A journey through the Italianprog scene |
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andrea
Prog Reviewer Joined: May 20 2005 Location: Italy Status: Offline Points: 2064 |
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BACK FROM MARS!
Campo di Marte’s leader Enrico Rosa is still active and every now and again he still performs the old tracks of Campo di Marte, along with some new tracks...
You don’t know who Campo di Marte are? Well, Campo di Marte were one of the many one-shot bands of the Italian prog scene of the early seventies. It was mainly the brainchild of composer and guitarist Enrico Rosa who gathered around him a bunch of talented and “classical trained” musicians like Alfredo Barducci (horns, piano, organ, vocals), Richard Ursillo aka Paul Richard (bass, vocals), Mauro Sarti (drums, percussion, flute, vocals) and Carlo Felice Marcovecchio (drums, percussion, vocals). They were based in Tuscany and the name of the band was inspired by a suburb of Florence. Campo di Marte means Field of Mars (or Campus Martius), and Mars was also the Roman god of war so, according to Enrico Rosa, “the name was used as an excuse to write lyrics on the stupidity of wars, and a picture of Turkish mercenary soldiers stabbing themselves with any kind of weapons to demonstrate their strength and receive higher wages was chosen for the cover” (from an interview with Enrico Rosa on the site Italianprog.com).
The original concept was in some way distorted by the label in 1973 and the band had to change the titles and the order of the tracks for commercial reasons. The remastered re-release by AMS Vinyl Magic (BTF) (AMS 101 CD) in 2006 restored the original project and the result is wonderful. The sound quality is excellent and the original project is explained in the booklet through comprehensive liner notes in Italian and in English...
On the restored version, the album opens with the instrumental “V Tempo” (originally named "Prologo Parte I") where you can find a pastoral atmosphere that could remind of bands like Amazing Blondel and Gryphon. The piece is introduced by acoustic and flute and the mood is peaceful and joyful...
On the second track “VI Tempo” (originally named "Prologo Parte II"), the sound of the electric guitar and an heavy marching beat try to evoke the effects of a marching army with horns and drums “playing war anthems”. Peace is broken and war is raging on but on this piece there’s also a short lyrical interlude where dreamy vocals invite you to search for the truth and to give credit to the people: “You will touch with your hands / Days full of sweetness / You will discover in everyone else / Another one like you...”.
The “black magic” of war keep on storming on the third track, the long instrumental “VII Tempo” (originally named "Prologo Parte III"), where frenzy rhythms and gloomy atmospheres prevail...
The fourth track, “I Tempo” (originally named "Riflessione Parte I"), begins with the electric guitar in the forefront and heavy rhythms, but after a while the “storm” gives way to a tense and bitter reflection about the effects of war... “I remember that lawn / Covered with flowers / I was happily running / In the light of the sun... Now I can see that place again / Thousands of crosses / Cover the lawn / Blacken the sun... Unaware men / Get the bones / The only harvest / Of so many crazy sowings...”.
“II Tempo” (originally named "Riflessione Parte II") is a short, soft and dreamy instrumental that leads to “III Tempo” (originally named "Epilogo Parte I"), where hope seems to born again along with the vocals soaring upon a delicate piano pattern... People fed up with war is moving war to war: “Listen, a scream is rising / Look, the crowd is already moving / They’re calling you...”.
The rhythm becomes frenzy again while revolution starts... The classical inspired organ fugue of “IV tempo” (originally named "Epilogo Parte II) and the final acoustic guitar arpeggio that marks the restored peace concludes a great album...
More info about Enrico Rosa:
Official Website: http://www.enricorosa.com/
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/enrosa
Enrico Rosa has also started a new jazz-blues project called LINK XII
More info:
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/link12band
Edited by andrea - December 28 2010 at 08:14 |
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Nightfly
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: August 01 2007 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 3659 |
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Thanks for the push towards Procession Andrea. I've listened to the tracks from both albums and was very impressed. I've ordered Fiaba - seems mellower than the heavier debut. I'll order that one soon too.
