Steve F.
www.waysidemusic.com
www.cuneiformrecords.com
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“Remember, if it doesn't say "Cuneiform," it's not prog!” - THE Jed Levin
Any time any one speaks to me about any musical project, the one absolute given is "it will not make big money". [tip of the hat to HK]
"Death to false 'support the scene' prog!"
please add 'imo' wherever you like, to avoid offending those easily offended.
Although I prefer PFM, they both have some pretty magnificent music/melodies/vocals.
Le Orme were cool. Fun band. PFM changed melody too often to get into.
PFM were better composers than Le Orme, though they lacked the ability of intergrating those wonderfully disguised popish hook-ups that made the latter's music so elegantly accessible.
Le Orme were fantastic at times, but their chosen medium was often somewhat marred by limitations to their instrumental scope (including a few very dodgy arrangments and too many repetitions of ideas) and that one-dimensional and overly fragile singing voice of Tagliapietra's (which was nice in itself but certainly lacking in versatility). Altogether I find both PFM and Banco far more vital and immediate in sound than Le Orme, although the latter could compete with the very best when peaking. Contrappunti is a magnificent album, so genuinely powerful and convincing in its force and delivery.
"Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
"[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM
So is there anything in the symphonic genre that can compete with PFM and Banco? Those were the first two that I heard and after listening to dozens of italian bands, I have encountered excellent music but no true equals. I love for example Quella Vecchia Locanda but I wouldn't put them on the same level. Any thoughts on that?
IMHO PFM and Banco set the bar pretty damned high...with Di Terra being arguably one of the best literal examples of progressive symphonic music.
If you're actually reading this then chances are you already have my last album but if NOT and you're curious:
https://battema.bandcamp.com/
Also, Ephemeral Sun: it's a thing and we like making things that might be your thing: https://ephemeralsun.bandcamp.com
Thinking specifically of Italy? P.F.M. and Banco come out fairly safe on top as far as Italian symphonic rock concerns (IMHO, of course), though I personally rate albums by Area, Stormy Six, Picchio dal Pozzo, Cervello, Jumbo and a couple of others even higher.
As for international "symph" progressive, the two come out extremely strong even there. There were other, perhaps more overtly original artists operating in similar terrain, particularly in Eastern Europe (like M. Éfekt, Kornelyans/Korni Grupa et al.) and Québec, but P.F.M. and Banco certainly set their very own standards.
"Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
"[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM
Great list right there. I'd also add Palepoli, Forse le lucciole non si amano più, Intorno Alla Mia Cattiva Educazione, and a few others as other random Italian gems of my collection. For my money, PFM in their prime wrote some of the greatest Italian prawg, period. "Dove Quando" is a masterpiece itself and sounds like some lost 18th century Italian love song from a remote hill town in Sicily (minus the instrumentation!).
Not only that; although (like I said) I listen even more frequently to L'Isola and this was my first foray into P.F.M., Per Un Amico remains one of the absolutely most consistently solid releases ever in the "symph" rock realm. There's preciously little to be changed, and if it had included "Old Rain" it might have outdone L'Isola for me. If you pick the best from the first three P.F.M. records and stuff it onto a goodol' 60-minute Basf cassette tape, chances are there that it'd just might be the finest thing ever to present what the whole "symph" enigma was all about. Shit, when racing head-on these guys could even R&R!
I'll be listening to them over Grappa this weekend. I sense that scent already. Not bluesy fruit but juicy flute.
"Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
"[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM
Steve F.
www.waysidemusic.com
www.cuneiformrecords.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Remember, if it doesn't say "Cuneiform," it's not prog!” - THE Jed Levin
Any time any one speaks to me about any musical project, the one absolute given is "it will not make big money". [tip of the hat to HK]
"Death to false 'support the scene' prog!"
please add 'imo' wherever you like, to avoid offending those easily offended.
By the way Cervello will Play a Reunion gig in Japan in July.
I think at least Corrado Rustici, Gianluigi Di Franco und Antonio Spagnolo are taking part in this.
While not really much of a fan of these long-since-gone old oneoffs reforming, this could actually be something - not least seeing how Rustici has been seriously active as a musician all along. Presumably he's heard of the (relative) level of interest in his adolescent band; I know for a fact that Melos has turned more units since its CD-issue in the early 90s than it ever did back on release.
I love that album.
"Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
"[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM
Came to the party late with regard to PFM so the first 4 albums I bought within a few months of each other. Love the first 2 records -like this album a lot.
Like PFM better than Le Orme or Banco, but enjoy listening to them as well.
Franco Battiato - Impressioni di Settembre live..unico... (serata Mogol)
Jet Lag was my intro to the band, and I immediately loved it when I heard it in my late teens, in vinyl.
It wasn't until decades later that I heard the first three albums, and recognized that they were much more symphonic and classically impacted, and frankly also more Mediterranean, on those first three. Jet Lag is more fusion-influenced. A love all these, though, and Chocolate Kings, too.....
"And this is the chorus.....or perhaps it's a bridge...."
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