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The Italian Prog Appreciation den |
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Pirx the Pilot 
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Joined: June 23 2009 Location: MA, US Status: Offline Points: 40 |
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 Posted: August 02 2010 at 12:28 |
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By the way (and to Jim as well), I listened to the new Areknames last night and again on my way to work this morning - very good stuff. It brought Thork to mind more than Arachnoid, but based on one sleepy first listen and another distracted by my commute.
 I also just now listened to the first 20 minute track on UTO's Magus... Zounds!! Amazing stuff. Can't wait to get out of work and listen to the rest. A big thanks for the recommendation.
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Todd
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RPI / Heavy Prog Team Joined: December 19 2007 Location: California Status: Offline Points: 3472 |
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Posted: August 02 2010 at 12:25 |
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While not as symphonic as the first album, the "second" album with Adriano Monteduro is quite good. And the long-lost real second album, called "La Cometa" is finally officially available and is also very good.
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Todd
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RPI / Heavy Prog Team Joined: December 19 2007 Location: California Status: Offline Points: 3472 |
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Posted: August 02 2010 at 12:03 |
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While that is true, for me there are times when understanding the concept/lyrics add to (or occasionally detract from) my overall enjoyment of the music. For that reason, I really enjoy Andrea's analyses. For example, one of my favorite RPI albums is Procession's "Frontiera." I loved the album from the beginning, but Andrea's explanations about the concept of migration only enhanced my enjoyment. But I definitely don't need that dimension to love it!
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Pirx the Pilot
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Joined: June 23 2009 Location: MA, US Status: Offline Points: 40 |
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Posted: August 02 2010 at 08:42 |
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Yeah, the Reale is a nice release. The Museo, on the other hand, is out of this world. The only thing that bothers me is the quality of the recording (Sony/BMG). There's a lot of buzzing that is quite noticeable at low volume. Could be that there's just such a wide volume range that I crank it a little too loud...  Edited by Pirx the Pilot - August 02 2010 at 08:43 |
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octopus-4
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RIO/Avant/Zeuhl,Neo & Post/Math Teams Joined: October 31 2006 Location: Italy Status: Offline Points: 14022 |
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Posted: August 02 2010 at 07:17 |
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I've seen only today that "I Pooh" are on PA...how could it happen? The team has rejected my Barret-inspired Jennifer Gentle and gave room to one of the worst mellow italian mainstream? I agree that they have been on stage for more than 40 years and have done some beat in the 60s, they are very skilled musicians, but they are pure pop and not of the best kind...
Recently I went into "Il Castello di Atlante" and "Nuova Era". Very good stuff.
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I stand with Roger Waters, I stand with Joan Baez, I stand with Victor Jara, I stand with Woody Guthrie. Music is revolution
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Nightfly
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Honorary Collaborator Joined: August 01 2007 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 3659 |
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Posted: August 02 2010 at 06:30 |
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It's a fantastic album, you did well to find it actually as it's not easy to come by. Took me about 2 years of searching to find it at a reasonable price I seem to remember. Enjoy!
That first RAM album is another gem.
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seventhsojourn
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Honorary Collaborator Joined: December 11 2009 Location: . Status: Offline Points: 4006 |
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Posted: August 01 2010 at 17:26 |
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Yep, look forward to maybe reading your review of that one Topo.
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Finnforest
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Honorary Collaborator Joined: February 03 2007 Location: The Heartland Status: Offline Points: 16913 |
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Posted: August 01 2010 at 17:23 |
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Oh trust me Topo, you will love Museo. It's wonderful. I need to throw that one on again.
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topographicbroadways
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Joined: May 20 2010 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 5575 |
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Posted: August 01 2010 at 17:17 |
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I just ordered Museo Rosenbach - Zarathustra
I can't wait to hear it, i hear it is one of the greats and i have yet to be disappointed or underwhelmed by a recommendation like that
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topographicbroadways
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Joined: May 20 2010 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 5575 |
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Posted: August 01 2010 at 17:14 |
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I listened for the first time to Reale Accademia De Musica self titled album earlier and found it very striking,
it was like know italian prog i have heard before. From Le Orme, PFM, Banco and Quella it was a stream of epic symphonic which i fell in love with straight away, but on Reale there was something unique i havn't heard from anyone else in this scene and it was a thoroughly enjoyable album.
