Top 1970s Italian Prog (excluding Le Orme, PFM, and Banco

[mozo-pg]

Excluding Le Orme, Banco, and PFM, who are the main Italian bands from the 1970s that match the "Big Three" or surpass them. A few that come to mind immediately are Celeste, Latte E. Meile, New Trolls, Semiramis, Alphataurus, Arti E Mestieri, Picchio Dal Pozzo. I think there are dozens of Italian bands that are as good or better then the "Big Three".

What are you top bands and why do you think they are equal or better compared to Le Orme, PFM, or Banco?

[Progatron]

Some great ones listed there (although to me, New Trolls only made one good album).

Metamorfosi and Area are near the top of my list for sure, along with Corte Dei Miracoli, Il Balletto Di Bronzo, Museo Rosenbach, Il Rovescio Della Medaglia, Jumbo, Osanna, Maxophone, Pierrot Lunaire, Murple, Quella Vecchia Locanda... so much greatness. And the resurgence in the 2000s has been spectacular too, with a lot of modern Italian bands giving a nod to the greats of the 70s.

One of my favourite aspects of music to collect!

[Poisoned Youth]

Excluding Le Orme, Banco, and PFM, who are the main Italian bands from the 1970s that match the "Big Three" or surpass them. A few that come to mind immediately are Celeste, Latte E. Meile, New Trolls, Semiramis, Alphataurus, Arti E Mestieri, Picchio Dal Pozzo. I think there are dozens of Italian bands that are as good or better then the "Big Three".

What are you top bands and why do you think they are equal or better compared to Le Orme, PFM, or Banco?

Difficult question as each of the "top 3" had 3-5 albums in the 70s that rank at or near the top of many lists. The majority of other Italian artists like Balletto di Bronzo (for example), had one monumentally praised album and really nothing else to show for. So it's hard to suggest Balletto or any other 1 off, 2 off band can compare with the combined output of the big 3. So I would think you'd have to almost distinguish between what "albums" were better and what "artists" were better if that makes sense.

With that in mind...I would only put Area, New Trolls, and Goblin as worthy contenders from an output standpoint.

But I would label all these albums as on par or superior with "the big 3" personally speaking:

Il Balletto di Bronzo, - Ys
Apoteosi - s/t
Alphataurus – s/t
Arti + Mestieri - Tilt
Cherry Five - s/t
Corte dei Miracoli – s/t
New Trolls – UT
RDM - Contaminazione
Area - Crac!
Goblin - Roller
Latte E Miele - Papillon
Osanna - Palepoli
Perigeo - Abbiamo Tutti Un Blues Da Piangere
Quella Vecchia Locanda - s/t
Maxophone – s/t
Museo Rosenbach - Zarathustra

[Scrotum Scissor]

I love those three (and Banco espec), but I'd personally rate the following above them:

Picchio dal Pozzo
Jumbo
Cervello
Stormy Six
AreA
Il Balletto di Bronzo

These I'd rate particularly high as well:

Locanda delle Fate
Arti e Mestieri
Maxophone
Mamma Non Piangere
Procession
Pierrot Lunaire
Alusa Fallax
Festa Mobile
Flea/Etna
Franco Battiato
Roberto Colombo
Museo Rosenbach
Raccomandata Ricevuta Ritorno
Libra (1st.)
Ibis (Sun Supreme, very underrated)

There are shitloads of others, of course.

[mozo-pg]

Difficult question as each of the "top 3" had 3-5 albums in the 70s that rank at or near the top of many lists. The majority of other Italian artists like Balletto di Bronzo (for example), had one monumentally praised album and really nothing else to show for. So it's hard to suggest Balletto or any other 1 off, 2 off band can compare with the combined output of the big 3. So I would think you'd have to almost distinguish between what "albums" were better and what "artists" were better if that makes sense.

With that in mind...I would only put Area, New Trolls, and Goblin as worthy contenders from an output standpoint.

But I would label all these albums as on par or superior with "the big 3" personally speaking:

Il Balletto di Bronzo, - Ys
Apoteosi - s/t
Alphataurus – s/t
Arti + Mestieri - Tilt
Cherry Five - s/t
Corte dei Miracoli – s/t
New Trolls – UT
RDM - Contaminazione
Area - Crac!
Goblin - Roller
Latte E Miele - Papillon
Osanna - Palepoli
Perigeo - Abbiamo Tutti Un Blues Da Piangere
Quella Vecchia Locanda - s/t
Maxophone – s/t
Museo Rosenbach - Zarathustra

I see what you mean and was reflecting on this point when I started the thread. More than one band on my list only released one album. People can go with albums or artists.

