sunnuntai 18. maaliskuuta 2018

C = Roberto Cacciapaglia – Crystals


Roberto Cacciapaglia (born 28.12.1953, Progressive Electronic)

Born in Milan, Roberto Cacciapaglia has always been particularly active in the avantgarde field. He collaborated with Franco Battiato for the Pollution album, and released his first solo work, the much acclaimed Sonanze in 1975. An ambitious work, entirely built on keyboards and very far from the average progressive production of those years, the album was produced with help from the German label Ohr's founder Rolf Ulrich Kaiser, and is much closer to the German cosmic music than to anything else from Italy. The artist is helped on the album by an orchestra with singers.

The 1982 album Generazioni del cielo was conceived as soundtrack to a theatre piece of the same name.

Roberto Cacciapaglia - Sonanze (1975, Electronic, Classical, Experimental, Ambient) 4.13¤

Roberto Cacciapaglia - Sei note in logica (1979, Electronic, Classical, Classical, Experimental, Minimal) 3.11¤

Ann Steel - Ann Steel (1979, 'Roberto Cacciapaglia, Ann Steel - The Ann Steel Album', Electronic, Europop, Experimental)

Roberto Cacciapaglia - Generazioni del cielo (1982, Electronic, Ambient, Minimal, Neo-Classical) 3.33¤

Roberto Cacciapaglia - Angelus Rock: A tribute to Ten Rock Angels (1992, Prog Rock, Experimental)

Roberto Cacciapaglia - Tra cielo e terra (1996, Electronic, Experimental)

Roberto Cacciapaglia - Arcana (2001, Electronic, New Age)

Roberto Cacciapaglia - Tempus Fugit (2003, Electronic, Experimental)

Roberto Cacciapaglia - Incontri con l'anima (2005, Electronic, Classical, Neo-Classical)

Roberto Cacciapaglia - Quarto tempo (2007, Neo-Classical)

Roberto Cacciapaglia - Live 2007-09-20 @ Teatro degli Arcimboldi, Milan, Italy

Roberto Cacciapaglia - Canone degli spazi (2009, Electronic, Classical, Modern Classical, Contemporary, Experimental)

Roberto Cacciapaglia - Ten Directions (2010, Neo-Classical)

Roberto Cacciapaglia - Live from Milan (2011)

Roberto Cacciapaglia - 11 September 1983 (2013, Classical, Stage & Screen)

Roberto Cacciapaglia - Alphabet (2014, Electronic, Contemporary, Modern Classical)

Roberto Cacciapaglia & The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - Tree of Life (2015,
Classical)
Michele Carlone replaced by

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Compilations:

Roberto Cacciapaglia - Atlas (2016, 2CD compilation, Modern Classical)

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I Cadmo (1973-78, Jazz Rock Fusion)

I Cadmo sono un gruppo musicale di jazz rock fusion italiano.

Il gruppo venne costituito ad Alghero nel 1973, ad opera di Antonello Salis (piano) Riccardo Lay (basso elettrico) e Mario Paliano (batteria).

Nel 1975 il gruppo si spostò a Roma e incise il 33 giri "Boomerang", ottenendo l'apprezzamento della critica, in particolare di Franco Fayenz. A Roma i musicisti sardi entrarono in contatto con Massimo Urbani, Maurizio Giammarco, Tommaso Vittorini, Enzo Pietropaoli e Roberto Gatto.

Nel 1977 incisero il loro secondo disco, "Flying over Ortobene Mount on July Seventy-seven". Nacque un sodalizio artistico con Lester Bowie e l'Art Ensemble of Chicago. Entrò a far parte stabilmente del gruppo anche il sassofonista Sandro Satta.

Nel 1978 al gruppo de I Cadmo si aggiunse il trombonista Danilo Terenzi: divenuto un quintetto, mutò nome in G.R.A..

Formazione originale

o Antonello Salis - pianoforte
o Riccardo Lay - contrabbasso
o Mario Paliano - batteria

Elementi entrati a far parte della formazione successivamente

o Sandro Satta - sassofono
o Danilo Terenzi - trombone

¤¤¤I Cadmo - Boomerang (1977)

I Cadmo - Concerto dei Cadmo 12 sett 1977 Caserta giardini della Flora

¤¤¤I Cadmo with M. Urbani - Flying over Ortobene in July Seventy Seven (1979)

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I Califfi (1965-71 Beat / 1972-76, 1996- Rock Progressivo Italiano)

1965-1966:
o Marco Bracci (guitar)
o Giuseppe Maffei (keyboards, vocals)
o Franco Boldrini (bass, vocals)
o Carlo Felice Marcovecchio (drums, vocals)

1966-1971:
o Paolo Tofani (guitar)
o Giacomo Romoli (keyboards)
o Franco Boldrini (bass)
o Carlo Felice Marcovecchio (drums, vocals)

1972-1973:
o Vincenzo Amadei (guitar, vocals)
o Sandro Cinotti (keyboards)
o Franco Boldrini (bass, vocals)
o Maurizio Boldrini (drums, vocals)

1975-1976:
o Vincenzo Amadei (guitar)
o Marco Bracci (guitar)
o Sandro Cinotti (keyboards)
o Franco Boldrini (bass, vocals)
o Maurizio Boldrini (drums, vocals)

Once again two almost completely different bands with the same name, Florence band I Califfi included in their first line-up the future Area and Electric Frankenstein guitarist Tofani and Campo di Marte drummer Marcovecchio and were a very popular band in the 1960's, before disbanding at the turn of the 1970's. They released an album, Così ti Amo (1969) on RiFi and no less than eleven singles.

The band was reformed in 1972 by bass player Franco Boldrini, the only member from the original line-up, for a new recording deal with Fonit Cetra, that only produced an LP, Fiore di metallo (1971).

Fiore di metallo is a good prog album, based on organ and moog sounds, even if the lyrics are a bit naive and too close to the typical Italian beat themes. Some interesting keyboard passages, as in the instrumental ”Varius” or the opening track ”Nel mio passato”, make this album well worth listening.

I Califfi - Così ti Amo (1969, rec. 1967-69, Rock, Pop, Beat) 3.67¤

I Califfi - Fiore di metallo (1973, Art Rock, Pop Rock, Prog Rock) 3.35¤

I Califfi - Il Meglio (1996) 2.18¤

I Califfi - All'Improvviso (2007, Rock, Pop, Beat) 2.27¤

Franco dei Califfi (I Califfi) - Tutto Scorre... (2001) 4.00¤

Franco Boldrini (dei Califfi) - Live 2015-03-07 @ Cancello del Cinabro, Genova, Italy (video)
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Compilations:

I Califfi - Al Mattino (1998, compilation) 4.00¤

I Califfi - The Best of I Califfi (2000, compilation) 4.00¤

I Califfi - Flashback: I Grandi Successi Originali (2002, compilation) 2.27¤

I Califfi - The Essential: Ri-Fi Record Original Recordings, Vol. 1 (2010, compilation)

I Califfi - The Essential: Ri-Fi Record Original Recordings, Vol. 2 (2010, compilation)

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Juri Camisasca (born 9.8.1951, 1974-, Electronic, Rock Progressivo Italiano, Medieval, Classical)

Roberto "Juri" Camisasca, from near Milan, despite a very limited discography can be considered a cult figure among the progressive music followers. His La finestra dentro, issued in 1974 by Bla Bla, is one of the best albums on that label, and strongly influenced by his collaboration with Franco Battiato, who signed Juri to the label and produced the LP, also playing the VCS3 synth on it.

Though not musically as complex as Battiato's early works, La finestra dentro can be compared with Alan Sorrenti's first album in the use of voice as an instrument, with sparse musical accompaniment on some tracks. The overall result is much more intense than Sorrenti's Aria, with no weak parts, and a very regarding listen. Many of Battiato's backing musicians (Gianfranco D'Adda, Gianni Mocchetti, Pino Massara, Lino "Capra" Vaccina) are featured on the 7-tracks album.

After two singles in 1975, both featuring an album track and an unreleased one, Camisasca was briefly involved in Telaio Magnetico, sort of avantgarde supergroup that also featured among others Franco Battiato, Mino Di Martino from I Giganti and his wife Terra Di Benedetto (both later in Albergo Intergalattico Spaziale). This group only made a tour in the summer of that year, before disbanding.

Camisasca then entered a Benedictine convent, where he stayed for 11 years, until the late 80's when he returned to the music biz with a new album called Te Deum, based on reworkings of Gregorian chants. Later works have been Il carmelo di Echt in 1991 and Arcano enigma in 1999, and he's been very active as composer working with such artists like PFM, Battiato, Alice and Giuni Russo.

Juri Camisasca - La finestra dentro (1974, Electronic, Psychedelic Rock, Prog Rock, Avantgarde, Folk Rock) 2.87¤

Juri Camisasca - Te Deum (1988, Medieval, Classical) 4.00¤

Juri Camisasca - Il carmelo di Echt (1991, Classical, Medieval) 3.50¤

Juri Camisasca - Arcano enigma (1999, Electronic, Art Rock, Pop Rock, Vocal) 3.00¤

Juri Camisasca & Rosario Di Bella - Spirituality (2016, Electronic, Rock, Pop, Classical, Acoustic, Contemporary)

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Campo di Marte (1971-75, Rock Progressivo Italiano)

o Enrico Rosa (guitar, vocals, mellotron)
o Alfredo Barducci (horns, piano, organ, vocals)
o Paul Richard (Ursillo) (bass, vocals)
o Mauro Sarti (drums, percussion, flute, vocals)
o Carlo Felice Marcovecchio (drums, percussion, vocals)

A band from Florence, Campo di Marte were another of those band that despite a good recording deal with a major company (that incidentally was the only effort by United Artists to produce an Italian prog group), only released an album and disappeared.

