All Prog From Italy Appreciation Thread

DUELLO MADRE may have released only one album(1973) but they were seasoned musicians at this point in their careers, with the guitarist and bass player coming from OSAGE TRIBE and the drummer from CIRCUS 2000.There is also a sax/flute player(who along with the guitarist wrote all the songs) and some guest keyboards on this album.I should mention that after this band broke up the bass player would go on to play with IL VOLO while the drummer would play with NOVA.I have to say upfront that i'm addicted to this album and i have to thank Todd for the recommendation.There's something understated about this record yet at the same time it brings me so much excitement.A contridiction in terms i know but this is truly a delicate feast for the ears,a recording that needs to be listened to closely to be fully appreciated.This really grew on me. "Aquile Blu" is spacey,almost haunting to open before reserved vocals arrive after a minute as the sound changes.Nice bass here too.Great sound 2 minutes in as the tempo picks up.It settles again as bass throbs.Love Finnforest's line about the bass playing here: "...he likes to lay down a fat lead riff and just drive it into the sunset". So true. Sax comes in after 3 1/2 minutes and leads the way.Just incredible playing here by the whole band.Vocals are back 6 1/2 minutes to end it. "Momento" continues with the same vibe as the first track as the bass throbs while drums,sax and keys impress.A change before 2 minutes as it calms right down and returns with gentle acoustic guitar.Flute joins in and then it kicks back into gear after 4 minutes.Nice guitar! "Otto" opens with drums while bass and sax follow.Intricate sounds with some great interplay here.Guitar 3 minutes in starts to make some noise as the sax retreats.The sax is back! I really like the drumming 4 1/2 minutes in and the guitar that follows. Excellent bass 6 minutes in. "Madre" is the longest track at 10 1/2 minutes.A little flair to open before it settles with smooth sax and keys.A calm 3 minutes in as the sound changes(great section) then it kicks back in after 4 1/2 minutes.Love the guitar 7 1/2 minutes in and then the sax takes the lead but it's brief as the guitar lights it up.More sax as the battle it out.It turns pastoral 9 minutes in to the end. "Duello" is my favourite although each track is a highlight for me.I really like how dark the intro is here as it builds.It gets even darker after 3 1/2 minutes.Amazing sound! Guitar and bass take over before 6 minutes.Nice. Drums and sax end it. Another gem for my treasure box(collection).

As Finnforst and Tszirmay have indicated already in their reviews this is one of those albums that really makes you feel good.The vocalist Luciano Regoli has one of those voices that simply makes me smile, he sounds so good.Luciano was in a band with Claudio Simonetti years before this,when that band broke up Claudio went on to form GOBLIN while Luciano went on to form RACCAMNDATA RICEVUTA RITORNO.After one album RRR broke up and Luciano and RRR's guitarist Nanni Civitenga went on to form this band SAMADHI.This had been described as sort of a super group as the others in the band also came from other known bands from that time.The majority of these tracks were composed by the keyboardist and bass player.Jazz-Rock was starting to spread throughout Italy at this time and so the band steered itself in that direction on this their only release. "Uomo Stanco" is a top three track for me on this album.Strummed guitar to open as organ joins in.A full sound comes in with vocals.I was instantly drawn in by those incredible vocals,how can you not smile? Nice bass lines throughout.Guitar 2 minutes in is pleasant.Excellent organ to end it. "Un Milione D'Anni Fa" has a bit of a classical vibe because of the strings and bassoon.The vocals are great.A fair amount of piano too.Pretty cool track. "L'Angelo" opens with acoustic guitar then electric guitar,piano and drums take over.Vocals and bass follow.Fantastic guitar after 1 1/2 minutes.Vocal melodies and horns follow. "Passaggio Di Via Arpino" features percussion early as flute comes in.This song becomes the jazziest tune yet when the piano,light drums,sax and bass take over.Some outstanding guitar follows.Great section before 5 minutes with flute.I like this instrumental a lot. "Fantasia" is another top 3 song for me.It opens with organ,a full sound follows.Love the vocals before a minute.Some good organ and flute in this one,piano late. "Silenzio" is mellow to start then strummed guitar and piano follow.Electric guitar and vocals after a minute.The guitar 4 1/2 minutes to the end is a treat.The previous two songs bring PFM to mind at times. L'Ultima Spiaggia is the longest song by far and my favourite.Piano intro as reserved vocals join in.A full sound before 1 1/2 minutes with flute.Check out the vocals 3 minutes in as he brings some passion in his singing.Some wonderful piano melodies later then we get deep male vocal melodies joining the piano,drums and bass.This goes on and on and it's so moving. I know this could be said about a lot of Italian bands but it's too bad they only put out one album.I'm just glad i own it.

