Babequ's

Yes – Fragile (1971)

babequ — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:10:59 +0000

Fragile introduced Yes’ highest-powered line-up, as the silver-cape wearing, 12-keyboard-hauling Rick Wakeman replaced the mediocre Tony Kaye. But the question is, what was “fragile?” Their egos? The battle between the perfectly balanced arrangements– as on classic rock radio staples “Roundabout” and “Long Distance Runaround”– and each virtuoso’s need to grandstand, vented through five solo interludes (most memorably Steve Howe’s “Mood for a Day”)? All that firepower could have ruined the band, yet on Fragile, they put songcraft firmly over indulgence. The intriguing middle section of “South Side of the Sky” might’ve blown up like a laser light show had they recorded it in the late 70s, and even though the band had a knack for crescendos and flighty, eagle-centric lyrics, they were more likely to get high through chugging guitars and Bruford’s precise drumwork than outright bombast. “Heart of the Sunrise” still holds up as a deftly constructed proto math-rock epic, and Jon Anderson would never sing a lyric as plainly as “I feel lost in the city” again.

Yes is the only rock band that ever changed my life, completely. This musical bunch of songs known as “FRAGILE” isn’t really a bunch of songs. Actually, it’s a bunch of stuff. It’s great. There’s my review. Hopefully, everyone who reads this will detest me and my review. And..that’s what the whole genre of progressive rock music was all about from Day One.

Tracks List:
1. Roundabout (8:29)
2. Cans And Brahms (1:35)
3. We Have Heaven (1:30)
4. South Side Of The Sky (8:04)
5. Five Percent For Nothing (0:35)
6. Long Distance Runaround (3:33)
7. The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus) (2:35)
8. Mood For A Day (3:57)
9. Heart Of The Sunrise (10:34)

Line Up:
Jon Anderson / vocals
Steve Howe / guitars and vocals
Chris Squire / bass and vocals
Rick Wakeman / keyboards
Bill Bruford / drums

Yes – Relayer (1974)

babequ — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 14:46:16 +0000

Yes’ 1974 release Relayer gets a somewhat mixed reaction from Yes fans, but for my money it’s their strongest release. Relayer shows a band backing off a bit from the topographic oceans and into material that is a bit more chaotic than what listeners had grown accompanied to. Certain sections of the side-long epic “The Gates of Delirium” as well as the frenetic chopfest “Sound Chaser” certainly come to mind here. Nevertheless a comparison has to be made to Close to the Edge, what with the presence of the aforementioned side-long, a mostly instrumental workout (“Sound Chaser” vs. “Siberian Khatru”) and an epic ballad rounding things out (“To Be Over” vs. “And You And I”).

What makes Relayer work is Yes’ metamorphosis into a bit of a darker sound, while still retaining the beauty and innocence of their earlier work. Keyboardist Patrick Moraz, who unfortunately was only to be with the band for this album, is instrumental in lending an almost alien quality to the proceedings. Unlike Tales from Topographic Oceans, which essentially seemed like the work of two men, Relayer shows a band working closely together with all members contributing.

(www.progreviews.com)

Trackl List:

1. Gates Of Delirium (22:55)
2. Sound Chaser (9:25)
3. To Be Over (9:08)

Line Up:

- Jon Anderson / vocals
- Chris Squire / bass and vocals
- Patrick Moraz / keyboards
- Alan White / drums
- Steve Howe / guitars and vocals

The Box – D’Après Le Horla De Maupassant (2009)

babequ — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 07:33:47 +0000

Talk about a late bloomer. I’ll get my noble statement out of the way right off the bat. This 2009 album _D’Apres Le Horla De Maupassant_ by The Box, IMHO, is a prime contender for the best prog.rock album of the decade(2000-2009). Yes…and I’ve heard a lot of them (since I host a radio programme). On par with anything from Porcupine Tree, the newly reformed Van Der Graaf Generator and the popular Nemo. One word to describe this millenium masterpiece is _sprawling_. Another would be _moody_, but in a smoky haze where the air is sure to clear.
Elements of Yes, Van Der Graaf Generator, King Crimson, Barclay James Harvest, quartet- era Genesis, Talk Talk, Brian Wilson, Bark Psychosis, Nemo, Ange, Steve Morse-era Deep Purple. All the aforementioned are tossed together into the unique world of Jean-Marc Pisapia’s THE BOX. This sounds like THE BOX and no one else. The aforementioned are simply inspiration. Quebec prog.rock such as Morse Code and Pollen may also be an inspiration, but that’s for Jean-Marc Pisapia to know, and for you or I to find out.