The group was formed in 1971 by guitarist Enrico Rosa and drummer/flutist Mauro Sarti, that had previously played with minor groups like Senso Unico and La Verde Stagione, along with American-born bass player Richard Ursillo (named Paul Richard in the LP cover notes as it "sounded less Italian").

Keyboardist Alfredo "Carlo" Barducci was a trained French horn player, and the large number of instruments played gave the new group the chance to mix classical inspired rock music with various influences obtaining a rich and varied sound. A fifth member was added with drummer Carlo Felice Marcovecchio, that had previously played with another very popular group from Florence, I Califfi, and the presence of a second drummer left Sarti the freedom to play the flute in many tracks.

The band had a good live activity, playing under different names, and the final one, Campo di Marte (named after a quarter of Florence), was found during the LP recordings.

Campo di Marte (1973) is a very good album, not particularly original but very well composed, sung and played, with some orchestrated parts that sometime remind the later work of Maxophone (with large use of flute and French horn). Good guitar and keyboard playing throughout the LP make this an essential album in any Italian prog collection. The seven tracks are sequentially named (starting with Primo tempo up to Settimo tempo) as movements of a symphonic composition.

By the way an extra track recorded during the LP sessions, entitled ”Si può riuscire” and planned to be released as a single, has never seen the light of day. The album lyrics referred to the foolishness of wars, and in contrast the cover contained a drawing of ancient Turkish mercenaries injuring themselves to demonstrate their strength and courage. The same design was contained in the band's posters. Unfortunately a long time passed between the album composition and its recording and release, and the musicians had completely lost their interest in the band when it came out, aided by the total lack of promotion by the record company, that had also forced the band to change the songs lyrics. The group broke up immediately after the album release.

Guitarist Enrico Rosa (that was also the whole first album composer) recorded a second Campo di Marte, totally different from the debut LP, but this was never released by United Artists, seeing this as an uncommercial choice. A new line-up, including all musicians from Leghron (keyboardists Antonio Favilla ex-Capitolo 6 and Franco La Placa, guitarist Fabrizio Ughi, bassist Sergio Ducilli, drummer Andrea Colli and sax and flute player Loriano Berti, also from Capitolo 6) often played live under the name Campo di Marte. Some tracks composed by Rosa and recorded with these musicians were included by the Picci label on an LP entitled The Physicians. Rosa then moved to Denmark in 1974 and he's still a professional musicians there, having had a long activity both as session guitarist and as solo musicians in the jazz and classical music fields. The others, except Favilla, kept on playing live as Campo di Marte until 1975.

Original bass player Paul Richard reappeared in Sensations' Fix with his real surname Ursillo, and has played with that band in all of their albums. He had played in the 60's with Florence band Chewing Gum (their previous name was Black Angels) with an interesting hard sounding single in 1968 (”Senti questa chitarra” / ”Tu sei al buio” - RCA Talent T15). Even drummer Marcovecchio has collaborated with Sensations' Fix from time to time. Drummer Mauro Sarti later played with Bella Band, with an album on Cramps in 1978.

In 2003 the group was reformed by the original members Enrico Rosa and Mauro Sarti, along with Eva Rosa (recorder), Matin Alexandr Sass (keyboards) and Maurilio Rossi (bass), for some concerts in Tuscany and for the recording of the live CD Concerto zero. The double set included a 1972 concert recording, originally used on a promo-only LP made by the band, and the whole 2003 reunion set.

¤¤¤Campo di Marte - Campo di Marte (1973, Prog Rock) 3.87¤

Campo di Marte - Concerto zero (Live 1972/2003) (rel. 2004) 2.45¤

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Canzoniere del Lazio (1972-78, Prog Folk) / Carnascialia (1979, Prog Folk)

1972-73:
o Piero Brega (vocals)
o Sara Modigliani (vocals, flute)
o Carlo Siliotto (violin, guitar, mandolin)
o Francesco Giannattasio (accordion, percussion)

1974:
Modigliani quits, enter:
o Luigi Cinque (sax)
o Gianni Nebbiosi (sax)
o Pasquale Minieri (bass, guitar, mandolin)
o Giorgio Vivaldi (percussion)

1975:
Nebbiosi quits, enter:
o Piero Avallone (drums, percussion, vocals)

1977-78:
o Clara Murtas (vocals, percussion)
o Carlo Siliotto (violin, piano, percussion, vocals)
o Pasquale Minieri (bass, guitar)
o Maurizio Giammarco (sax, flute, piano, percussion)
o Marcello Vento (drums, percussion, vocals)
o Giorgio Vivaldi (percussion)

Formed near Rome in 1972, this group has been one of the most important examples of progressive folk in Italy during the seventies. Though their beginnings were strongly inspired by literal reworkings of central Italy traditional tunes, they soon added original elements that, never in a rock style, can let them considered as a "progressive" group in the wide sense of the word.

Initially a quartet, and only using acoustic instruments, Canzoniere del Lazio released their first album Quando nascesti tune in 1973 for the Dischi del Sole label, (a small independent record company specialized in folk albums). The album contained all traditional songs, and showed the good vocal interplay between singers Brega and Modigliani, but it didn't have a particular success. Singer Sara Modigliani left after the album, still interested in discovering old folk tunes; she is still active as a solo artist and with her group La Piazza.

The other added new musicians, two of which, Pasquale Minieri and Giorgio Vivaldi have been stable members since then, and released a new album in 1974 for the newly born Intingo label, Lassa sta' la me' creatura. Still strongly influenced by traditional music, this represents a transition album with the introduction of electric instruments and the use of some rock and jazz elements.

The best period in CdL career came with the following two albums, Spirito bono and Miradas. The first of these, again on Intingo contained just four tracks (all of which also appeared in shortened form on singles), with long instrumental parts and traditional lyrics. It was produced by the American Peter Kaukonen (brother of Jefferson Airplane's guitarist Jorma) that probably gave a distinctive touch to the recordings even adding some electric guitar parts.

The group played at the VI Festa del Proletariato Giovanile in Milan (and were also included in the Parco Lambro live compilation LP) and were ready to embark on an african tour when three of their members, Piero Brega, Luigi Cinque and Francesco Giannattasio left.

The others reformed the group with new members, and successfully played at the VII Political Music International Festival in East Berlin in February 1977. A beautiful album, recorded in studio during that tour, was only released in East Germany.

Their fourth album Miradas was released in 1977, this time on Cramps and with the production of former Area guitarist Paolo Tofani (also known as Electric Frankenstein). Considered by many as their more mature work, the LP includes five songs, some of which show african music influences. The new members Clara Murtas on voice, Maurizio Giammarco on sax and Marcello Vento on drums (from Alberomotore) fit perfectly into the band's music.

The same line-up appears in the fifth and last album, Morra 1978, again on Intingo, with three long tracks, again a good album though maybe on a lower level than the previous two.

The LP, that was to be entitled A risciacquà li piatti e la paura, was released one year after the previous one and contains tracks recorded in the same session as the ones on Miradas, but not included on that album, and was presumably issued to fulfill the contract with the old label.

After the band split Minieri and Vivaldi formed Carnascialia, whose only excellent album in 1979 was an early example of world music.

Carlo Siliotto has kept working as film music composer. He made a nice solo album in 1979, Ondina, and at least another on CAM (Grooves, no. CML211, in the early 1980's). Pasquale Minieri has long worked as producer and sound engineer for many important Italian artists.

Two of the founder members, Brega and Giannattasio, have played in Malvasia, a group which released an eponymous album on Cetra in 1979 (LPX 74) halfway between Italian and celtic folk.

After leaving Canzoniere del Lazio, Luigi Cinque took on his solo artistic career still lasting today, releasing a first album for Cramps in 1978 (Note di atemporalità) and many other records, books, videos.

Canzoniere del Lazio - Quando nascesti tune (1973, Rock, Jazz, Fusion, Folk) 1.35¤

Canzoniere del Lazio - Lassa sta' la me creatura (1974, Jazz, Rock, Fusion, Experimental, Folk) 3.25¤

Canzoniere del Lazio - Spirito bono (1976, Jazz, Rock, Fusion, Experimental, Folk) 3.56¤

Canzoniere del Lazio - Miradas (1977, Jazz, Rock, Fusion, Experimental, Folk) 4.26¤

Canzoniere del Lazio - Canzoniere del Lazio - Italien (1977, live 1977-02 @ Festivals des politischen Liedes in Berlin, East Germany)

Canzoniere del Lazio - Morra 1978 (1978, Jazz, Rock, Folk, Fusion, Experimental, Folk) 3.67¤

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Capitolo 6 (1969-72, Rock Progressivo Italiano)

o Riccardo Bartolotti (vocals, guitar, flute)
o Loriano "Fischio" Berti (sax, flute)
o Jimmy Santerini (keyboards, vocals)
o Mauro Romani (bass)
o Lorenzo Donati (drums, vocals)

In 1969 a couple of musicians from Viareggio band Gli Eremiti (drummer Luciano Casa and keyboardist Jimmy Santerini) joined a band from Livorno (I Rangers), and the resulting five-piece was called Capitolo 6. Two drummers were included in this line-up, though Luciano Casa mostly played 12-string acoustic guitar and sang backing vocals.
The group obtained a record deal with RCA subsidiary It (thanks to RCA producer Franco Tessandori, who was also from Viareggio), a label that was much interested in singer-songwriters than in rock groups, and the first single appeared in 1971, the group being by now based in Rome and a new five-piece line-up with Loriano Berti, from Grosseto, replacing Luciano Casa.