When this album was released, back in 1979, it came as a surprise to those who knew Franco Battiato as a wacky, avant-garde artist known for near-unlistenable records - such as its predecessor, the notorious L'Egitto prima delle sabbie. However, L'era del cinghiale bianco (a title referring to both Celtic and Hindu mythology, in which the wild boar was a symbol of spiritual renewal) took the Italian music scene by storm, even if it did not become a massive hit like its followers eventually did. Neatly packaged in a stylish cover brimming with all kinds of esoteric symbols, it features music that is at the same time accessible and sophisticated, Battiato's distinctive vocals, redolent of the Middle East, and his trademark lyrical style, a brilliant mixture of the nonsense and the cultivated.

< Out of Battiato's 'pop' albums, L'era del cinghiale bianco is definitely the one with the most appeal for prog fans. The presence of two renowned sessionmen like drummer Tullio De Piscopo and guitarist Alberto Radius, both former members of Italian prog bands, anchors the album to the RPI scene, which at the time seemed more or less a thing of the past. As stated by other reviewers, many of the former glories of Italian prog had chosen to go commercial, like Alan Sorrenti or New Trolls, while others, conversely, had gone underground. Battiato - ever the outsider - chose a direction that was fated to make waves on the ultimately conservative Italian music scene, becoming a purveyor of what could be termed 'thinking man's pop music'. He took the song form (firmly rooted in the Italian melodic tradition), and injected it with electronic keyboards, ethnic instruments, liberal use of foreign languages, and lyrics deeply imbued with philosophy and exoticism. On the following albums, the songs would become increasingly more straightforward in musical structure - here, we see Battiato's experiment in 'intelligent pop' at its most intriguing.

While you do not need to understand Italian to appreciate Battiato's music, it is undeniable that, if you don't, you are missing out on something - though his voice is fascinating even without having a clue of what he is singing about. I believe not enough has been said about how innovative Battiato's singing style has been for the Italian music scene, where singers are usually expected to have either very pleasant and melodic, or very theatrical voices. In some ways, Battiato's style can be compared to another great innovator's, Lucio Battisti (not yet included in the database at the time of writing) - neither gifted with powerful lungs, but both aware of the effectiveness of using one's voice as an additional instrument, and of the frequent superiority of expressiveness versus mere power.

One of the things I have always loved about Battiato's lyrics is their strong visual quality, very evident on the album's title-track (introduced by an awesome, utterly memorable violin riff), which conjures up images of exotic cities like Tunis and Damascus; while Strade dell'Est (whose strong rhythmic beat is vaguely reminiscent of a train) takes us on a journey through Central Asia, though hidden cities, crowded markets, and ancient legends. On the other hand, the mellow, hypnotic Il re del mondo references the theory of René Guénon about the 'spiritual centre' of the world, and its negative effects on free choice. Album closer Stranizza d'amuri, sung by the artist in his native Sicilian dialect, is somewhat older than the other tracks, having been written in 1975 (it is also included in the compilation La convenzione). Luna indiana is a beautiful, mostly instrumental, piano-based track, and the atmospheric Pasqua etiope is basically a prayer sung in Latin.

While prog purists may frown upon Battiato's move, open-minded music fans will find a lot to love in this intriguing, sophisticated album. In spite of its superficial 'poppy' feel, L'era del cinghiale bianco has many layers, which will unfold upon repeated listens. Granted, it is not 'conventional' prog by any means, and as such may be found disappointing by those who expect 20-minute epics, or wild time signature shifts. Knowledge of Italian is a bonus (unless one day I decide to translate the lyrics), but in no way essential to enjoy Franco Battiato's mesmerising musical world. Four solid stars from this reviewer.