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Nightfly
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Honorary Collaborator Joined: August 01 2007 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 3659 |
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Posted: August 01 2010 at 13:50 |
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Thanks Chris, £25 quids a bit steep for me to be honest. To pay that much it would have to really want it desperately and then only after a few months of hunting. I've sometimes managed to turn up some pretty obscure and rare albums at record fairs, on ebay etc for quite cheap prices. Usually requires a bit of patience though but sooner or later many turn up.
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Pirx the Pilot
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Joined: June 23 2009 Location: MA, US Status: Offline Points: 40 |
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Posted: August 01 2010 at 11:14 |
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Thanks, Andrea. You should know that I didn't walk into the review blindly - I at least did a little homework and recognized the basis for the allegory. Hard to hide from with that cover art!
My first impressions of Di Terra are strong, but mixed for Canto di Primavera. But we all know first impressions are meaningless. And I expect to have a review of Panna Fredda up soon, if I can scrounge together some time today... |
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andrea
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Joined: May 20 2005 Location: Italy Status: Offline Points: 2064 |
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Posted: August 01 2010 at 10:54 |
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Don't worry, everyone is free to enjoy music as he prefers. But words are not just sounds and their meaning sometimes is more important than the sound of the notes notes played by the other instruments... On this link you can find lyrics and liner notes in Italian: http://www.lyra.net/fabio/new/songs.php?tipo=normal&aut=4&alb=36
bye!
Edited by andrea - August 01 2010 at 11:05 |
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Pirx the Pilot
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Joined: June 23 2009 Location: MA, US Status: Offline Points: 40 |
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Posted: August 01 2010 at 10:30 |
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I did! Based on your review and Todd's recommendation earlier in the thread... I also grabbed some Deus Ex & DFA, Wicked Minds, Universal Totem Orchestra & Orme's Contrappunti. |
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Finnforest
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Honorary Collaborator Joined: February 03 2007 Location: The Heartland Status: Offline Points: 16913 |
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Posted: August 01 2010 at 10:23 |
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Did you get the new Areknames? I think you'll love it. Especially given your avatar choice....Areknames has that dark sheen not unlike Arachnoid, though they are different in other ways.
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Pirx the Pilot
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Posted: August 01 2010 at 10:12 |
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This just sparked a very interesting conversation I'm having with my girlfriend right now about lyrics and music. For her, it's the music that draws her in - if the lyrics are in anyway meaningful, all the better (she was using Marillion as an example). Then there are the folks who relate to what many bands have to say despite the music (I'm thinking country music, here - ugh)... Di Terra is over - I'll have to give that a few more spins. Checking out Canto di Primavera now. Yeah, I went on a bit of a shopping spree last week and nabbed a dozen Italian releases (including Areknames, which I haven't listened to yet). |
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Finnforest
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Honorary Collaborator Joined: February 03 2007 Location: The Heartland Status: Offline Points: 16913 |
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Posted: August 01 2010 at 10:04 |
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Same here Pirx. It is the beauty of the music which speaks to me, rarely do lyrics matter for my enjoyment. Whether English or non-English, content is always far secondary to the music for my enjoyment. And Italian vocals are so cool because they are expressive in sound, even if one does not comprehend the language.
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Pirx the Pilot
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Posted: August 01 2010 at 09:58 |
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I probably should have stated that my knowledge of the Italian language is severely limited. Thankfully, my girlfriend is able to translate the written word for me, if the singing is somewhat difficult to comprehend. Alas, my version of the album (Virgin) has a booklet with absolutely no liner notes - actually, no text whatsoever except the song titles and times. Perhaps I should make the disclaimer, too, that I am very focused on the music, almost never the lyrics or theme (unless musical), no matter the tongue. To me the voice is another instrument, and it's no more pronounced and beautiful than it is in RPI! Shall I stick to instrumental album reviews? Nah...  Interesting because just this moment I'm listening to Di Terra, which I only picked up yesterday. |
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seventhsojourn
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Honorary Collaborator Joined: December 11 2009 Location: . Status: Offline Points: 4006 |
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Posted: August 01 2010 at 05:08 |
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Paul, as far as I'm aware, Synphonic, Kinesis, Doug Larson, Amazon etc don't have this. There are a couple of Japanese sellers on eBay that have it for about £25. A bit pricey, but worth it I think.
