo di Marte, Corte Miracoli, De De Lind, Era di Acquario, Dik Dik, Panna Fredda, Paese di Balocchi. 

Notes:  Any list is but a snapshot in time and can never be perfect or permanent.  It is not meant to be definitive but rather as a starting point for the journey of the Italian Noob.  It can be overwhelming to your time and pocketbook once you catch Italian Prog fever.  Hopefully this list will be helpful in managing your affliction.  Good luck and enjoy irresponsibly. 

List written by James Russell
“Finnforest”
For ProgArchives.com only. 

Updated 4-12-08