TERRA IN BOCCA

A group from Milan, formed in 1964 by drummer Sergio Papes and brothers Giacomo and Sergio Martino, on guitars and bass respectively.They were joined by keyboardist Francesco Marsella a year later and performed in a Beat/Rock style for several years, having a great live activity and a good number of singles out along with their eponymous debut from 1966.1968 sees the demise of the band due to the new world order in music with Hippy/Psychedelic Rock emerging, but in 1970 the four anxious personalities came together to continue what was left.In 1971 I Giganti released the album ''Terra in bocca'' on RiFi, a concept album around the Italian maphia.

With Vince Tempera (later with Il Volo) on keyboards, future Area's bassist Ares Tavolazzi and a couple of more guests, I Giganti offered a great work, split in two side-long suites and listed among the first true Italian Prog albums.Depending on the lyrics, the music swirls from intense and passionate passages to softer and accesible parts.I Giganti really surprise on most of the album's length with the inventive arrangements presented.From the guitar-based Heavy Rock to the dramatic Mellotron-drenched Symphonic Rock and the adventurous Progressive Rock with sudden breaks and shifting moods, the four members of the band prooved why they were a band with potential already since their early years.But there are lots of smoother moments with acoustic guitars leading the way along with pianos and a light rhythm section, definitely having a very Folk approach and always serving the main purpose of the concept.Vocals are also very well-performed, either speaking for the romantic individual performances of the members or the multi-vocal harmonies dominating the album.Originally divided into 11 pieces, the whole concept is very tight and cohesive with the musicianship being always challenging throughout the album.

After another single in 1972 I Giganti disbanded for good with some members involved in various prog-related projects like Marsella playing on the Track album from 1974 and guitarist Di Martino playing in Avant-Rockers Telaio Magnetico and later in Albergo Intergalattico Spaziale.More recently Sergio Papes decided to reform the band, which still plays live in the new millenium.

As with all conservatives countries around the time, ''Terra in bocca'' was banned by the Italian media.However the several reissues wll give the opportinity to the starved prog fan to listen to this very good prog work from early-70's.Some of them, like the Vinyl Magic 89' edition, has a slightly compressed running time (44 instead of the original 46 minutes), propably coming out of the demo tapes of the album.Overall highly recommended, both from a historical and musical point of view.