All Prog From Italy Appreciation Thread

Mario Panseri was an Italian composer and musician born in Rome in 1945. In 1973 he released this suite inspired by a novel called "Agostino" by writer Alberto Moravia. The critically acclaimed album "Adolescenza" is a moving piece of music in the softer-prog field, music that will appeal to fans of the beautiful side of RPI rather than the "difficult" side. It has a flowing soundtrack feel to it and is notable for featuring the contribution of his friend, the wonderful Enzo Capuano who is also on this site. Capuano calls the album "one of my favourite albums of all time, because it told a story - a movie called adolescence. Even its cover reminds you of a movie poster. While listening to it you could feel that sense of bewilderment you experience in the presence of sensations whose origin is unknown, when you are completely at the mercy of an effect without understanding its cause, when you are happy about a trifle, and the slightest thing scares you...." Mario Panseri released two other albums and continued playing music until his early death in 1995.

"Adolescenza" is truly a minor masterpiece of the RPI movement which I can't believe hasn't been more trumpeted by Italian prog enthusiasts. It reminds me a bit of Stefano Testa's "Una Vita" in some ways, vocally, an often more acoustic than electric vibe, and compositionally, though perhaps with more of a classical sound than folk. While not a big and bold album like Banco or BdB it is gorgeously written and executed. Gentle vocals, flute, beautifully played piano and acoustic guitars sparkle throughout. Occasionally a band sound comes in with some electric lead guitar and the bass/drumming will be very tight and well mixed. Lots of nice little icings along the edges give you the feeling this was truly his baby, I'm sure it was quickly recorded like all RPI, but Mario was ready for game day. There are many wonderfully tasteful keyboard melodies and atmospheres, some soft strings or simulated strings on the mellower stuff. To make sure all bases are covered we get a nice jazzy sequence with thumping bass and playful flute solos. Then we're into a quiet vocal interlude with water sounds and a haunting gentle piano/flute in behind it. A Battisti-like moment of children's voices with harpsichord in the next moment. As mentioned the album almost has a soundtrack feel moving not so much by track numbers as by musical "scenes" which is one reason it requires patience and works best listening as a whole. It is the many quieter "scenes" which to me hold the most magic, Panseri seems to know how to spike them with emotion, then move out of them into louder pieces with more dynamics, and back again. It makes for exciting listening to be sure and more than tackling the listener with bravado, Panseri is a gifted composer and musician who thrills you slowly. As Capuano stated in our interview "Mario was a true musician, with a solid background, as there were all too few among the singer-songwriters of that time. Most of them, including myself, were self-taught, little more than strummers, with very little formal training.... On the other hand, he had a diploma, was an excellent keyboardist, arranger, and coach at the Genoa Opera House."

You can hear those skills on display here, which is why it is baffling to me that Panseri has not been more celebrated by RPI writers. This is very good stuff and an easy 4-star rating for me. Time will tell if I can go higher. But I heartily recommend this album to RPI fans, especially those who prefer the softer and dreamier side of the genre. The CD is finally available as a Japanese mini-sleeve and to my knowledge will be back out of print once these are gone. Do not wait or you may regret it.

"Prologo" With call-and-response violin and piano, other instruments join in, soon creating a frantic yet easy-to-follow rhythmic backing- it is the violin that is the most crazed, sawing through several lower notes before abruptly shooting up into a long high one. Backed by that same rhythm, the singing comes through loud and clear, with a floating monophonic synthesizer in the backdrop. It all falls away to bring in gentle acoustic guitar and more keyboards. The flute solo at the end is a non sequitur, but a welcome one.

"Un Villaggio,Un'illsione" Sweet violin begins this track, offering an almost classical introduction (not unlike the Electric Light Orchestra). Soon it becomes a bit harder rocking than the previous track; the lighter flute passage is akin to early Jethro Tull, but that violin sets it apart.

"Realta" A delightfully familiar finger-picked acoustic guitar passage provides this song's gentle, melancholic foundation. The vocal harmonies are excellent, and this time the flute outshines the violin. For those familiar with The Steve Miller Band, "Winter Time" sounds very much like this song.