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andrea
Prog Reviewer Joined: May 20 2005 Location: Italy Status: Offline Points: 2064 |
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ROSENBACH MUSEUM GUIDED TOUR
Museo Rosenbach are one of the many Italian prog band of the early seventies that had the just chance to release an album before disappear. Their debut album “Zarathustra” was released in 1973 and the line up featureed Stefano “Lupo” Galifi (vocals), Enzo Merogno (guitar, vocals), Pit Corradi (keyboards, mellotron), Alberto Moreno (bass, piano) and Giancarlo Golzi (drums, percussion, vocals). It’s a concept album freely inspired by the work of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. According to the liner notes, the quest for the super–man described by Mauro La Luce’s lyrics wasn’t meant to exalt the violent leader of a new pure breed but the serene search for a human character who, living in communion with nature, tries to purify from every hypocrisy the human values... Despite the great quality of the music, on account of the controversial art cover and to the misunderstandings about the concept, Museo Rosenbach were treated as fascists by critics and part of the public and the album was quite unsuccessful determining the split up of the band. Nonetheless, as time passed by, this work has become a cult one for prog lovers...
The opener is the long title track, a suite in five parts. The first part “L’ultimo uomo” (The last man) begins with a calm and solemn pace, then vocals that seem to come down from a distant place soar drawing a beautiful melody... “Face of light, they told me about you / Your story lies in the echo of the mountains / Too high to descend into us.... Shabby shadow, empty glare of the ego / You don't need to understand the force / That pushes me to seek in the world...”. An instrumental crescendo leads to the second part, “Il re di ieri” (Yesterday king) and to its delicate piano and organ patterns... “No, do not go on walking on never ending roads / You can already see in me what my father, God, taught to you... Love your Land, in her womb God will form itself”. The contrasts between a quiet church like atmosphere and some more aggressive rhythmic passages give to this track a very peculiar and dramatic feeling...
On the third part of the suite, “Al di là del bene e del male” (Beyond the good and the evil) tension rises while vocals try to evoke how pretentious are human laws drawing borders between good and evil... “Ancient tables, divine wills in the past already divided the good and the evil / The man alone, far from God, cannot build his own moral / Run away from your will / Under these curtains lies a false wisdom / The truth is insulted / From the moral that you created no good will come...”. The fourth part, “Superuomo” (Super-man) begins quietly and in a more reflexive way suggesting that you have to choose among many answers about the sense of life what’s the right one... “Thousand traditions built a wall around me / Alone and without forces I get lost into my own words / And perhaps I'm looking for someone who has always walked behind me... / Now he is coming to life in me / I’m living the Super-man”. Then vocals give way to a crescendo of amazing shifting musical passages leading to the final solemn instrumental part “Il tempio delle clessidre” (The temple of the hourglasses)
The other tracks are shorter but not less interesting. “Degli uomini” (About men) is as intense as an horseback ride. Vocals ask questions about war and peace, joy and pain, then a bittersweet reflection soars... “Like Autumn, the world wants to wither / It offers swords to the sky overriding the loyalty / It grows up and, as time passes by, it kills its humanity”.
“Della natura” (About nature) begins with a frenzy rhythm, then suddenly a suspicious and treacherous quiet comes down... “Quietness falls over the night / Virgin in its mantle... The silence with its void lights the fear again / Terror, pregnant of magic as it is, makes Death’s face come back in mind...”. Rhythm takes off again, then melts in a complex and more relaxed section while lyrics draw a quite different landscape where men live in harmony with nature and where silence is described as the singing of real poetry... "My eyes are tired, I feel by now that I’m going to sleep / The dawn comes from quietness / Virgin in its own mantle, it lives and already thrills...”. ”Dell'eterno ritorno” (About the eternal return) is about the eternal circle of life. Strange omens shake our certitudes while life comes to an end... The music is complex as usual, marching beats alternate with organ rides while soaring dramatic vocals depicts doubts and fading hopes... “By now my future is already there / The road I will take leads where the man stops / And where the Eternal Return reign...”.
