The Italian Prog Appreciation den

Hello, though I have been reading these pages for what it seems forever, I am new to the forums.

As a dedicated prog fan I have some Italian prog albums, and I bring a question over here:

NEW TROLLS

Well, the thing is, I am from Spain, and I remember as a kid (80's) that this band appeared in TV shows and were - at the time - a pop band. As a side note, in the 80's Italian pop music was big in Spain and most Italian artists made Spanish versions of their albums, and many of them are still popular over here.

Righ, coming back to my question: New Trolls, worth a listen? which albums?

My tastes in music ... ufff ... (lol !) I don't put fences to my tastes, in my record collecion you can find anything from Abba to ZZ Top, with a good chunk dedicated to prog ... in fact in the last two years I have been listening to almost non stop only prog albums. My favourites since I was a teen are Yes, but I love current bands too (most of them from Scandinavia).

Weird you recommend Tempi Dispari, a friend that just have emailed me also recommends the same album ... and weird too that this album is NOT in progarchives database !!! why ?

Oh ok, I also was doing some research and realized that the band and their discography are a bit nightmarish to follow, with splits, legal battles about the name and so on.

I will start with Concerto Grosso and Tempi Dispari, thanks.

I also like the 2xLP Searching For A Land

So...thoughts on the latest PFM album `Emotional Tattoos'?

The playing is superb and drummer Di Cioccio’s voice is confident, but it seems very much mostly made up of vocal heavy AOR/fancier rock with little in the way of `proggy' touches, save for little 30 second soloing spots here and there. Some tracks are much more interesting than others, but...I can't help but feel there's not a lot to associate with the sound of the legendary proggers of the past. In fact, if one didn't know it was PFM, would they pick that it was them?

I'm kind of dumbfounded that it runs for over an hour as well. Does InsideOut Music put demands on all the artists that sign for them that the music must have enough to cover a double vinyl release?

Anyway, review on the way over the next few days, but please offer your thoughts if you've heard it.

Just been listening to Camelias Garden - You Have a Chance.  Fantastic album indeed!!

Thanks for your thoughts, guys. I posted a review for that new PFM album earlier today, it just got wiped off the front page within a couple of hours .

http://www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=1824525

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H, funny you mention that, because you're one of many that seems to be praising the new Acqua Fragile quite a lot, and to be honest I hadn't even been planning on getting it because I find the original albums rather not too special. But I think I might have to grab it now!

Edited by Aussie-Byrd-Brother - November 19 2017 at 06:00

Thanks, Cindy (just seen this now!):

******

Anyway, very sad news for Italian prog fans. Just confirmed very recently, the dark lord of Italian prog, mr Antonio Bartoccetti of Antonius Rex and Jacula, has passed away. He suffered a heart attack some months ago, but his family have only just released this information now. Anyone who has an interest in the darker corner of Italian progressive music will likely realise the status he commanded on the fringes of Italian prog-related and gothic music.



R.I.P, Mr Bartoccetti, thank you for your beautiful dark music.

TheH wrote: Aussie-Byrd-Brother wrote: Thanks, Cindy (just seen this now!): ****** Anyway, very sad news for Italian prog fans. Just confirmed very recently, the dark lord of Italian prog, mr Antonio Bartoccetti of Antonius Rex and Jacula, has passed away. He suffered a heart attack some months ago, but his family have only just released this information now. Anyone who has an interest in the darker corner of Italian progressive music will likely realise the status he commanded on the fringes of Italian prog-related and gothic music. R.I.P, Mr Bartoccetti, thank you for your beautiful dark music.     Very Very sad. But I can't find any proof of this anywhere, you have a reliable source?

H, I'm only going by the information that a long-time friend and acquaintance on my Facebook has mentioned. She has longtime connections and dealings with endless Italian groups both vintage and modern for several decades now, so I would trust her implicitly. However I and a couple of others have requested some officially released sources, so if I can get that, I'll update here.