It's likely that the group had various line-up changes in this period, a clip from the yugoslavian Tele Capodistria TV shows them as a four-piece, with Donati as singer, Santerini (on bass), sax/flute player Berti and guitarist Roberto Ghiozzi (former keyboardist and singer in the beat group from Livorno, I Satelliti), the latter as a temporary replacement for Bartolotti who didn't have the passport to go abroad.

They had a good live activity, playing at Viareggio festival in 1971, and recorded in 1972 their only LP Frutti per Kagua. A mixed album, with two very different sides, the first one containing the 18 minutes long title track, with flute in evidence and a good sound. Guitarist Bartolotti was responsible for the heavier sound of the group. Side two contains three shorter tracks with good lyrics (by Italian songwriter Francesco De Gregori) but less inspired in their musical content.

A single with ”Il grande spirito” (with an unreleased track on B-side) was also taken from the album, but the band decided to split in October 1972 due to the lack of success. They had also been featured, singing other artists' songs, in some RCA compilations released throughout the world for the Sanremo 1972 festival (see details below), and even played on an album by the composer Mario Capuano.

A new four-piece line-up included Bortolotti, Romani, Antonio Favilla (keyboards) and probably Giovanni Galli (drums), but it's likely that this group had a very short life. Keyboardist Antonio Favilla was involved in the short-lived second line-up of Campo di Marte, he had drug problems and sadly died in the early 90's. Even original keyboardist Santerini died, of leukaemia, in 1977.

Capitolo 6 - “M'innamoro di te” / “L'amavamo in tre” (1971, single, Ballad, Prog Rock)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmOIyUuYBAc“M'innamoro di te” (video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrhTSUH-eIg “M'innamoro di te” in Spanish/Argentinean version “Me enamoro de ti” (1971)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoSBOk7ZZFg “L'amavamo in tre” (video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zf63HpS7qa0 “L'amavamo in tre” in Spanish “Te amabamos tres“

Capitolo 6 - “Il grande spirito” / “Sole di notte” (1972, single, Prog Rock) 4.00¤

Capitolo 6 - “Jesahel” / “Ti Voglio” (1972, single, Jazz, Rock, Folk Rock, Pop Rock)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSzPBv6Lk6U “Jesahel” / “Ti Voglio”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fk7wqjcfDUc “Jesahel” (Spanish version)

Capitolo 6 - Frutti per Kagua (1972, Prog Rock) 3.42¤

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Capricorn College / The Capricorn College Brass (1969-79, Rock Progressivo Italiano)

1972:
o Pino Ferro (guitar, vocals)
o Nino Costantino (guitar, flute, vocals)
o Mario Barigazzi (keyboards)
o Guerrino Franchini (sax, flute)
o Oreste Ferro (bass, vocals)
o Adamo Biello (drums, vocals)

1974:
Franchini replaced by
o Antonio Balsamo (sax, recorder)

Often described as a prog group, Capricorn College are much closer to the standard early 1970's Italian melodic pop groups than to anything progressive. Led by composer Mario Barigazzi, much active since the 1960's under the surname Barimar, the group released two albums on the Kansas label, both containing an unimpressive mix of commercial pop with trivial lyrics and instrumental parts with light prog influences.

The first one, Orfeo 2000, is the best of the two, especially in the instrumental tracks, while the second one, released as Barimar & Capricorn College, contains 12 shorter songs.

The band also released some singles, two of which in 1974 taken from both their albums. After some years of silence the name Capricorn College was used again in 1978 for a disco-styled single, then it disappeared.

The Capricorn College Brass - “Idem” (1971, single)

The Capricorn College Brass - “Capricorn college” / “Junius” (1971, single)

Capricorn College - “Story” / “Mab, Mystic Woman” (1971, single, Rock, Funk / Soul, Stage & Screen, Psychedelic, Theme)

Capricorn College - “Oramai” / “Domani è festa” / “La città” / “Prayer” (1972, EP)

Capricorn College - “Donna” / “Gill” (1972, single, Rock, Pop, Prog Rock)

Capricorn College - Orfeo 2000 (1972, Pop Rock, Fusion, Psychedelic Rock, Prog Rock) 3.23¤

Barimar & Capricorn College - LP di primavera (1974, Prog Rock) 2.59¤

Capricorn College - “Start Music” / “California” (1978, single)

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Capsicum Red (1970-73, Rock Progressivo Italiano)

o Bruno "Red" Canzian (guitar, vocals)
o Mauro Bolzan (keyboards)
o Paolo Steffan (bass, vocals, piano)
o Roberto Balocco (drums)

Many Italian music fans only know Capsicum Red by name because their singer and guitarist Red Canzian had a very successful career (until now!) with pop band Pooh, and this four-piece from Treviso didn't catch so much interest in their short career.

The name Capsicum Red was chosen by the producer Pino Massara when he discovered Canzian, singer and guitarist with I Prototipi, and took him to his newly-born label Bla Bla in 1970. To attract the press interest, Capsicum Red were presented as a foreign band, this helped the success of their two singles.

The first single, ”Ocean” / “She's a stranger”, was recorded by Canzian with studio musicians, and was a huge hit in Italy, even because it was used as main theme in a TV show, ...e ti dirò chi sei. Another single, ”Tarzan” / “Shangrj-la”, came soon later, recorded in London with the musicians of the group Stone the Crows, but it wasn't as successful as the previous one. Both singles contained commercial songs very far from the album sound, and were lately included in the rare Tarzan label sampler, issued by Bla Bla in 1972.

To support Canzian in the live concerts some musicians from the Treviso area were chosen: the first line-up included Bolzan, drummer Paul Podda and bass player Valter Gasparini, soon replaced by Steffan. Once again the label's strategies tried to attract interest arond the group: they said that was born to an Italian father in England, that he started playing in that country and that the group had been formed in London where the musicians had met and had their first concerts.

In 1972, with newcomer Roberto Balocco, from Panna Fredda, the group strongly moved with the Appunti per un'idea fissa LP towards progressive music with classical influences. Side 1 contains the long Beethoven-derived Patetica suite, a very interesting piece of classical prog with keyboards to the fore. Side 2 is on a lower level with three shorter songs that in some cases seem to be weaker.

The band came to its end in 1973, with Red Canzian briefly joining Osage Tribe and later Pooh, and Paolo Steffan forming country-inspired duo Genova & Steffan with an album release in 1975.

Capsicum Red - “Ocean” / “She's a Stranger” (1971, single, Hard Rock, Score, Prog Rock) 2.09¤
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8etMt4C22E “She's a Stranger”(video)

Capsicum Red - “Tarzan” / “Shangrj-la” (1971, single, Prog Rock) 2.18¤

Capsicum Red - Appunti per un'idea fissa (1972, Prog Rock, Symphonic Rock, Art Rock) 2.83¤

Migrants / Capsicum Red - “In una sera” / “Un fiore” (1970/1972, promotional single never officially released - same recordings as on the 1970 Migrants single, Prog Rock)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rn0NpBQaeCc “Un fiore” (“Fiore”)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5V8dmOifE4o “Un fiore” (“Fiore”)

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Enzo Capuano (born 1947, Rock Progressivo Italiano & Opera)

A little known album, Storia mai scritta (1975) is definitely a much more progressive album than the works of similar singer-songwriters like the expensive Affresco by Franco Maria Giannini or Antico teatro da camera by Gianni D'Errico.

A singer-songwriter from Calabria, but raised in Bologna, Capuano released this, his debut album, for the just born small independent Divergo label, and it is a surprisingly good album. An eight-part 36-minute long suite, ”Storia mai scritta”, is in fact mostly instrumental, vocal parts just covering the first 6 minutes and a final reprise, and based on Capuano's impressive 12 string and classical guitar playing, with good keyboards (mostly synth, but even organ) and a rhythm section. The result is not far from Alan Sorrenti's ”Aria” or Claudio Rocchi's ”Volo magico n.1” suites on the albums of the same title, starting with vocal parts and evolving into a long instrumental with a complex musical structure.

Helping Enzo Capuano, on vocals, acoustic and classical guitar, synth, are keyboardist Mario Panseri (with which Capuano had collaborated in his Adolescenza album on RCA from 1973) and drummer Giovanni D'Aquila, while the bass parts are obtained with the synthesizer.

After this LP, Capuano dedicated to composition of movies and cartoon soundtracks and to his singing studies, graduating at the Milan Academy of Music. Since 1989 he is a professional opera singer (vocal range: bass).