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andrea
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Joined: May 20 2005 Location: Italy Status: Offline Points: 2064 |
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Posted: August 01 2010 at 04:31 |
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FOCUS ON BMS’ LAST SUPPER...
A recent review...
Review by Pirx the Pilot
It wasn't too long ago that I began my foray into the world of Italian progressive rock, and one of my first listens was Banco's Darwin. It was only a matter of time before making the eventual leap to Come In Un'Ultima Cena, a quite recognizable but still changed beast relative to the releases that precede it. This 1976 allegory is laid before us with greater emphasis on Francesco Di Giacomo's tremendous voice and the wild organ, synth and piano excursions of the Nocenzi brothers to great, if different, effect.
Looking back over my plentiful track by track notes, I have decided to forgo the specifics in favor of a brief, overall look. The one thing that stands out in reviewing my observations is that many of my individual song comments are not entirely dissimilar. The same traits are evident in each track - Francesco's distinctive singing, the amazing keyboards, rich compositions, and above all the phenomenal interplay between all of the musicians (no better example than Il Ragno). Even when they court their mellower side, the intensity never wanes.
Favorites include the typical (of 1972-73 Banco) opener A Cena, followed by Il Ragno - pure adrenaline from start to finish, and the wildly diverse Voilà Mida, which manages to twist its way through a number of styles all so intricately bound together. The singular change of scenery can be found in the beautiful La Notte è Piena, which stands in sharp contrast to the rest of the album in that it features purely acoustic instruments.
So, where does this leave Come In Un'Ultima Cena? An ambitious album with over the top performances, but overall not entirely memorable, the whole diluted somewhat by a certain sameness. A little less adventurous than previous Banco albums and others of the genre, but still an incredibly focused and energetic release.
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Well, the complexity of this work is more in the concept and in the lyrics than in the music. The album was released with liner notes explaining the content and I think that is difficult to appreciate this work only listening to the music, without comprehending what the music tries to express, what the songs are about...
Despite an art cover that apparently is full of references to the gospels, the subject matter of this work is not religion at all. A simple supper with friends is the starting point of a spiritual path that leads to the discovery of a new perspective to life, to another spiritual dimension. During the supper the protagonist let drop his usual human mask and asks for help expressing all his confusion, his lack of true relationships, his needs... Tension rises and someone says “it seems to be as in a last supper”. The beautiful inlay drawing was inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous painting “L’ultima cena” (exactly the same painting that inspired Dan Brown in his novel “The Da Vinci Code”) and it’s full of symbolism. The members of the band appear disguised as disciples, on the left there’s a peacock with a crown of thorns in the beak and on the table you can notice a gun...
The opener “... a cena per esempio” (... at supper for example) set the atmosphere. It begins softly and unquiet melodic lines depict the spiritual troubles and the pain of the protagonist and his need for help. “I set out the last fire to give relief to my eyes... But the scream of the earth keeps on whipping my heart / I’m nailed here to listen to it... Now I’m here among you, my dearest friends... It’s to you that I’m asking for help...”. The music in the middle section, where the protagonist unravels his thoughts, is tense and dramatic while the end is more relaxed and melodic. Once the protagonist has delivered his weight silence falls down and for a while the hope for a new day seems to hang in the air... “My tiredness is stretched on my shoulders... My throat is trembling waiting for the dawn / Outside a new day comes to life / And we are dying...”.