After the end of Museo Rosenbach experience, drummer Giancarlo Golzi joined forces with Carlo Marrale and Piero Cassano, former members of JET, a formed a new band called MATIA BAZAR, more pop oriented and commercially very successful
In 2000 Museo Rosenbach reunited with a different line up and released a new album, Exit, but if you expect from this new work something like “Zarathustra” you will be disappointed… Here there’s no much of the old “Museo Rosenbach left. The only founding members in the new line-up are Alberto Moreno and Giancarlo Golzi and the music is closer to the elegant pop of the Matia Bazar than to “Zarathustra”. “Exit” should be a concept album but the project seems to me confused and the ideas sometimes seem to get lost into the mist… The first track “Exit” is a kind of short intro to the album with a good acoustic guitar arpeggio (and “obscure” lyrics)… Then, with “Il terzo occhio” the music turns to a smart pop sound… My favourite track is “Il re del circo” (lyrics about the civil war in Yugoslavia) where you can find at least some hints of progressive…
Nonetheless the new line up is not bad and it should be of some interest for prog lovers listen to...
More info about MUSEO ROSENBACH:
Official website: http://www.museo.it/
Andrea Biancheri’s MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/andreabiancheri
Recently original Museo Rosenbach’s vocalist Stefano “Lupo” Galifi joined a new project called IL TEMPIO DELLE CLESSIDRE and performed the whole album Zarathustra on stage... The band is now working on some original pieces...
More info about IL TEMPIO DELLE CLESSIDRE:
Edited by andrea - December 28 2010 at 08:19 |
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andrea
Prog Reviewer Joined: May 20 2005 Location: Italy Status: Offline Points: 2064 |
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JAZZ-ROCK LIGHTS FROM MILAN
LALUCECONTRO are a jazz rock project from Milan...
You can listen to their first EP “Odyssey” clicking HERE
More info:
Edited by andrea - March 21 2010 at 04:44 |
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andrea
Prog Reviewer Joined: May 20 2005 Location: Italy Status: Offline Points: 2064 |
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THE METAMORPHOSIS OF LE ORME...
Le Orme seem to go on with a new singer...
For more info and a free legal download... Click HERE
Official fan club:
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andrea
Prog Reviewer Joined: May 20 2005 Location: Italy Status: Offline Points: 2064 |
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andrea
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AIR OF REVOLUTION...
Legittimo Brigantaggio are a (combat) folk rock band from Lazio, influenced by Modena City Ramblers and... Franco Battiato!
Edited by andrea - December 28 2010 at 08:21 |
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 02 2008 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 14258 |
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nice work
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andrea
Prog Reviewer Joined: May 20 2005 Location: Italy Status: Offline Points: 2064 |
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ABOUT AREA...
Area have been one of the most influential band of the Italian prog scene and here you can find... Some proofs!
VIII STRADA...
ODESSA...
ASSENZIO...
By the way, Demetrio Stratos and Giulio Capiozzo are gone forever, but the three Area’s survivors recently reunited for some concerts...
Edited by andrea - December 28 2010 at 08:23 |
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andrea
Prog Reviewer Joined: May 20 2005 Location: Italy Status: Offline Points: 2064 |
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PFM’S NEW ALBUM PREVIEW
This month should be released PFM’s new album, a remake of Fabrizio De Andrè’s La Buona Novella featuring brand new arrangements...
Edited by andrea - December 28 2010 at 08:10 |
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andrea
Prog Reviewer Joined: May 20 2005 Location: Italy Status: Offline Points: 2064 |
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NEW FOOTPRINTS
According to Le Orme's former keyboardist Tony Pagliuca’s blog, this month should be released a new album, “Après Midi”, featuring arrangements for piano solo of pieces taken from Le Orme’s repertoire...
Tony Pagliuca’s official website:
Edited by andrea - December 28 2010 at 08:24 |
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andrea
Prog Reviewer Joined: May 20 2005 Location: Italy Status: Offline Points: 2064 |
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NEWS FROM THE CITY OF ROMEO AND JULIET...