Enzo Capuano - Storia mai scritta (1975, Symphonic Rock, Prog Rock) 3.65¤

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Carnascialia (1979, Prog Folk) / Canzoniere del Lazio (1972-78, Prog Folk)

o Piero Brega (vocals, ex-Canzoniere del Lazio)
o Clara Murtas (vocals, ex-Canzoniere del Lazio)
o Demetrio Stratos (vocals, Area)
o Nunzia Tambara (vocals)
o Carlo Siliotto (violin, ex-Canzoniere del Lazio)
o Mauro Pagani (violin, mandolin, ex-PFM)
o Pablo Romero (tin whistle)
o Giorgio Vivaldi (flute, percussion, ex-Canzoniere del Lazio)
o Tommaso Vittorini (sax)
o Maurizio Giammarco (sax, ex-Canzoniere del Lazio)
o Luciano Francisci (accordion, ex-Canzoniere Internazionale)
o Pasquale Minieri (guitar, bass, vocals, ex-Canzoniere del Lazio)
o Danilo Rea (piano)
o Marcello Vento (drums, ex-Canzoniere del Lazio)
A sort of supergroup formed by Pasquale Minieri and Giorgio Vivaldi with help from Carlo Siliotto, all of them being past members of Canzoniere del Lazio, an interesting folk group born near Rome in the early 1970's that released five albums between 1973 and 1978.

The Carnascialia project, including such famous names as Mauro Pagani and Demetrio Stratos among others, just lasted for an LP, Carnascialia (1979) and a few concerts, but the LP is a very good example of progressive Italian folk music, much in the same style as Mauro Pagani's debut album. The six tracks it contains vary between traditional inspired folk-rock numbers (”Canzone numero 1”), vocal exercises in Area-style (”Fiocchi di neve e bruscolini”, with the distinctive voice of Demetrio Stratos) and are generally much influenced by an interesting mediterranean folk feeling, being an early example of "world music" from Italy.

The group also appeared in 1979's tribute concert for Demetrio Stratos, with a remake of a song from the first album of Mauro Pagani.

Carnascialia - Carnascialia (1979, Folk Rock, Prog Rock) 4.17¤

Carnascialia - Live in Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna, Italy 1979

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Il Castello di Atlante (1974-, Rock Progressivo Italiano)

1975-1982:
o Aldo Bergamini (guitar, keyboards, vocals)
o Massimo Di Lauro (violin, keyboards)
o Giampiero Marchiori (flute)
o Dino Fiore (bass)
o Paolo Ferrarotti (drums, vocals)

1982-2000:
Marchiori replaced by
o Roberto Giordano (keyboards, vocals)

2001:
Fiore replaced by
o Franco Fava (bass)

2007:
Fava replaced again by
o Dino Fiore (bass)

Like so many groups from the 70's, Il Castello di Atlante never had the chance to release anything at the time. But they never gave up playing together and, like Consorzio Acqua Potabile, released their first album in the 90's, with a line-up that included mostly original members.

The group was formed in late 1974 as Hydra with Giorgio Lobascio on guitar, and took its current name in 1975 (though their first concert was under the name Stato d'Allarme) after a stable line-up with the entrance of Aldo Bergamini as lead singer and guitarist, having a good live activity in their local area of Vercelli. A promo cassette, La guerra dei topi, was recorded in the early years.

The original five-piece survived until 1982, helped by guest members from time to time, like keyboardist Vittorio Pallavicini and guitarist David Rampone.

In 1982 flutist Marchiori left the group, following them as live engineer, and the four remaining members recorded a second demo tape, Semplice... ma non troppo, and a single that was privately released in February 1983, by the time newcomer Roberto Giordano on keyboards had been added.

The band kept playing on a low level, during the 1980's, third tape Passo di danza was produced in 1986, but it was the basic trio of Bergamini, Fiore and Ferrarotti that kept the name alive due to the work commitments of the others. The official renaissance of Il Castello di Atlante came in the early 1990's, and thanks to the interest of the Vinyl Magic label and Arti & Mestieri keyboardist Beppe Crovella, they could finally release their debut album, Sono io il signore delle terre a nord. Still keeping a typical Italian symphonic prog sound, yet with a 90's feel, the album was very well reviewed and became a starting point for the revived group. While the opening ”Tirando le somme” can be similar to some neo-prog bands of the 1980's, some tracks like ”La foresta dietro il mulino di Johan” or ”Estate” are much closer to the big names of the Italian prog, the group having a distinctive element in the leading role of the violin that adds a folk touch to their style.
A second album in 1994, Passo dopo passo was a compilation of old recordings, both studio and live, and on a lower level than its predecessor. This also contains live tracks from the 1970's, but the cover doesn't mention any details.

Third album L'ippogrifo, in the same year, repeated the formula of their debut, though some reviewers considered it to be a bit too melodic.

Other albums at the beginning of the new decade: in 2001 the very nice Come il seguitare delle stagioni, that's been the first also released on vinyl as well as on CD, and in 2004 Quintessenza. As usual some similarities can be found with legendary 1970's groups like PFM or Quella Vecchia Locanda, but the group always has a good personality and a rather original sound.

In 2006 a live album, Concerto acustico, recorded during the Novara Art Rock Acustico at the beginning of that year, and in 2008 their latest recording, a very nice album entitled Tra le antiche mura, presented on the occasion of their Japanese tour.

Il Castello di Atlante - Passo dopo passo (1976-84 live and studio recordings, rel. 1994, Prog Rock) 3.30¤

Il Castello di Atlante - “Tirando le somme” / “Semplice ma non troppo” (1983, single)

Il Castello di Atlante - Sono io il signore delle terre a nord (1992, Prog Rock) 3.56¤

Il Castello di Atlante - L'ippogrifo (1994, Prog Rock) 3.64¤

Il Castello di Atlante - Come il seguitare delle stagioni (2001, Prog Rock) 3.67¤

Il Castello di Atlante - Quintessenza (2004) 3.74¤

Il Castello di Atlante - Concerto acustico (2006, live) 3.48¤

Il Castello di Atlante - Quintessenza (2004)

Il Castello di Atlante - Tra le antiche mura (2008)

Il Castello di Atlante - Capitolo 8: Live (2014, live) 3.24¤

Il Castello di Atlante - “Il vecchio giovane” / “Non ho mai imparato” (2016, single)

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Celeste (1973-77, Rock Progressivo Italiano)

o Ciro Perrino (drums, percussion, flute, keyboards, vocals)
o Leonardo Lagorio (keyboards, flute, sax)
o Mariano Schiavolini (guitar, violin)
o Giorgio Battaglia (bass)

Along with Museo Rosenbach, Celeste were born from the ashes of the legendary Il Sistema, a band from Sanremo whose only posthumous released recordings don't give a real idea of what they were.

Formed by drummer Ciro Perrino and sax player Leonardo Lagorio (who had played with Museo Rosenbach in their early days) this four piece went in a totally different direction from their beginnings, playing a mostly acoustic, dreamy and delicate prog. A studio group, they had a very limited live experience.

Their first album, Celeste, also known as Principe di un giorno, was released by the small Grog label only in 1976, but the tracks had been composed in 1973 and recorded in 1974. It contains seven tracks, with pastoral lyrics and a style not far from the softer side of early King Crimson.

A second album, recorded in 1977, was released in 1991 by Mellow with the obvious title of Celeste II. Closer to jazz-rock and very far from their debut album, this suffers from poor quality and unfinished recordings.

Another album, born as a soundtrack and called I suoni in una sfera was also released in 1992, more similar to their first work and including two songs also on Principe di un giorno.

After the band split Ciro Perrino played with St.Tropez (that also included Celeste bass player Battaglia), Compagnia Digitale and SNC and released a solo album (Solare in 1980), before founding with Mauro Moroni the praiseworthy Mellow label, so important during the years for the world diffusion of the Italian prog.

The whole story of Celeste is celebrated by a very nice 4CD box set issued in 2010 containing all the recorded works of Il Sistema and St.Tropez, with many unreleased tracks.

Celeste - Celeste (aka 'Principe di un Giorno') (1976, rec. 1974, Prog Rock, Symphonic Rock) 4.18¤

Celeste - Celeste II (rec. 1977, rel. 1991, Prog Rock, Symphonic Rock) 3.15¤

Celeste - Second Plus (rec. 1977, rel. 1993, Prog Rock, Symphonic Rock)

Celeste - I suoni in una sfera (unreleased recordings from 1974, rel. 1992, Soundtrack, Prog Rock, Symphonic Rock) 2.69¤
____________

Compilations:

Celeste - 1969-1977: The Complete Recordings (2010, 4 CD box set with hard cover and 44 page booklet, with the complete recordings by Celeste, Il Sistema, Saint Tropez and many unreleased tracks) 4.20¤

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Fabio Celi e gli Infermieri (1971-73, Rock Progressivo Italiano)/ Fabio Celi & i Pop (1969-71)

o Fabio Celi (keyboards, vocals)
o Ciro Ciscognetti (keyboards)
o Luigi Coppa (guitar, mouth harp)
o Rino Fiorentino (bass)
o Roberto Ciscognetti (drums, percussion)

One of many bands active in the Naples area, originating from S.Giorgio a Cremano, Fabio Celi & gli Infermieri (a very 60's sounding name) released at the end of the sixties a commercial pop single, as Fabio Celi & i Pop, and an album for a small Neapolitan private label connected with the Studio 7 recording studio. The album was issued in 1973, though it had been recorded in 1969 with a 4-track Revox.