[Zeuhlmate]

Dont forget Orchestra Njervudarov https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4o-uX8zKB8

[TheH]

To many good ones to mention just a few, but I second all those mentioned above. (there are much more like Campo di Marte, Eneide or Semiramis and Shamadi etc, etc.)

I don't rate bands by: this one is better than that one. I just enjoy the great music.
Italy is a great place for Prog, if it's the 70s or the also great new scene.

I also like the fact that many of the bands mentioned are still around. There will be new studio albums by the big 3 soon.
Jumbo just reformed! Maxophone are working on a new album. The new album by RDM will be out soon etc.etc.

[Jay.Dee]

I love those three (and Banco espec), but I'd personally rate the following above them:

Picchio dal Pozzo

Ouch! I have travelled around Brittany this summer and one day I go to a second-hand record store in a small town, start flipping through CDs and suddenly notice the same titled Quella Vecchia Locanda disc at a reduced price. So I think to myself, isn't it this band that Scrotum regularly trumpets on the forum as the pinnacle of Italian prog, as the very top of Canterbury influenced bands? This must be it, so I pick it and carry back to the hotel, unwrap it, put into a discman, listen once, scratch my head, listen for the second time, all the time asking myself: what is going on?

Not a bad piece of music, but no way close to the summit of adventurous prog. And where the hell is the purported Canterbury influence? That Scrotum obviously must be hitting the age when people get sentimental and start to see their youthful infatuations through rose-coloured glasses, I say to myself, putting the disc back into case.

Today I am opening this thread and read: Picchio Dal Pozzo! Jeez, this was the name of the band! Those bloody multi-word Italian band names!



PS In the meanwhile, after a good few listens, in desperate search of elusive Canterbury gene, I started to like Quella Vecchia Locanda anyway...

[mozo-pg]

Some great ones listed there (although to me, New Trolls only made one good album).

I'm guessing your referring to Atomic System (not sure). Concerto Grosso has some nice music on it.

[Dave]

They probably don't fit into the "Italian Prog" pigeonhole but I think Nova is worthy of consideration. I think some guy named Phil Collins plays on this

[Scrotum Scissor]

I started to like Quella Vecchia Locanda anyway...

I'm a bit sentimental about QVL too, in fact. They were in my first bin of buys from the Record Heaven mailorder retail (Sweden) back in '94, when labels such as Contempo, Fonit Cetra and Vetesse had recently (or as early as '89) started a reissue campaign on vinyl for Italian semi-obscure progressive. I remember others in that shipment; Metamorfosi's Inferno, Museo Rosenbach's Zarathustra, Reale Accademia di Musica's s/t, Ricordi D'Infanzia s/t, Cervello's Melos (still my single fave "symph" progressive title from Italy) and several Banco releases. I later bought an additional dozen-or-so vinyl reissues from Italy and ended up storing some 60+ of them for my collection. I prefer all this on vinyl, as most of the initial CD-reissues were rips anyway, often donning tedious hiss.

I read the story of how QVL were from Rome and used to rehearse in the basement of a tavern in the old Jewish ghetto quarters of the city, and that they basically drew their name from this particular place. On getting married three years later and going to Rome for my honeymoon, we came across this beautiful restaurant called La Vecchia Locanda and naturally sought table there - and guess what? We were seated in the basement, with the waiter assuring us that the tavern had not changed its name since the mid-60s and was definitely the only one carrying it in this part of town - i.e. the old ghetto. Alas we were in fact dining in what had once been QVL's rehearsal space.

True story.

I still like their debut (especially) very much. They were like a garage-version of PFM to my ears.