Young emerging prog bands from Verona...
GRAN TORINO:
CALIA:
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/caliarock
Calia’s dummer is also involved in another project called D’Anima...
D’ANIMA
MySpace 1: http://www.myspace.com/danimaband
MySpace 2: http://www.myspace.com/danimacustic
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Kojak
Forum Senior Member Joined: April 03 2010 Status: Offline Points: 264 |
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This has been fascinating, I'm still going through that first post, checking out all those myspace pages, but I'm coming across some amazing music and artists. Thank you for your time and effort putting it all together here. It's been an education.
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 02 2008 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 14258 |
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andrea
Prog Reviewer Joined: May 20 2005 Location: Italy Status: Offline Points: 2064 |
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THE GOLDEN CIRCLE AND CRISTOPHER COLUMBUS...
Il Cerchio d’Oro (The Golden Circle) are an Italian prog band from Savona formed during the seventies, when they could release some singles but had not the chance to release a full length album. The band reunited in 2006 with a line up featuring veterans Franco Piccolini (piano, organ, keyboards, backing vocals), Gino Terribile (drums, percussion, vocals), Giuseppe Terribile (bass, acoustic guitar, vocals), Piuccio Pradal (acoustic guitar, vocals) and Roberto Giordana (electric guitar, backing vocals). In 2008 they released what should be considered their real debut album for the independent label Black Widow Records. It’s a concept album inspired by the character of Christopher Columbus, where the aim of music and lyrics is to tell the story of a difficult journey full of hopes, deceptions, disappointments and fears that is also a metaphor of life where often the goal is a just new starting point for another journey. The overall sound of Il Cerchio d’Oro is clearly inspired by bands like Le Orme, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso and New Trolls (especially in the vocal parts), but the result is very good and the song-writing is not too derivative.
The dreamy instrumental opener “Ouverture” set the musical atmosphere and leads to the beautiful and melancholic “Sognando la meta” (Dreaming the goal). The contrast between electric guitar and organ underline doubts and fears in front of an uncertain impending future. After many efforts Columbus is going to set off and dreams of his goal... “Now I know, I’ll make it / I must believe in the dream / I’m alone in the night, a thought startles me / I already see only an image in my mind / And the goal is nearer...”.
On “Colombo” (Columbus) the rhythm takes off. In Italian Colombo means pigeon and it’s ironic that a sailor has the same name of a bird. Columbus reflects on this fact and would like to be able of flying... “What an envy for the wings of the seagulls / That can exploit every wind... Sometimes during the night I dream my ships / With great wings instead of cannons / Sailing over unknown lands like kites...”.
“I tre marinai” (The three sailors) begins with the sound of the waves and of an acoustic guitar, then vocals soar. It’s a reflexive and melancholic ballad. Three sailors talk about the reasons who pushed them to embark in this dangerous journey. The first one was without money and without women and now has nothing to lose, the second one lost his wife and children and now tries to forget his troubles while for the third one the most important thing in life is drinking wine in good company... “Let’s keep on imagining that life can change / But let’s not get our hopes up / The viceroy will make no gifts...”.
“Ieri, oggi, ancora niente” (Yesterday, tomorrow, nothing yet) is a complex track featuring an intro with vocals a cappella and many changes of rhythm and mood. After one moth of sailing no land to the horizon yet. Hopes, disappointments, illusions and disillusions turn the mood up and down...
“Il silenzio rumoroso del mare” (The noisy silence of the sea) is tense and haunting. It’s a complex track where music storms and suddenly calm down, broken by short and delicate melodic passages before take off again... “I spend all my nights looking through the stars / Listening to the creaking of my ships... I’m losing my excitement and I’m beginning to despair... I feel that there’s nobody on board that I can trust / It’s more and more difficult to hope in the noisy silence of the sea...”.
“Preghiera al vento” (Prayer to the wind) is a short and simple acoustic track that reminds of Lucio Battisti, especially the vocals. It’s a kind of pagan invocation to the wind... “Oh wind! At lest you, stay by my side...”.
