PER... UN MONDO DI CRISTALLO

RACCOMANDATA RICEVUTA RITORNO (Registered Mail Receipt Return) or RRR for short was one of the short-lived bands that participated in the exciting prog scene in 1970s Rome and yet one more band that released one mere album before disbanding and becoming somewhat of a footnote in the greater Italian prog scene. The band was formed by Luciano Regoli (vocals, acoustic guitar), Francesco Froggio Francica (drums, percussion), Manlio Zacchia (bass), Damaso Grassi (flute, sax), Nanni Civitenga (guitar) and Stefano Piermarioli (keyboards) and released its sole album PER? UN MONDO DI CRISTALLO in 1972 but soon folded due to tensions and disagreements between the band members as well as the record company applying excessive pressures to perform at certain events.

While in many ways the band was a typical Italian prog band with the classic folk and rock format that included two guitarists, a keyboardist, drummer, bassist and in RRR's case also a saxist / flautist, the band was led by the eccentric Luciano Regoli whose desire was to follow in the footsteps of the flamboyant Arthur Brown who was still rather unknown in Italy at the time. His first band was in Il Ritratto di Dorian Gray which never recorded its own music but proved to be the spawning grounds for Goblin's Claudio Simonetti and Quella Vecchia Locanda's bassist Massimo Giorgio. This experience prepared Regoli for the leadership role to steer his band RRR into more eclectic territory than what many other bands were aiming for.

PER? UN MONDO DI CRISTALLO is an early example of a science fiction themed concept album with lyrics written by the poet Maria Comin about a man who engages in an expedition to space only to return to a destroyed planet and all the loneliness and suffering he has to endure as he ponders the meaning of life and his struggle to find the will to continue on a depopulated destroyed planet. The album was one of the few post-apocalyptic albums of the Italian prog scene which set it apart significantly from the competition. The album features a series of musical motifs that shift between acoustically infused folk music with flutes to the more energetic guitar heavy rock. Regoli's vocal style is the top notch variety covering a wide range of octaves and evoking the classic PFM or Banco vibe however the music is darker and more mysterious.

Incorporating everything from knotty progressive rock workouts to jazzy touches, this album is designed to narrate the theme and offers a wide range of moods and dynamics shifting to pull it all off. The musicians are top notch with crazy keyboard runs and energetic hard rock outbursts balanced by dreamy symphonic prog touches that keep it within the realms of the romantic side of the Italian prog scene. The tracks are rather unpredictable in how they progress with off-kilter curve balls thrown in throughout the album's run without derailing the album's excellent attention to melodic processions that occasional veer into the avant-garde. The opening "Nulla" sets the tone with a dark brooding keyboard intro that paints the bleak picture of the stated man's mood as he returns to his once thriving life giving planet that is no more.

The album wastes no time ping ponging all over the place on "Su Una Rupe" which begins as a lush acoustically strummed dreamscape before erupting into a frenzy of knotty workouts and a passionate vocal led rock procession that finds an endless series of variations that continue throughout the album's playing time. While the musicianship is absolutely stunning, the production is a bit lackluster and has been a complaint of prog enthusiasts since the albums release however i can tolerate a less than perfect mixing job if the music delivers enough mojo magic to elevate the experience beyond that sole element and RRR certainly succeeded in that department. Fluent Italian speakers will also complain that the lyrics don't always relate to the concept but since my Italian is not of that level i can't say it bothers me too much especially since lyrics aren't my main focus anyways.

While considered by many to be a second tier band of the Italian prog scene, i beg to differ slightly. As far as success is concerned RRR may exist on a lower plane however as far as the talent and craftsmanship of the band's sole album is concerned i find this to be one of the most dynamically creative and well performed albums of the entire era. It's a bit of a strange one upon first exposure no doubt and requires an acclimation period but certainly delivers as many bold daring prog moves as all the greats of the day without sacrificing any of the attributes which makes it rather accessible in the melody making department. Nice diverse drumming styles, fiery performances contrasted with pastoral placidity and a more than competent singer and musical section. What's not to love about this one? Well, yeah the production which unfortunately many will cite as an inferiority. Masterpiece? Well maybe not quite but this is no doubt an excellent slice of creative Italian prog from the golden years.