"Mass Media" for Fusion/Jazz-Rock

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   Pardom me if this band has already been suggested, but I didnt find anything about it in PA:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1V_5_f4uvM

https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/mass_media

From "apps79" comment on https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/mass_media/opacita_scura/

"Italian act from Turin, found in 1976 by guitarist/singer Armando Pozzo and keyboardist Piero Dondi.Despite their intricate Hard/Prog/Fusion sound captured in their live performances, the band managed to release only a single in 1984 (''Solar energy/You make me remember'') in a Electro-Pop style.In 2005 Electromantic Records decided to release a CD entitled ''Opacita Scura'' with material recorded live in 1978.The line-up included also guitarist Tiberio Boido, drummer Pino Farinella and bassist Cosimo Fusco.

The album shows a band with a diverse approach, putting up performances influenced by Hard Rock, Progressive Rock and typical, slick, late-80's Fusion with strong emphasis on heavy guitar parts and flashy keyboard work.The recording has an average sound but the music delivery is likely to reward anyone chasing down the release.The first tracks move from guitar-driven Hard Rock with some impressive guitar solos and decent vocals to semi-loose instrumental passages with a Jazz-Rock attitude and nice keyboard work.As the album unfolds the Fusion elements become more prominent with Dondi offering a splendid show of atmospheric synthesizers and fiery electric piano in the vein of RETURN TO FOREVER, while the guitars still play a basic role always in a Hard Rockin' mood.Eventually the combination of symphonic parts, jazzy solos, dynamic vintage organs and powerful rock music results series of tracks full of demanding interplays and a strong amount of energy.Vocals are overall limited, mainly in Italian with just one track sung in English.

A good effort, where the more accesible Hard Rock world meets the great expectations of keyboard-driven Fusion/Prog.Dedicated to fans, for whom powerful and bombastic music has a lot more to offer than the more delicate and atmospheric prog stuff.Recommended."

Edited by desistindo - October 05 2016 at 15:52

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desistindo Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: June 02 2010 Status: Offline Points: 4321	Topic: "Mass Media" for Fusion/Jazz-Rock Posted: October 05 2016 at 14:38
	Pardom me if this band has already been suggested, but I didnt find anything about it in PA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1V_5_f4uvM https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/mass_media From "apps79" comment on https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/mass_media/opacita_scura/ "Italian act from Turin, found in 1976 by guitarist/singer Armando Pozzo and keyboardist Piero Dondi.Despite their intricate Hard/Prog/Fusion sound captured in their live performances, the band managed to release only a single in 1984 (''Solar energy/You make me remember'') in a Electro-Pop style.In 2005 Electromantic Records decided to release a CD entitled ''Opacita Scura'' with material recorded live in 1978.The line-up included also guitarist Tiberio Boido, drummer Pino Farinella and bassist Cosimo Fusco. The album shows a band with a diverse approach, putting up performances influenced by Hard Rock, Progressive Rock and typical, slick, late-80's Fusion with strong emphasis on heavy guitar parts and flashy keyboard work.The recording has an average sound but the music delivery is likely to reward anyone chasing down the release.The first tracks move from guitar-driven Hard Rock with some impressive guitar solos and decent vocals to semi-loose instrumental passages with a Jazz-Rock attitude and nice keyboard work.As the album unfolds the Fusion elements become more prominent with Dondi offering a splendid show of atmospheric synthesizers and fiery electric piano in the vein of RETURN TO FOREVER, while the guitars still play a basic role always in a Hard Rockin' mood.Eventually the combination of symphonic parts, jazzy solos, dynamic vintage organs and powerful rock music results series of tracks full of demanding interplays and a strong amount of energy.Vocals are overall limited, mainly in Italian with just one track sung in English. A good effort, where the more accesible Hard Rock world meets the great expectations of keyboard-driven Fusion/Prog.Dedicated to fans, for whom powerful and bombastic music has a lot more to offer than the more delicate and atmospheric prog stuff.Recommended." Edited by desistindo - October 05 2016 at 15:52
	Who watches the watcher of the skies?