The band leader Fabio Celi (whose real name was Antonio Cavallaro) assembled a twin keyboards five-piece band much influenced by the organ driven british psych and pop sounds of the 1960's, all mixed with funny and outrageous lyrics. Due to these lyrics it was allegedly banned by the Italian TV company RAI, and couldn't receive any national promotion.

Their live acts were particularly impressive, with large use of dry ice smoke, and the singer, who was brought on stage in a coffin, was restrained in a straitjacket during the final song, ”L'artista sadico” [”The sadistic artist”].

Follia (1973) contains six long tracks, with piano, organ (a modified Farfisa which sounds like a Moog) and fuzz guitar to the fore and a reverbed voice recorded well above the musical background. The group has a very good sound but some rhythms are typical of late sixties Italian pop. Surely a nice listen even if the strange lyrics, which sound still relevant sometimes, and the dissonant voice can be slightly difficult to accept at first.

Celi also released a solo single in 1971 with the same line-up as the album except for guitarist Coppa being replaced by Silvio Feo.

In 1973, year of release of the LP, the group played at "Festival d'Avanguardia e Nuove Tendenze" held in Naples, and in 1975 their ”Uomo cosa fai” appeared on TV in a popular program, Adesso Musica, as if the group was going to be back on the musical scenes, but the band was never able to come back from oblivion.

Drummer Roberto Ciscognetti has played since 1980 with Popularia, and still also plays with Renzo Arbore & his Orchestra Italiana, with a repertoire of old songs from the Italian and neapolitan tradition. His brother Ciro Ciscognetti played with Napoli Centrale and now in the piano bar circuit, as does the leader Antonio Cavallaro (Fabio Celi). Luigi Coppa left the music and works as an employee, while bass player Gennaro Fiorentino sadly died of a heart attack.

Fabio Celi e gli Infermieri - Follia (1973, rec. 1969, Psychedelic Rock, Experimental, Prog Rock) 2.77¤

Fabio Celi e gli Infermieri - Only Music (1973 album in instrumental version, rel. 2007)

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Il Cerchio d'Oro (1974-, Rock Progressivo Italiano)

1974:
o Franco Piccolini (keyboards)
o Giuseppe Terribile (bass, guitar, vocals)
o Gino Terribile (drums, vocals)

1975 enter:
o Giorgio Pagnacco (keyboards)
o Roberto Giordana (guitar)

Il Cerchio d'Oro, from Savona, only released three singles at the end of their career, that had begun in 1974.

Their beginnings were as one of the many symphonic oriented bands active in their area, with a strong influence by Le Orme. In fact their surviving recordings even include some early tracks played as a trio of keyboards/bass/drums.

Unfortunately they couldn't manage to get a recording deal while still in their progressive years, and their only record releases are three singles, issued between 1977 and 1979, in a very commercial style. Later line-ups of the band included guitarists Piuccio Pradal and Maurizio Bocchino.
Two posthumous releases are useful to know the sound of this group in the 1970's, a 1999 CD by Mellow, with 12 tracks recorded around 1976, including their first single ”Quattro mura”, and three later tracks in an almost disco-style.

Much better is the recent LP La quadratura del cerchio, issued in 2005, that contains 9 unreleased recordings, some of which are covers of tracks by Le Orme, New Trolls, The Trip, along with some originals, and though they come from rehearsal tapes, they show good quality and arrangements.

Some of the musicians later played with the hard rock group Black Out, with a single out in 1981, then since 1982 in the Beatles-cover band Cavern. Even this band has released a single, issued in 1988. In two concerts in Turin, in December 1990, Cavern were augmented on stage by Francesco Di Giacomo and Rodolfo Maltese of Banco del Mutuo Soccorso. Keyboardist Giorgio Pagnacco played with the heavy metal band Vanexa (with three LP's between 1983 and 1994) on their third album.

Il Cerchio d'Oro was reformed in 2006 and released their first studio LP in 2008, a concept album entitled Il viaggio di Colombo, an interesting return to the 70's sound with a line-up featuring all original members: Franco Piccolini (keyboards), Giuseppe Terribile (bass, acoustic guitar and vocals), Gino Terribile (drums, vocals), Piuccio Pradal (12 string guitars and vocals), Roberto Giordana (guitar). The group also played many times in concerts and festivals. The line-up expanded with the entrance of new guitarist Bruno Govone on the 2013 album, the nice Dedalo e Icaro. As its predecessor, it's a concept-album in 70's style, with the guest appearance in this case of some big names of those years, but the revived group shows here an improved energy and personality. Latest album, Il fuoco sotto la cenere, once again a concept-album, was released in mid-2017.

Il Cerchio d'Oro - Il Cerchio d'Oro (singles' tracks and 1970's recordings, rel. 1999, Symphonic Rock, Prog Rock) 1.30¤

Il Cerchio d'Oro - La quadratura del cerchio (2005, Prog Rock, Psychedelic Rock) 1.52¤

Il Cerchio d'Oro - Il viaggio di Colombo (2008, Prog Rock, Psychedelic Rock) 3.81¤

Il Cerchio d'Oro - Dedalo e Icaro (2013) 3.94¤

Il Cerchio d'Oro - Il fuoco sotto la cenere (2017) 3.88¤

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Cervello (1972-74, Rock Progressivo Italiano) (+ Osanna)

o Gianluigi Di Franco (vocals, flute, percussion)
o Corrado Rustici (guitar, flute, vibes, voice) younger brother of Danilo, in future guitarist of Nova 1975-78
o Giulio D'Ambrosio (sax, flute, vocals)
o Antonio Spagnolo (bass, acoustic guitar, flute, vocals)
o Remigio Esposito (drums, vibes)

One of many bands from Naples, and strictly connected to Osanna, with Corrado Rustici being the younger brother of that group's guitarist Danilo. Not unlike Osanna they had a highly interesting fusion of progressive sounds with typical southern Italy and mediterranean rhythms.

A very good voice/instruments interplay is present throughout their majestic one and only album, Melos, released on Ricordi in 1973 with seven long tracks. Their sound is characterised by acoustic instruments such as flutes and horns (with four of the five players dealing with flutes) and acoustic guitars, but the album is by no means an acoustic one, with complex rhythm changes that sometimes resemble the Lizard-era King Crimson.

The band had a successful appearance at "III Festival d'avanguardia e nuove tendenze" held in Naples in June 1973, and split in 1974. A nice band that deserved more success.

Some of the members kept playing, most notably Corrado Rustici that joined Osanna for their fourth album Landscape of life, was later in Nova and then had a successful career as solo musician and producer. Singer Gianluigi Di Franco collaborated with percussionist Toni Esposito during the 80's, he never left music and his main activity was in the Music Therapy field until his death in 2005.

A new line-up of Cervello, with original members Corrado Rustici, Giulio D'Ambrosio and Antonio Spagnolo along with young singer Virginio Simonelli and with Sasà Priore (keyboards, also with Osanna) and Davide Devito (drums), played in Tokyo in July 2017, with the concert recorded to be published in the future on CD and DVD.

Cervello - Melos (1973, Prog Rock) 4.21¤ 4.5#

Cervello - Live in Tokyo 2017 (2017)

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Cherry Five (1973-74, 2015-, Rock Progressivo Italiano) (+ Goblin)

o Tony Tartarini (vocals)
o Claudio Simonetti (keyboards)
o Massimo Morante (guitar)
o Fabio Pignatelli (bass)
o Carlo Bordini (drums)

Though the LP cover notes only list two musicians' names, singer Tony Tartarini (previously known as Toni Gionta and former singer with L'Uovo di Colombo) and drummer Carlo Bordini (that also played in a duo Rustichelli & Bordini), the group also included three members of Goblin, keyboard wizard Claudio Simonetti, guitarist Morante and bass player Pignatelli, with the first two of them being credited as composers for all the album tracks.

In fact the group, named Oliver, had been created by Simonetti and Morante, that also went to England in late 1973 to audition a singer, and englishman Clive "Artman" Haynes (or Clive Heinz, as he was then known) was briefly in the band, recording some tracks with them. He was sacked then, and didn't appear on the album.

With new singer Tartarini the group recorded what was to become their first and only album in 1974, after a name change to Goblin, but it was soon shelved when Carlo Bordini refused to sign a contract with Cinevox as it could damage his career as session musician. The others went on with a new drummer, leaving out Bordini and Tartarini and recorded Profondo rosso.

The unreleased album was shelved for a couple of years, and only released in January 1976 with the name of Cherry Five (a name that really didn't belong to any real group), and only Tartarini and Bordini were credited on the cover, maybe someone thought that it could damage the Goblin's career! Even if it's not particularly representative of the Italian prog sound, the LP is a genuine rarity due to the great world success Goblin achieved with some of their soundtrack works, and is in many collectors' want lists.

A keyboard based album, sung in English, Cherry Five has strong influences by the likes of Genesis and Yes, especially in the fluid keyboard parts and powerful bass sound. It contains six long tracks with the opening ”Country graveyard” and ”The picture of Dorian Gray”. This last title, translated in Italian as Il Ritratto di Dorian Gray was in fact the name of Claudio Simonetti's first band.

