The Italian Prog Appreciation den

There is a thing I don't understand. I don't see the second album in the boxset.

Yep, you're right. A MUST HAVE for all RPI lovers

DANCING TO THE RPI GROOVE !

Good one, Dave. Too bad, the songs are so short ...

Guldbamsen wrote: I think you hit the nail on the head my friend. It's not that I need music to be progressive - like in the word's true connotations - yet with a lot of new prog releases, I find myself wandering off, loosing interest. It's not only RPI and sorry if it came across like that, but I do hear this a lot in the Italian releases. I guess it's largely down to how these things are produced. See my reviews of both Il Tempio Delle Clessidre and the new Daal album. The production is just too "nice", polished, without any real fathomable nuances coming to the fore. Feels clinical to me. On the other hand, when Steve Wilson does this, I tend to be over the moon with the result Maybe I just think, that when new bands are barking up an old recognisable tree, then why the hell do they feel the need to remove the single most vibrant and warm quality to the music, in funnelling all that great music through a modern-no-face-eradicate-all-unwanted-noise filter? This is why Diagonal and Astra gained so much attention with their debuts. They didn't serve it up as if they'd just re-invented the wheel - no they reached back and took with them the feel of the 70s era, instead of a recipe.  The lack of the all important feel and the prog-by-the-numbers approach usually equals minus commotion in my trouser department Sorry for sounding so negative btw - this is just my own sentiments on the deal. I am very much comforted in the fact that others feel the complete opposite

Sorry for no reply until now, Dave, just been thinking about what you had to say and working out some questions and opinions to offer back!

I know what you mean about `imperfections' and nuances that become such a special part of some of those vintage albums! Albums like, say for instance, Il Biglietto, Rustichelli & Bordini and the recently mentioned Rocky's Filj all have such a rough charm and manicial energy!

Thing is, I doubt those artists set out to purposely make their albums sounds so rough-around-the-edges! . I mean, I highly doubt the guys from Soft Machine, while recording `Third' were sitting around the table saying `You know what...what we need is to make an album that sounds like it was recorded in a f**king toilet' lol!

So of course over the years all our favourite albums have revealed all those low-fi and murky characteristics that we come to love, But I wonder if a lot of them were all happy accidents? I recall a vague qoute from...someone, I seem to think it was something/someone to do with Yes...pretty sure it was in that `Prog' magazine, and they said `What people don't understand is that we never set out to record those albums that way, we were simply making do with the inferior equipment and production techniques we had on offer at the time...'. Damn, really wish I could track that proper quote down.

Anyway, I'm sure I had a point in there somewhere, but it's now 2am and I'm not very focused or coherent any more, but I hope you understand where I was coming from! I'm not going to deny it, I've kind of just trailed off...

Dave, I hope you might eventually come across some newer RPI titles that win you over, I think there's been an endless string of killer titles from both new and vintage comeback acts that have so much to offer! I won't lie, my friend, we're talking serious `six to midnight' excitement action down below from me, so hopefully you'll sense a stirring sooner than later as well!

Edited by Aussie-Byrd-Brother - June 01 2013 at 10:50

Aussie-Byrd-Brother wrote: Thanks for clearing up the matter of the `missing album', Coaster! I plan on grabbing this when Syn-phonic gets it in stock, yet another gap in the collection to fill! (a gap that never ends, it seems... )

I agree Todd. Warm and pure. I have that 1994 edition. But the boxset for 30 euros, it's almost a bargain, no ?

Todd explains thoroughly what I couldn't bother to type out.  The jewel case edition appears to be about half the price of the box set so it is an excellent value.  But the omission of I Suoni in una Sfera is puzzling, especially since a lot of that material is much closer to the Celeste s/t than Celeste II.  

Sample : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN-0b5WRy2w