“Il ragno” (The spider) depicts a hard reaction, full of rage and cynicism... “I’ve come here walking on the highest walls / To have a party and celebrate with you / But I was wrong / You’re talking about life and death / I don’t like it...”. The first friend stigmatizes the attitude of the protagonist, moaning about himself like an old broke thief while you need to be shrewd and pitiless to be successful in life... “I’m the spider who looms along the darkest holes / I lay a snare for the ones who are astonished by my skilled tricks...”. The rhythm is frenzy, then suddenly a break where the protagonist answers to his cynical friend that he can’t stand it and that he couldn’t walk following his wicked tracks towards a labyrinth with no way out. But the break is short and rhythm takes off again with the reply of the spider... “I run fast up and down / Everyone thinks I’m a wise man... In my precious shrouds I delicately cradle my preys... Take this thread! / I never bestow anything to anyone / Follow this thread and you won’t lose yourself...”.
“E’ così buono Giovanni ma...” (Giovanni is so good but...) is about false and conditioned love. The music is sweet and delicate featuring piano and acoustic guitar. The second friend makes sweet and allusive promises to the protagonist but wants something in exchange (sex?). “I’ll give you the honey for your lips... I’ll gather your fears / And I will be the amphora where you will drop your tears but...”.
“Slogan” (Slogan) is about crowd control. The rhythm goes up and the atmosphere becomes tense and heavy like lead... “Slogan, slogan, slogan, shout up your slogan / Slogan, slogan, defend you slogan...”. The third friend is an opportunist and a merciless political leader who doesn’t cares even about deaths because martyrs can be useful. He is a crowd rider ready to sell out his own father to reach his goal. He can’t understand the feelings of the protagonist and his reply is disdainful... “Like an albatross that’s gone insane / You are looking for a space where you can fly on your own / While I have tore off my wings to breath the earth along with other people / I can’t accept your troubles / Your mean thoughts are only yours!”.
“Si dice che i delfini parlino” (They say that dolphins can speak) is a wonderful introspective track. The dolphins with their instinct of survival seem to show the way to the light to the protagonist telling that you don’t have to fear the waves of life and that you must never give up. The atmosphere here is dreamy, the bass lines pulse beating like a heart... “After the storm I’ve been wondering for a long time among the corals / On my skin I was feeling the weight of the sea / And I feared I could never jump towards the sun again / But the desire of immensity was shaking my veins / And I came up from the abyss again...”.
“Voilà Mida (Il guaritore)” (Here comes Mida, the healer) is about charlatans, preachers and false magicians. After a short introduction the rhythm becomes frenzy, colourful and bright. Lyrics describe a man boasting that he can heal every pain in exchange of money. Mida the healer comes on a chariot dragged by peacocks on the market square and sells things like pieces of personality, bomb proof ideals or hair spray to fix the ideas... “For your soul to heal / You have found the right man, my friend...”.
“Quando la buona gente dice” (When good people say) is beautiful short and lively track featuring acoustic strummed acoustic guitar and percussion in the forefront. It’s about the role of the appearances... “Do not open too much yourself / Take care of the appearances, they are the sign of respect / Do not show yourself to the others when you are injured / Or they will hit you to death... Tie your thoughts to the thread of the night / You will be alone and nobody will see / When you’ll be alone in the night untie you breaths / And nobody will hear...”.
“La notte è piena” (The night is full) is a delicate acoustic piece featuring strong classical influences. It describes a night full of desires and frustrations... “The night is full of desperate screams / You will recognize all of them, one after another / If you carefully listen to the silence / You can hear them tearing to pieces each other...”.
“Fino alla mia porta” (Up to my door) begins with an hypnotic crescendo of keyboards. It marks the conclusion of an introspective spiritual path leading to the enlighten. The protagonist had to go through himself to discover a new awareness, climbing over the refusals of his friends to recover himself and experience a new dimension for his life... “On the steps of your refusal / I’m coming up to my door / This time the nocturnal harp / Is playing the song of the fears in vain...”. Eventually tension melts in a solemn ethereal melody. A beautiful finale for an excellent album!
By the way, the overall sound of this work was enriched by the collaboration with the Italian “minstrel” Angelo Branduardi that appeared on the album as a special guest playing violin...
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Todd wrote: