STORIE DI UOMINI E NON

Thoroughly enjoyable and diverse minor masterpiece. One of the few bands that could bear a passing comparison to Area, no easy feat. First album King Crimson guitar work collides with frenetic later era Soft Machine with a touch of Area in the magnificent opening track, the 13 minute L'Ultima Spiaggia is the highlight, which finishes in a flourish of amphetaminized Wake of Poseidon sax and guitar madness. Next song Il Soldato shows a contrasting mood, with quiet guitar, trombone, contrabass and clarinet.

Side two opens with E, more inventive variations of the first Crimson album, specifically sounding like variations on 21st Century Schizoid Man without ever explicitly referencing any of it. It has great lurching rhythm and sax work that VDGG fans will like. Io Roboto brings the acoustic quartet back in their first burst of genuine RPI pastoralism so far, evolving into a pleasant yet powerful vocal (Rocky's no slouch in a field of very powerful RPI vocalists. ). Frenetic jazz jams get lauched, and flashes of Weather Report show up and fade seemingly out of nowhere. The song finishes on a nice hypnotic but complex drum and bass pattern. Martino takes us home on yet another great frantic ride -Gentle Giant complexities meet Soft Machine and VDGG in a sound that is really better described as 'the Rocky's Filj sound'

Although dozens of the best Italian bands seemed to only put out a single album before breaking up, Its criminal that they didn't put out a second lp, they are that good. A wild ride, wholly original and highly recommended. Definitely not close in sound to many of the usual RPI bands, a delightful collision of jazz and full on high energy prog. One of my favorites in the scene.

Sony 2009 vinyl pressing is a little thin in sound, but is getting harder to find out there lately so grab one while you can.

First album King Crimson and later Soft Machine meet Perigeo and Area in a tag team bout.

4.5 stars.

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