The two musicians whose names appeared on the cover of the Cherry Five album, Tony Tartarini and Carlo Bordini, have reformed this group in 2015 with Ludovico Piccinini (guitar), Gianluca De Rossi (keyboards) and Pino Sallusti (bass) for a concert at the International Music Fair in Genua and to record a new album, Il pozzo dei giganti, issued by Black Widow and containing three long tracks inspired from Dante's Divine Comedy, to revive the legendary name of this band.

Cherry Five - Cherry Five (1976, Prog Rock) 3.90¤ 4.5#

Cherry Five - Il pozzo dei giganti (2015, Prog Rock) 3.68¤

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Chetro & Co. (1967-68, Psychedelic Rock)

o Ettore "Chetro" De Carolis (guitar)
o Gianfranco Coletta (guitar, vocals)

Additional musicians:
o Gianni Ripan (bass)
o Gegè Munari (dums)

If Dedicato a... by Le Stelle di Mario Schifano or Ad Gloriam by Le Orme are considered the best Italian psychedelic LP's, then ”Danze della sera” by Chetro & Co. is surely the best psych single ever made in Italy.

A duo from Rome, they only released this single on the small Parade label in 1968 with a stunning poster cover and, like Le Stelle had in artist Mario Schifano their most important supporter, Chetro & Co. were helped by well known film director Pier Paolo Pasolini, whose verses (from a poem called Notturno) were used as lyrics for ”Danze della sera”.

”Danze della sera” and ”Le pietre numerate” have the duo augmented by bassist Gianni Ripani and drummer Gegè Munari and both include unusual string and woodwind instruments sounds, creating a unique hypnotic eastern-tinged style.

Both the band members appeared on the 1970 album by Leone Tieri. Guitarist Gianfranco Coletta played with brothers Vittorio and Gianni Nocenzi in the very first line-up of Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, he is now with Gli Alunni del Sole. Coletta and De Carolis also played in La Stanza della Musica on the eponymous 1978 LP, an album that mixed poetry and mostly acoustic music.

Chetro & Co. - “Danze della sera” / “Le pietre numerate” (1968, single)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfzZqJI2des “Danze della sera” / “Le pietre numerate”

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Luciano Cilio (1950-21.5.1983, Rock Progressivo Italiano, Electronic, Folk Rock, Experimental, Avantgarde, Ethereal)

A questionable inclusion here, as Dialoghi del presente is probably much closer to contemporary classical music than to the standard Italian progressive music, but the album usually has very good reviews by the lovers of the genre.

Cilio was from Naples, and worked both in the musical and theatrical circuit of the city, collaborating with Alan Sorrenti, Shawn Phillips and Armando Piazza in the first part of the 1970's. A talented piano, guitar and sitar player, he was always interested in new forms of avantgarde music.

The album Dialoghi del presente, his only record release, was released in 1977 by EMI, and composed by four main parts and an interlude. With help from many guest musicians including well known session players Toni Esposito and Robert Fix the album is mostly instrumental and with long parts built on acoustic guitar, piano, cello and other classical instruments, the only vocal parts are wordless chants.

The album was not particularly successful and closed the career of Cilio as musician, though he was involved in many important artistic events held in Naples until his death by suicide in 1983.

Luciano Cilio - Dialoghi del presente (1977, Electronic, Folk Rock, Experimental, Avantgarde, Ethereal) 4.11¤

Luciano Cilio - Dell'universo assente (1st album with unreleased tracks, 2004)

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Cincinnato (1972-73, Jazz Rock/Fusion) / Eros Natura (1970-72, Jazz Rock/Fusion)

o Giacomo Urbanelli (keyboards, vocals)
o Gianni Fantuzzi (guitar)
o Annibale Vanetti (bass)
o Donato Scolese (drums)

The odd story of Cincinnato was not unusual in the confusion of the early 1970's Italian musical scene: Signed to a major label, PDU, this group of unknown and little experienced musicians had the chance of releasing an album and then disappeared.

The group was from near Varese, and had previously played since 1970 as Eros Natura, but the record company suggested a change of name, and Cincinnato came out in 1972. Their label PDU is remembered by Italian collectors because of their distribution of German cosmic classics like the ones on Ohr and Kosmische Kuriere labels, and this was (along with Logan Dwight's sole album) one of their very limited ventures into prog territory.

The album Cincinnato was recorded in just three days, in a single take; side A includes three instrumental tracks that can easily described as jazz-rock or in some cases simply jazz (as in ”Esperanto”), built on piano and with good guitar playing by Gianni Fantuzzi. Side B contains a long track, ”L'ebete”, more than 20 minutes long, with a good vocal beginning (vocals are uncredited on the cover, the voice was by keyboardist Urbanelli), that evolves in a jazz-influenced instrumental part but doesn't lose its prog influences.

A disjointed album that contains good playing and that nice long track, but unfortunately unknown to many fans, being very difficult to find before the recent CD reissue.

The group split in 1973 when Urbanelli and Vanetti quit; the only member having had some success is drummer Donato Scolese, who played with Franco Battiato in the 1980's and then returned to the jazz club circuit.

Since 2010 two of the original members, Giacomo Urbanelli and Gianni Fantuzzi, along with Franco Erenti (keyboards) and Paolo Burattin (bass), which had already collaborated with the band in the 1970's, started the Thauma Cincinnato project and issued in 2016 a self-produced CD, L'essere e l'auriga, mixing modern sounds with some old-styled progressive atmospheres.

Cincinnato - Cincinnato (1974, Jazz-Rock, Fusion, Prog Rock) 3.05¤ 3.5#

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Circus 2000 (1970-72, Psychedelic/Space Rock)

1970-71:
o Silvana Aliotta (vocals, percussion)
o Marcello "Spooky" Quartarone (guitar, vocals)
o Gianni Bianco (bass)
o Roberto “Johnny” Betti (drums)

1972:
Roberto Betti replaced by
o Franco "Dede" Loprevite (drums, vocals)

One of the few American sounding Italian bands, and so convincing that even Vernon Joynson, in his 1988 book The Flashback included them in the US psychedelia section! Circus 2000, from Turin, were formed in 1970 when singer Silvana Aliotta joined the group Best Genius, and released late that year both their first album Circus 2000 and single (containing Italian versions of two songs from the LP) with the new name imposed by their record company. The album had no line-up references on the cover, and many people at the time thought they were an English or American band. It contains ten songs, with a very short running time, with strong californian psych influence and the beautiful female voice of Silvana Aliotta above all. A mediocre album, not representative of the Italian style, yet it's regarded by many as a very nice one. ”I Am the Witch” (also on single in the Italian version ”Io, la strega”) is one of the best cuts.

As so many other bands throughout the world had to do, Circus 2000 had to alternate between the most original and inventive material (sung in English) on the LP and more commercial tracks (in Italian) on singles, and they released ”Regalami un sabato sera” in 1971 (backed by a very nice ”Ho regalato i capelli”, Italian version of a song from the first album) used in a popular TV series.

Second album came in 1972, still in English but with a slightly more polished sound and some progressive influences. An Escape from a Box is again a very short album, around 33 minutes, but the five songs are longer and the opening ”Hey man” (also released as a single) the best track. In the same year the group won, along with Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, the second "Festival d'Avanguardia e Nuove Tendenze" held in Rome in June 1972 playing Need.

With the new drummer Louis Atzori, Circus 2000 recorded some songs for a new LP, but their label wanted it to be more rock-inspired and the group decided to split. The only remaining tracks taken from those recordings, ”Dove va la mia gente” and ”Il mio paese”, show a much less aggressive sound than in the past. The RiFi label offered to singer Silvana Aliotta a solo deal (as Silvana dei Circus 2000) that made her releases some singles with the Circus 2000 musicians as backing band, but the choice proved to be not successful.

Aliotta, that had already released some singles in the 1960's, collaborated as singer and percussionist with many popular Italian artists (among them Mina, Edoardo Bennato, Adriano Celentano), then formed the disco-trio Le Streghe and released a disco music single under the name Ben Norman in 1980; later she dedicated to the singing teacher activity.

Original drummer Johnny Betti founded the small Shirak label and formed Living Life along with guitarist Quartarone. The latter was also involved in the Canti dal vangelo secondo Barabba album. The other drummer of the band, Dede Loprevite, played with Duello Madre, Nova and Kim & the Cadillacs. He passed away in 2014.

Circus 2000 - Circus 2000 (1970, Italian Psychedelic Rock, Prog Rock) 3.27¤

Circus 2000 - “Io, la strega” / “Pioggia sottile” (1970, single from Circus 2000 but sung in Italian)

Circus 2000 - “Regalami un sabato sera” / “Ho regalato i capelli” (1971, single, B-side from Circus 2000 but sung in Italian)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zl7r_Huy5LQ “Regalami un sabato sera”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8dCPPv4ipU “Regalami un sabato sera”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwZ_1bjxi_k “Ho regalato i capelli”

Circus 2000 - An Escape from a Box (Fuga Dall'Involucro) (1972, Folk Rock, Pop Rock, Prog Rock) 3.12¤

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Città Frontale (1970-77, Rock Progressivo Italiano )

o Lino Vairetti (vocals, guitar, Mellotron, mouth harp)
o Gianni Guarracino (guitar, synth, vocals)
o Enzo Avitabile (sax, flute, vocals)
o Paolo Raffone (keyboards)
o Rino Zurzolo (bass)
o Massimo Guarino (drums, percussion, vibes, vocals)

Still another band from Naples, and also connected to Osanna, formed by Lino Vairetti and Massimo Guarino when that band split in 1974. But Città Frontale were in fact two different bands, the first one being active in 1970 before Osanna were formed with four of that later band members and Gianni Leone, that left to join Balletto di Bronzo.