yam yam Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Collaborator Crossover Team Joined: June 16 2011 Location: Kerberos Status: Offline Points: 6365	Posted: October 05 2016 at 18:17
	Suggested by erik neuteboom (along with french band 'Echoes') in October 2007: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=42544. The thread didn't get many replies, and whilst Echoes made it here (Eclectic Prog): http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=3269, Mass Media didn't. But here is the somewhat grainy live video of them that was included in that original thread (taken during the studio recording of the CD 'Criptoidea'): And a more recent live video: Mass Media on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mass-Media-120270711338278/. More videos here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjGcrS4TQ90ifZpRiDhxIlQ. And more samples on soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/massmedia-prog-band. Gotta be worth a shout somewhere on here. Edit: Here is the biography from the band's official website, http://www.massmediaband.com/: "Nascono nel 1976 dall’incontro di Piero Dondi (tastiere) e Armando Pozzo (chitarre e voce), per dare corpo sonoro alla sintesi tra l’orientamento “hard”, ispirato allo stile Hendrix, Cream, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin e Stones di Armando e l’indole più soft, sinfonica e concettuale alla Beatles, E,L & P, Genesis di Piero. Ambedue di provenienza classica, rimangono sensibili e fedeli alle armonizzazioni chiare, al non esagerare con i tempi dispari, cosa che all’epoca era molto trendy, degenerando spesso in pasticci compositivi difficili da interpretare, al ricercare filoni concettualmente significativi e comprensibili anche all’ascoltatore profano, senza peraltro indulgere troppo alle melensaggini finto psichedeliche, che abbondavano tra le melodie dei molti incapaci alla moda. La contaminazione arriva comunque da più fronti: l’eclettismo compositivo dei Mass Media richiama sempre i capi scuola, i già citati mostri sacri del Prog Rock dell’epoca e le esibizioni virtuosistiche, le sofisticate armonizzazioni di Cick Corea, McLaughlin, Jeff Beck. I collaboratori nel gruppo si sono altenati nel tempo, lasciando traccia della loro personalità, Roberto Sasso, Luca Tuffanelli e Pino Farinella alla batteria, Benny Pizzuto, Adriano Schirripa, Cosimo Fusco, Alberto Rinaldi, Moreno Ciccardi e Fulvio Bosio al basso, Tiberio Boido e Ivano Vartuli alle chitarre e voce, senza però tradire completamente lo stile piuttosto coerente dei leaders storici." Which google interprets as: Born in 1976 from the meeting of Piero Dondi (keyboards) and Armando Pozzo (guitars and vocals), to give body to the sound synthesis between the "hard" approach, inspired by Hendrix, Cream, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones and softer character, symphonic and conceptual to the Beatles, ELP, Genesis by Piero. Both classical origin, remain sensitive and faithful to the clear harmonies, not to overdo the odd times, which at the time was very trendy, often degenerating into trouble compositional difficult to interpret, to search for conceptually significant strands and understandable to the listener profane, without indulging too much to melensaggini fake psychedelic, which abounded among the melodies of many unable to fashion. The contamination, however, comes from several fronts: the eclectic composition of Mass Media always calls the school leaders, the aforementioned giants of Prog Rock era and virtuosic performances, the sophisticated harmonies of Chick Korea, McLaughlin, Jeff Beck. The members of the group have changed over time, leaving traces of their personality, Roberto Sasso, Luca Tuffanelli and Pino Farinella on drums, Benny Pizzuto, Adriano Schirripa, Cosimo Fusco, Alberto Rinaldi, Moreno Ciccardi and Fulvio Bosio on bass, and Tiberio Boido and Ivano Vartuli on guitars and vocals, without betraying completely the fairly consistent style of the historical leaders. https://www.discogs.com/artist/4223766-Mass-Media-5 Edited by yam yam - October 05 2016 at 19:04

Guests Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Guest Group	Posted: October 06 2016 at 09:09
	Guess we missed it the first time. Thanks everyone, we'll check them out.