ASTROLABIO

The second album by GARYBALDI proved to be a completely different beast than the debut "Nuda" which showcased bandleader and guitarist Bambi Fossatti's extraordinary ability to mimic Jimi Hendrix and crafting prog tracks to build around the rock hero worshipping. ASTROLABIO which appeared in 1973 showcased what happens when band members disagree about which direction to take a band and in the case of GARYBALDI resulted in bassist Angelo Traverso parting ways and being replaced by Sandro Serra and while original keyboardist Lio Marchi still participated on ASTROLABIO but went uncredited and was no longer an "official" member of the band. Despite all the trauma and drama of band disagreements, GARYBALDI was extremely active on the live circuit playing at all the important Italian festivals as well as opening for bigger bands like the Bee Gees, Santana, Uriah Heep and Van Der Graaf Generator.

ASTROLABIO continued the friction between Fossatti who was more interested in the rock side of things and drummer Maurizio Cassinnellli who was more interested in the classical meets pop hooks route. This second album is a temporary truce between the two styles before the band splintered for good thus breaking GARYBALDI up despite a recent score on the Fonit Cetrra label which hosted Osanna, Alusa Fallax, Raccamondata Ricevuta Ritorno, New Trolls and many other key players in the Italian prog scene of the early 70s. ASTROLABIO features two very distinct tracks that have little resemblance to one another but both over 20 minutes long and swallowing up an entire side of the original vinyl LP pressing. While the first side swallower "Madre Di Cose Perdute" features GARYBALDI on full prog mode with less emphasis on Hendrix style heavy psych, the second side "Sette?" was presented as a lengthy in studio band jam which revived Fossatti's Hendrix worship in full regalia.

"Made Di Cose Perdute" starts out unexpectedly with gurgling synthesized noises and abstract guitar harmonics slowly percolating into some sort of form as if an abstract Krautrock sound was slowly morphing into a more bluesy space rock aesthetic of Pink Floyd. After a couple minutes of warming up though the musical style takes form as a more traditional Italian prog act with romantic Italian lyrics in a slow plodding space rock format with a Floydian bass line cradling Fossatti's bluesy guitar licks and a pacifying atmospheric backdrop. There are some haunting backing vocals that sort of emulate moments of "The Dark Side Of The Moon" as well. Had Fossatti traded in his Hendrix worship for England's most famous space rockers? At first it seems so but around the 7-minute mark the style jumps back into a more symphonic style of Italian prog with some bluesy guitar gusto. This is the type of track you keep expecting to evolve into something grand given the 20-minute playing time but it never really takes off into an epic prog journey but rather recycles the same licks and motifs ad nauseam until you are left feeling woefully unsatisfied.

The second track "Sette?" is even less satisfying as it was basically an in studio jam session that featured some friends and family who added some audience participation type sounds but basically this is another Hendrix worship sermon with bluesy heavy psych motifs fortified with Fossatti's guitar wizardry along with moments of contrast which allowed some classical keyboard runs to sneak in as well as other styles trying to cast their light through the dominant stature of Fossatti's overpowering guitar prowess. It's a decent track but sounds more like a series of improvisations that early hard rock 70s bands like Deep Purple would unleash in a live setting to distinguish their live performances from the studio tracks. While fine in a live setting it seemed like a big fumble to include this as half the album. Perhaps a decent bonus tracks on future reissues but as the main album? It doesn't offer enough meat and potatoes to give you that satiated feeling and when coupled with the underwhelming performances of the first track it's clear GARYBALDI was not firing on all pistons at this stage.

For whatever reasons this band which was clearly talented beyond belief and had the chops to craft some of the top notch Italian prog of the era seemed to squander every opportunity with substandard decisions that made lopsided albums. On "Nuda" the opening tracks were way too close to the original Hendrix material with The Experience and although the album was redeemed by a spectacular prog closer on the second side, the album would've been much better had the entire album embarked on the same journey. On ASTROLABIO these faulty fumbles are even more pronounced with a rather middle of the road first side followed by a rather head scratching incongruent second track. It's not a bad album by any means but seems to lack any focus or direction that brings it to the top ranks of Italian prog. It seems the band members were too busy butting heads to focus on coalescing their talents into a vibrant expression of unique Italian prog. I actually prefer the debut album to this one but it is a unique nook of the Italian prog scene that no other band followed. And to be honest i actually like the Gleemen album better than both GARYBALDI albums!