The new Città Frontale retained some of the main elements that strongly characterized Osanna's sound, like the strong use of sax and flute and the mix of prog and mediterranean folk sounds, but with a more melodic and somehow commercial approach. Compared to Osanna's albums, El Tor sounds much more lightweight.

Having a nice cover design by drummer Massimo Guarino (he also produced the nice cover painting on Osanna fourth album) the LP starts with the long ”Alba di una città /Solo uniti”, that could easily find its place in Osanna's Landscape of life, but the rest is not particularly original, with even some Zappa or jazz-rock influences. All in all a positive album, but Osanna were a different thing.

Città Frontale - El Tor (1975, Prog Rock) 3.13¤

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I Cocai (1977, Rock Progressivo Italiano) / Baronetti (1975-77)

o Theo Byty (Amedeo Biasutti) (vocals, guitar, Moog synthesizer)
o Gigi Pandy (Pierluigi Pandiani) (guitar, flute, vocals)
o Stheny (Stefano Biasutti) (keyboards)
o Paul Blaise (Paolo Biasutti) (bass, percussion, vocals)
o Tury (Gigi Turi or Luigi Turin) (drums)

A band from Venice that only released an album in 1977, with the five members identities hidden under fantasy names. Some of the musicians had played together since 1970 as Draps and New Draps, then around 1975 the definitive line-up changed name to Baronetti participating in various concerts and festivals in Veneto. The name Cocai was chosen just before the album recording.

The group was strongly influenced by the then popular Italian commercial pop sound, producing a soft prog sound that only has little interesting moments, as in the eight-minute long ”Le mie storie”, that's sung in English despite the Italian title. The drums are played on this track by Massimo Iannantuono (in the 80's the drummer in Guido Toffoletti's Blues Society), who had replaced Turin for a short time. The album contains seven tracks, five of which are over 5 minutes. Despite the length of the songs, the arrangements are never particularly elaborate and vocal parts are rather weak, with the keyboards as the main instrument.

I Cocai broke up soon after the album release and only Luigi Turin kept playing.

I Cocai - Piccolo grande vecchio fiume (1977, Italian Symphonic Rock, Prog Rock, Pop Rock, Psychedelic Rock)

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Absolutely not a progressive artist, this Vietnam born French-Italian keyboardist is still nowadays a very popular commercial singer in Italy with a long career and many hit singles and albums, some of which also released in foreign countries where he kept the name of Richard Cocciante, soon changed to Riccardo in Italy.

But his debut, a concept album called Mu, housed in a marvellous cover, is a very good symphonic prog, with help from many guest musicians, among which Brainticket's leader Joel Vandroogenbroeck and keyboardist Paolo Rustichelli (from the Rustichelli e Bordini duo), and great instrumental parts.

This can be a very nice listen for keyboards-driven prog fans, if you like Cocciante's voice (too tied to his later pop successes for many Italian listeners!).

Richard Cocciante - “Down Memory Lane” / “Rhythm” (1971, single from the soundtrack of the film Roma bene)

Richard Cocciante - Mu (1972, Prog Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Pop, Folk)

Richard Cocciante - Atlanti (1973, French sung version of Mu, Prog Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Pop, Folk)

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Richard Coley / Richard Last Group (1971-72, Rock Progressivo Italiano)

o Richard Coley (Maurizio Pino Calò) (vocals, piano, percussion)
o Valerio Dal Passo (guitar)
o Mario Volanti (guitar)
o Sandro Novarini (keyboards)
o Paolo Ghirelli (flute, sax, vocals)
o Alessandro Dal Toso (bass, vocals)
o Fulvio Massi (bass, replacing Alessandro Dal Toso)
o Walter Calloni (drums)

With just an LP Get Ready (1972) and a single ”He Has Gone Away" / "Confusion” (1972), both issued by Car Juke Box and very rare, this group was surrounded by mystery for many years, even for the absolute lack of information on the record covers; only through the recollections of some musicians it was possible to rebuild their story.

The group Duu Duu had been formed in 1969 in Milan, playing in that area and Valtellina. In 1971 singer Maurizio Calò asked the five musicians to play with him, first as Maurizio Jr. e i Duu Duu, then as Maurizio Jr. e l'Azienda Autonoma di Soggiorno, then using the name Richard Last Group after his choice of the nom de plume Richard Coley. Calò wanted to release the album as a solo artist, but given the popularity of rock groups at the time, the record company insisted to have it credited to the Richard Last Group.

The 12-track album Get Ready (1972) included mainly covers (by the likes of Jethro Tull and Donovan) along with three originals, all sung in English, showing good technical qualities but little creativity. Towards the end of the recording sessions there was a line-up change, with bassist Dal Toso leaving for his military duties and the entrance of second guitarist Mario Volanti and later the new bass player Fulvio Massi. This seven-piece line-up appeared on the LP and single cover pictures. Volanti only played on the three original compositions of the LP (”Confusion”, ”He Has Gone away” and ”Naple in Rock”) along with a guest bass player coming from the group La Luce.

The group broke up in September 1972 but Calò/Coley recruited new musicians and created a new group with Rosario Brunetti (guitar), Enzo Menunni (bass) and Massimo Dinoia (drums), that played for some years with the name Richard Coley and the Last Group Show.

In 1977 Coley released with his name a remake of Get Ready (1972) entitled Dedicated... containing the same twelve tracks as the previous one and was issued by his label, Alexandra.

After another line-up change Calò started using his real name and with Dinoia and guitar/bass player Flavio Scansani recorded some tracks with jazz and funky influences for a new album that was never issued, although two of them appeared on a single in 1979, Folle evasione.

Coley/Calò had a part of his musical career in France, and he was involved in many commercial productions after this brief period in the rock music scene.

Richard Last Group - Get Ready (1972, Prog Rock)

Richard Coley - Dedicated....... (1977, remake of the same tracks as Richard Last Group - Get Ready 1972, Blues Rock, Jazz-Rock)

Richard Coley - “Folle evasione” / “Animal” (1979, single)

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Roberto Colombo (born 29.4.1951, Rock Progressivo Italiano)

Born on April 29, 1951, Roberto Colombo is a keyboard player, artistic producer and arranger and has worked with bands such as Le Orme, PFM, Finisterre and many other prominent Italian musicians.

He's often considered one of the underrated gems in Italy. His solo albums from the 1970's have a lot of Frank Zappa influences. In 1976 his first solo album, Sfogatevi Bestie, was relesead. This album includes collaborations from notable musicians such as Walter Calloni (PFM), Ricky Belloni (Nuova Idea, New Trolls), Paulo Donnarumma (together with Eugenio Finardi former member of Pacco, and even today an esteemed session man), and Claudio Fasoli (Perigeo). It´s a good quality piece of work, well received by the press and still regarded as one of the most wanted items by numerous record collectors. This is a great example of vital experimental progressive jazzrock, with hints of Spiral Staircase by Supersister. A flawlessly produced album, way ahead of its time.

1977 saw the release of Botte da Orbi. This work verges on progressive and jazz-rock, but is marked by light-hearted ironic tones. He gathers together an all-star band of more than thirty musicians, featuring essentially the cream of the Italian music scene: from Mauro Pagani (PFM) to Walter Calloni (PFM), Ronnie Jackson to Lucio Violin Fabbri (PFM), Stefano Cerri (considered one of the best bass player of those days) to Tullio De Piscopo (another legendary drummer who have been playing with New Trolls on Tempi Dispari), and Ivan Cattaneo (a songwriter who was backed on one album by PFM). It´s a dynamic and clever intuitive record with rock solid technique. 1980's "Astrolimpix" is a record attributed to Roberto Colombo and Mark Harris, of less interest to prog fans, being more commercial. He has recently in 2008 recorded an album with his wife Antonella Ruggero entitled "Pomodoro Genetico," a techno pop album also of very little interest of prog fans.

Aside from his solo albums, Colombo has had played with many progressive artists. He played keyboards on PFM's album Passpartú, on Battiato's L'era del Cinghiale Bianco, and on Mauro Pagani's first album. He participated on a long tour with PFM as backing band to Fabrizio De André, from which came the first and most famous live record of the late singer songwriter.

As a producer, he has worked with artists of the likes from Le Orme, to Miguel Bosé, et. al., and has also produced some albums for Italian band Finisterre. Colombo is the musical director of the "Liberamusic" music label, which will renew, among its products, the works of guitarists Maurizio Colonna and Frank Gambale, that of the percussionist Ivan Ciccarelli, as well as Antonella Ruggiero's music.