"Immagini Sfuocate" Emerging with a far more experimental sound initially, this piece eventually takes on a more coherent form. From then on, it's all heavy progressive rock finished off by a quick drum solo.

"Il Cieco" The drums fade back in, inviting a cool bass groove to tag along. I really like this primal rhythm and the harmonic synthesizers that creep in. After this, however, is one of the most breathtaking passages I've heard in the genre- violin and flute, like two graceful fairies of different worlds dancing over a lush bed of organ. The tribal business makes a brief return before gorgeous violin and piano finish it off.

"Dialogo" A tumbling bit of guitar and synthesizer kick this off, and soon there's a funky bass line in 6/4 time along with a nasally synthesizer lead. The vocals arrive over piano, and the late verse has a slight Supertramp feel.

"Verso La Locanda" A strange bit of piano opens this track- it sounds like a nervous child practicing at home under the watchful eye of an instructor. A refreshing violin and some rock music rescues the lad. This is, however, the most disjointed of the material on this album, with several abrupt changes and an apparent lack of direction. The verse is one of the quietest points. The flute plays over a calm electric guitar, but everything settles into a nice groove with yet another interesting bass line, and as it picks up, a wild synthesizer solo concludes this difficult music.

"Sogno, Risveglio E..." This has the same feel as the previous track initially, like that of a person practicing the piano at home, although the player here is clearly more advanced- in fact, the piano is brilliant, and the ghostly violin adhering to it, followed by a reluctant flute, is one of the highlights of the album, despite not being a rock song at all. Vocals follow, with discordant fills on the piano. It is strange to me that the band would choose this sleepy work as the conclusion to such an otherwise dynamic and disorderly affair, but perhaps that is my American sensibilities peeking through!

"Nasce un Giorno" opens the album with playful bouncy piano followed by strumming acoustic and vocal reminding of Adriano Monteduro & Reale Accademia di Musica's collaboration perhaps. "Ruote e Sogni" is the proggiest song opening with organ and drum fills. It builds gradually and features some pretty decent drum work. There is a heavy rock section in the second half with wild drums and guitar against the Hammond background. It gets fairly intense for a bit. "L'Aereoplano d'argento" is a piano based pop song that could be likened to an early Billy Joel song, like something from Streetlife Serenade or Cold Spring Harbour except with much higher vocal range. "Cattedrali di Bambu" is a nice track blending majestic orchestrations with acoustic guitars and vocal harmonies. It will be over the top cheesy for some sounding a bit like Tai Phong. There is some leftover 60s influence here too of things like The Iveys/early Badfinger. "Anniversario" begins with organ and single drum beating like a heartbeat until bass joins. Echoed vocals and organ ride atop the still very minimal rhythm arrangement. The vocal harmonies get quite ambitious leading into a section with some acid flavored electric guitar and space rock vibe. This would be another area that moves briefly from pop-rock to proggier ambitions. "Lo Cantero Per Te" begins with strings and piano introducing a heartfelt longing vocal. This turns into a slow ballad that will be sappy to many who hear it but I don't mind it. "Intermezzo #1" is a short piano vocal bit. "Giovanna G" is a catchy bit of funky folk sounding very 60s and like a mellower "South Bound Suarez." "Intermezzo #2" is another short vocal but this time to organ instead of piano. "Il Canto Dell Amore" is another pop ballad with flowery drama and orchestration but the arrangements are really quite nice. "Muore" is a silly McCartney-like ditty to close the album.

This is a fun little album combining the lighter pop side of Italian prog with a dose of the "Magic Christian" era Badfinger sound and the grandiosity of Tai Phong's vocal style. It is well done and enjoyable if that description sounds appealing to you, but it will not be enough to satisfy heavy Italian fans or heavy prog fans in general. The sound quality is adequate on the mini-lp sleeve reissue but not spectacular. The BMG reissue features the toilet seat lid that opens up like on the original vinyl. This is far from an essential title but a modest recommendation for fans of the lighter Italian side.