“Tre giorni (L’ammutinamento)” (Three days – The mutiny) starts in an aggressive way, with electric guitar and rhythm section in the forefront, then the fury stops giving way to a more reflexive part... The rage of the crew grows but the captain manages to restore the calm promising that if they will not find the land in three days they will turn back... “I have promised them three days and they have agreed / Now it’s my time, time of bets...”.
“Tierra! Tierra!” (Land! Land!) is a desperate ride on the wings of hope while time is running short. After a fiery beginning rhythm slows down, time stands still... Suddenly enthusiastic shouts rise and the land appears on the horizon... “Land! Land! Treasure lightened by the stars / A thrill passes through my skin / The same thrill that makes the sailors shout / Land! Land! My God, forgive me if I doubted / Thanks for this joy you gave me / I know you are right and you never deceive me...”.
“Cercando l’approdo” (Looking for the landing) is a beautiful instrumental. Tension melts and a calm melody veils the horizon leading to an happy end... On “Conclusione (Il ritorno)” (Conclusion – The return) joyful acoustic guitar chords and relaxed melodic vocals greet the come back and the end of the journey. But Columbus is not aware of the importance of his discovery and of its consequences... “The whole world is going to change now / New horizons for the humankind...”.
The album features also two nice bonus tracks, the two sides of a 1977 single, “Quattro mura” (Four walls) and “Futuro prossimo” (Next future). It’s strange but these song do not sound old at all and they perfectly fit the mood and the atmosphere of this work... “It’s beautiful your colour / It recalls the sea of lost times / I don’t care if you don’t like me / I can’t die hoping to come to life again and be better than now...”.
On the whole “Il viaggio di Colombo” is a very good album and I’m sure that it could be an excellent addition to the collection of every Italianprog lover.
More info:
Edited by andrea - December 28 2010 at 08:25 |
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andrea
Prog Reviewer Joined: May 20 2005 Location: Italy Status: Offline Points: 2064 |
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NEW HYPOTHESIS FROM NAPLES...
Nuova Ipotesi (New Hypothesis) are an emerging band from Marigliano, in the province of Naples, featuring female vocals and a lot of energy...
More info:
Edited by andrea - December 28 2010 at 08:26 |
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andrea
Prog Reviewer Joined: May 20 2005 Location: Italy Status: Offline Points: 2064 |
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EUTHYMIA, PROG OPERA PROJECT FROM TORINO
Euthymia are an interesting prog opera project that started in 2008 in Torino
More info:
Euthymia’s drummer and composer Alan Brunetta is also involved in other projects like Supershock, a band specialized in “cine-concerti”...
More info about Supershock:
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andrea
Prog Reviewer Joined: May 20 2005 Location: Italy Status: Offline Points: 2064 |
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PROG METAL FROM NORTH EAST...
TWINSPIRITS from Padova
AZURE AGONY from Cervignano del Friuli
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/azureagony
METHODICA, from Verona MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/methodicaband
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andrea
Prog Reviewer Joined: May 20 2005 Location: Italy Status: Offline Points: 2064 |
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MORE PROG TALES FROM SARDEGNA...
AKROASIS are a prog band from Sestu, in the Province of Cagliari that have just released a brand new album for the independent label Electromantic Music, I racconti del mare (The tales of the sea)
They have recently played in Japan...
More info:
I COLLEGIUM are another band from Cagliari with a long story of passion for music...
More info:
Edited by andrea - December 28 2010 at 08:28 |
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andrea
Prog Reviewer Joined: May 20 2005 Location: Italy Status: Offline Points: 2064 |
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MORE MUSIC FROM LE MARCHE...
NOXTER are a young prog band from Castelfidardo, in the province of Ancona...
More info about the band:
By the way, Castelfidardo is best known for its Festival Internazionale della Fisarmonica, an international music festival dedicated to Accordion, and for its Museo della Fisarmonica...
The Leonardo da Vinci accordion connection... |
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