¤¤¤Roberto Colombo - Sfogatevi bestie (1976, Fusion, Prog Rock) 3.51¤ 4#

¤¤¤Roberto Colombo - Botte da orbi (1977, Prog Rock, Fusion, Jazz-Rock) 3.17¤

Roberto Colombo - Astrolimpix (1980, Space Rock, Pop Rock, Prog Rock)

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o Giancarlo Galli (vocals, guitar)
o Claudio Lugli (vocals, guitar)
o Attilio Zanchi (bass, vocals)

While most of the musical influences on Italian artists during the late 1960's and early 1970's came from English groups, there were quite a few artists who were strongly attracted to the West Coast sound.

Come Le Foglie, like later groups such as Stradaperta, Madrugada or Grosso Autunno, were particularly influenced by an US-sounding style based on acoustic guitars and vocal harmonies. The trio has been formed in Milan around 1968, from the ashes of a rhythm and blues group, Formy Blues Band. Their early repertoire was full of covers by the likes of CSN&Y and Joni Mitchell, and the band had an intense live activity and a good following in the Milan area.

At the turn of the seventies, the group began creating their own sound, often helped by guest musicians, but still keeping their initial West Coast feeling. Among their helpers were horn players Riccardo Luppi and Renato Rivolta and percussionist Marco De Palma.

They were invited at many important open-air festivals in the North of Italy, and had the chance of supporting some of the top Italian and foreign artists of the time, Osanna, PFM, Banco, Franco Battiato, Alan Sorrenti, Curved Air. Of course many record companies were interested in signing them, and they recorded many demo tapes, but unfortunately their uncompromising behaviour caused them to lose any chance of a recording deal.

In the summer of 1972 the band played some concerts in small venues in England, one of the very few Italian bands to have such a chance, and could even support Magna Carta and had a broadcast on a local radio.

The band split in the mid 1970's, sadly little has survived of all those studio recordings that never found their way to an LP. A CD Come Le Foglie, including demo recordings from 1972 was released in 1998 by the Giallo label; it also includes a few live tracks, also from the same year, but having a worse quality, and this record can give an approximate idea of what this group sounded like.

Of the band members only Attilio Zanchi has remained in the professional music biz, playing with Yu Kung and Maad and staying in the jazz circuit. Long time collaborators Riccardo Luppi and Renato Rivolta (also with Maad) have also had a good career as professional jazz musicians.

In 2010 the three original members have released a CD entitled Aliante, with help from their old friend Claudio Fucci, which includes 9 new recordings along with 7 remixed tracks from old demos.

Come Le Foglie - Come Le Foglie (1972 unreleased studio-live recordings, 1998, Acid Rock, Prog Rock)

Come Le Foglie - Aliante (2010, Pop Rock)

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Consorzio Acqua Potabile (CAP, C.A.P.) (1971-77, 1993-, Rock Progressivo Italiano)

1977:
o Romolo Bollea (vocals, keyboards)
o Maurizio Venegoni (keyboards)
o Massimo Gorlezza (guitar)
o Giancarlo Morani (bass)
o Pippo Avondo (drums)

1993:
o Paul Rosette (vocals)
o Romolo Bollea (keyboards)
o Maurizio Venegoni (keyboards)
o Massimo Gorlezza (guitar)
o Riccardo Roattino (guitar)
o Pippo Avondo (drums)

1998:
o Maurizio Mercandino (vocals)
o Romolo Bollea (keyboards)
o Maurizio Venegoni (keyboards)
o Fabrizio Sellone (keyboards)
o Massimo Gorlezza (guitar)
o Chicco Mercandino (guitar)
o Luigi Secco (bass)
o Luca Bonardi (drums)

A strange story for this band from near Novara that never released anything during the 1970's and was discovered in the 1990's by the small Kaliphonia label. A 1977 recorded live CD was released and the band reunited with four of the five original members for a nice brand new album. After this, other CD's have followed in 1998 and 2003.

The group was formed in Boffalora Ticino in 1971, and after some early concerts released a "prog-opera" called Gerbrand, that was represented in local theatres but never recorded. The musical direction was similar to Banco del Mutuo Soccorso or Premiata Forneria Marconi, in typical Italian prog style with twin keyboards and long compositions.

The original band split in late 1970's and some of the members were contacted for a CD release of an old live tape. Hence the reunion of the band around keyboardist Bollea and new recordings in the 1990's until now.

Along with their own CD's, the group took part in various international prog artists compilations, the tributes to Camel and Van Der Graaf Generator issued by Mellow and three projects promoted by the Finnish magazine Colossus and issued in France by Musea, dedicated to Odyssey, Dante's Inferno and to the classic I 7 Samurai movie. In 2014 the long career of Consorzio Acqua Potabile was celebrated with a rich box set containing a summary of their vast production, while in 2016 Black Widow issued their new studio album, Coraggio e mistero, released with help from Jumbo's leader, Alvaro Fella.

Consorzio Acqua Potabile - Sala Borsa live '77 (rec. 1977, rel. 1993, Prog Rock) 3.71¤

Consorzio Acqua Potabile - … Nei gorghi del tempo (1993, Prog Rock) 3.97¤

Consorzio Acqua Potabile - Robin delle stelle (1998, Symphonic Rock, Prog Rock) 3.72¤

Consorzio Acqua Potabile - Il bianco regno di Dooah (2003, Prog Rock) 3.61¤

Consorzio Acqua Potabile - Da Odisseo A Katayama Gorobei (Per Asilah-El Hedei) (2008, Prog Rock)

Consorzio Acqua Potabile - Il Teatro delle Ombre (quarant'anni controluce) (2014, 4CD Box, Symphonic Rock, Prog Rock) 4.64¤

Alvaro "Jumbo" Fella & Consorzio Acqua Potabile - Coraggio e mistero (2016) 3.79¤

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Corte dei Miracoli (1973-76, Rock Progressivo Italiano)

1973-74:
o Graziano Zippo (vocals)
o Alessio Feltri (keyboards)
o Michele Carlone (keyboards)
o Gabriele Siri (bass)
o Flavio Scogna (drums, percussion)

1975-76:
o Riccardo Zegna (keyboards)

With a distinctive line-up featuring two keyboard players and no guitars, Corte dei Miracoli from Savona released just an album on the small Grog label, with the help of New Trolls' guitarist Vittorio De Scalzi (also involved in the label).

They had been formed around 1973 by past members of Tramps, like keyboardist Alessio Feltri, that had previously played with Il Giro Strano, a band that's strictly connected with Corte dei Miracoli. Original second keyboardist Michele Carlone left the group just before the recordings for their debut album, and was replaced by the experienced jazz pianist Riccardo Zegna.

The album Corte dei Miracoli is obviously a symphonic oriented prog album, where the keyboards interplay dominates but vocal parts are the weakest point, sometimes a bit too distant from the musical background. A good album but not among the best in the genre.

The group kept playing until the summer of 1976, its last line-up also including guitarist Valerio Piccioli. After the band's demise, a new edition of Il Giro Strano was formed by Feltri, Siri and Piccioli, but the group was not successful.

A posthumous album, Dimensione onirica, recorded in 1973-74 by the first line up of the band, has been released by Mellow on CD, and is good.

Keyboardist Riccardo Zegna later formed the jazz trio Gialma 3.

Corte dei Miracoli - Corte dei Miracoli (1976, Prog Rock) 3.65¤

Corte dei Miracoli - Dimensione onirica (demo rec. 1973-74, rel 1992, Prog Rock) 2.92¤

Corte dei Miracoli - Live at Lux (live 1976, rel. 1993, Prog Rock) 1.31¤

Corte dei Miracoli - Ballate per il compagno Folagra (Disco dal vivo per arditi del popolo) (2016)

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Crystals (1974, Rock Progressivo Italiano)

o Carlo Degani (vocals, percussion, ex-I Condors)
o Nanni Civitenga (guitar, ex-Raccomandata Ricevuta Ritorno & Samadhi)
o Marcello Todaro (guitar, ex-Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso)
o Giorgio Piazza (bass, ex-Premiata Forneria Marconi)
o Giorgio Santandrea (drums, ex-Alphataurus)

+ Paolo Tofani (composer of all tracks)

With such an important line-up, it's strange that this group had such a short life. Crystals were a sort of supergroup composed by experienced musicians, former members of name bands like Premiata Forneria Marconi (Piazza), Banco del Mutuo Soccorso (Todaro), Raccomandata con Ricevuta di Ritorno and Samadhi (Civitenga), Alphataurus (Santandrea), and under the guidance of Paolo Tofani (Area and Electric Frankenstein) that composed all of their tracks.

They recorded an album Crystals (rec. 1974, rel. 1992) that was intended for release on Cramps label, but for mysterious reasons it never appeared, and has only been released on CD in the early 1990's. Needless to say, the record shows an excellent musicianship, despite a certain lack of originality. The lyrics are sung in English, though the album has long instrumental parts, and the musical style is closer to English groups than to the Italian prog sound. A Led Zeppelin influence is evident in ”Time Out”, very similar in its musical and vocal arrangement to the Page-Plant trademark sound, or ”Policeman” with a folky feeling.

All in all an interesting document of what could have been a very influential band in the Italian rock scene.

Crystals - Crystals (rec. 1974, rel. 1992, Hard Rock, Prog Rock) 3.17¤

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klo

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Italian Progressive Rock – Web Links

Italian Prog: http://www.italianprog.com ( an accompaniement to Augusto Croce's book ''Italian Prog - The Comprehensive Guide ...