The Italian Prog Appreciation den

Volo is so bad Cinevox has never bothered to issue it on CD, but for some reason the MP3s are now available for digital download. Short of lighting a ten dollar bill on fire, I couldn't think of a worse way to waste your money. Goblin (if that's what you want to call this) had completely abandoned prog by 1982. I wouldn't even call this rock music. Volo is completely disposable pop music of the worst sort; instead of evolving and integrating 80s tech with 70s musicality like Yes, King Crimson and Genesis, Goblin completely loses the plot here and sells out unabashedly. Even Goblin collectors cannot be bothered to click Buy, and other than sheer morbid curiosity, there is no reason to hear Volo.

Fabio Pignatelli was the only original member of Goblin by this point, as Agostino Marangolo had left ship for New Perigeo, and Simonetti and Morante were off collaborating with Dario Argento. Goblin alums Maurizio Guarini and Derek Wilson were welcomed back into the fold, and new members Marco Rinalduzzi and Mauro Lusini were recruited for guitar and vocal duties respectively. Rinalduzzi has a very polished, session-man technique not totally adaptable to the trademark Goblin creepiness. Yes pulled a similar stunt with Trevor Rabin and had slightly more successful results. Lusini actually has a really nice, smooth vocal quality and manages to sing in tune most of the time, which is more than I could say for Massimo Morante. This professionalism does not necessarily translate to anything pleasing however, as his uptight delivery never ventures outside a limited dynamic range nor is the material difficult enough to challenge him. Volo is nothing more than 1980s pop, pure and simple.

Highlights include "Fortuna," which features a female vocal and some interesting harmonized guitar work courtesy of newbie Rinalduzzi. The title track, which was apparently used as the theme song for the Italian broadcast "Discoring," has a hilariously awesome keyboard solo by Guarini which uses a synthesized guitar sound. "Est," which would later be used on Notturno, sounds unlike anything else on the album and seems out of place as the album closer. Everything else is forgettable dross, from the Toto-esque "Giornata Isterica" to the syncopated disco leanings of "Punta Di Rottura." If you need a soundtrack for your Italian-themed Eighties party, look no further than Volo. If not, I encourage you to avoid it at all costs.