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

my Italian 'A-list' through 1979 excluding the "big 3" (in order from FANTASTIC to GREAT):

Balletto di Bronzo, Il Ys
Rovescio della Medaglia, Il Contaminazione
Sensations' Fix Portable Madness
Arti + Mestieri Tilt
Latte E Miele Papillon
Metamorfosi Inferno
Volo, Il Essere O Non Essere
Arti + Mestieri Giro Di Valzer Per Domani
Basso, Luciano Voci
Biglietto Per l'Inferno Biglietto Per l'Inferno
Celeste I Suoni In Una Sfera
Celeste Celeste (aka Principe Di Un Giorno)
Latte E Miele Passio Secundum Mattheum
Latte E Miele Aquile e Scoiattoli
Quella Vecchia Locanda Quella Vecchia Locanda
Rovescio della Medaglia, Il ..Giudizio Avrai
Sensations' Fix Fragments of Light
Volo, Il Il Volo
Baricentro, Il Sconcerto
Etna Etna
Formula 3 Sognando e Risognando
Locanda delle Fate Forse Le Lucciole Non Si Amano Piu
Maxophone Maxophone
New Trolls Tempi Dispari
Osanna Milano Calibro 9
Sensations' Fix Finest Finger
Venegoni & Co. Rumore Rosso



then there are these (which are VERY GOOD):

Apoteosi Apoteosi
Area Crac!
Baricentro, Il Trusciant
Battiato, Franco Pollution
Bella Band Bella Band
Biglietto Per l'Inferno Il Tempo della Semina
Celeste II
Cervello Melos
Colombo, Roberto Botte Da Orbi
De Piscopo, Tullio Revolt Group Sotto e 'ncoppa
Delirium III: Viaggio Negli Arcipelaghi del Tempo
Falsini, Franco Cold Nose
Formula 3 La Grande Casa
Goblin Roller
Ibis Sun Supreme
Museo Rosenbach Zarathustra
Osanna Palepoli
Perigeo Genealogia
Quella Vecchia Locanda Il Tempo della Gioia
Sensations' Fix Sensations Fix
Sensations' Fix Boxes Paradise
Vuolo, Antonio & Elio Grande Desert

What are you top bands and why do you think they are equal or better compared to Le Orme, PFM, or Banco?

for me personally, no Symphonic Rock artists come close to classic PFM and Banco; not even any of the Brit bands (though some classic Crimso and Camel come close)

As for Le Orme; their classic material is great but not any greater than my Italian 'A-list' stuff

[Scrotum Scissor]

So, someone actually came in and awarded this thread a one-star rating? I guess the thought of a rock artist applying anything but English tongue and the other "as known" faccets is destined to remain a menace.

[Jay.Dee]

So, someone actually came in and awarded this thread a one-star rating? I guess the thought of a rock artist applying anything but English tongue and the other "as known" faccets is destined to remain a menace.

The rating is for our holiday stories I suspect.

[Scrotum Scissor]

The rating is for our holiday stories I suspect.

You mean Rufus never got around to a honeymoon?

[Jay.Dee]

You mean Rufus never got around to a honeymoon?

No, he just cannot believe how foolish I turned out to be buying an album with no long jazzy improvisations.

[moecurlythanu]

Woofus is da shit!

[Scrotum Scissor]

It's great to know that in these advanced times there's finally hope even for those chanceless in the game of love; meet the...

[Progatron]

I'm guessing your referring to Atomic System (not sure). Concerto Grosso has some nice music on it.

I meant Concerto Grosso.

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

I meant Concerto Grosso.

I like Tempi Dispari best, but CG1 is pretty solid too

[Trane]

Given that I only really like Darwin's first three, PFM's first two and don't really appreciate any of the classic Le Orme, it won't be hard to find albums I consider at least equal to what those "top 3" bands have done



no order:

Jumbo - Vietato
Area - Crac!
Osanna - Palepoli
Perigeo - Abbiamo Tutti Un Blues Da Piangere
Quella Vecchia Locanda - s/t
Picchio dal Pozzo - s/t (count the other two in as well)
Jumbo - DNA
Pierrot Lunaire - Gudrun
Flea - Topo Nomi
Celeste - Principe Di Un Giorno
Garybaldy - Astrolabio
Etna - Etna
Perigeo - Genealogia
Quella Vecchia Locanda - Il Tempo della Gioia

[proggosaurus]

It's great to know that in these advanced times there's finally hope even for those chanceless in the game of love; meet the...

[Progbear]

Nice to see so much love for Corte dei Miracoli. That’s long been a personal fave of mine.

[JKL2000]

I meant Concerto Grosso.

I thought he meant UT! So there's three great albums! I know some don't like UT but I do.

[proggosaurus]

Buon Vecchio Charlie - Buon Vecchio Charlie (1971)
Latte E Miele - Passio Secundum Mattheum (1972)
Zauber - s/t (1978)

PS In the meanwhile, after a good few listens, in desperate search of elusive Canterbury gene, I started to like Quella Vecchia Locanda anyway...

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