The intro of the album might remind you of the ethereal space intro of ELP’s Tarkus. When this ensemble breaks out instrumentally, it’s a cross between Genesis, Van Der Graaf Generator and modern Deep Purple. When the guitarist solos, he sounds not unlike Steve Morse at his crying best. The heavy parts do not approach prog.metal, but hard rock prog.. Very unlike Porcupine Tree where they appear to be hanging out with Opeth a little too much (which I find somewhat irritating). In short, the instrumental parts sound like Van Der Graaf Generator recruiting Don Airey and Steve Morse while getting Tim Friese-Green(of Talk Talk) to make sense of it all.

Mel Collins/Jaxon-like sax appears slightly on one track(Incubus). There’s a wonderful reoccuring sinister sounding keyboard riff that just sends you like a mellotron would. Back-up vocals are very pastoral and angelic(like a mixture of Barclay James Harvest/Brian Wilson/Porcupine Tree). All lyrics and vocals in French, but Jean-Marc Pisapia’s delivery is very enjoyable in a borderline baritone/tenor. _Chat Noir_ reminds me of the instrumental piece by Curved Air called PARIS BY NIGHT. _Inpenetrable Mystere_ has a that unique The Box droaning keyboard sound from their very first self-titled album. If that’s not all, in comes the Latin(yes, LATIN chant!). _Sans Hypnose_ has a Captain Beyond groove with Kerry Minnear(Gentle Giant)-like keyboards, although the solo is very Tony Kaye(Yes, Badger). _J’ai Vu_ is reminiscent of Zeppelin II meets Talk Talk(wow!). Nice reverbed piano. This album could be a great companion to Marillion’s BRAVE(turn the lights out and turn it up). The only track that harkens back to The Box’s early pop.prog is the closer _Super 61_. Not quite prog., but not quite New Wave either. A track that French band AIR would be proud of. It sounds like AIR meets Matthew Fisher of Procol Harum and Jobim(brazillian beat) and Bacharach. Pure magic!

This album is not likely to make Jean-Marc Pisapia a rich man, but it may make him a hired gun in prog.rock for production values alone. Truly groundbreaking. (LLPR)

Great album! All fans of prog music this one is very highly recommended!!!
A beautiful album, wonderful and great vocals and very melodic.

Tracks List:
1. Ouverture (6:15)
2. Incubus (9:14)
3. L’Eau, Le Lait, Le Vin (6:30)
4. Mont Saint Michel (10:57)
5. Le Chat Noir (2:12)
6. Un Impénétrable Mystère (6:49)
7. À Bougival (5:07)
8. Sous Hypnose (7:01)
9. J’ai Vu (8:47)
10. Super 61 (3:44)

Line up:
- François Bruneau / Guitars
- Martin Lapierre / Drums
- Isabelle Lemay / Vocals
- Guillaume Marchand / Keyboards
- Jean-Marc Pisapia / Vocals, Keyboards
- Daniel Volji / Bass

Eggs & Dogs – You Are (2009)

babequ — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 06:55:31 +0000

Tomas BODIN’s regular job is to play the keyboards for THE FLOWER KINGS but as usual some of these musicians and especially if they are a member of The FLOWER KINGS have too many ideas and one musical life doesn’t satisfy them any longer. They need to have a solo project. And seemingly Tomas BODIN also has a lot of good ideas left over. And of course, how could it be any different other FLOWER KINGS members are featured on his albums, regarding the first and last release you can even say that ALL members are featured in some way, it’s very typical for the FLOWER KINGS family I guess.
But the music on his solo albums is quite different, it’s a mix between Jazzrock/Fusion and Retro Prog, all instrumental. And of course the whole sound is keyboard dominated. I think his albums are very experimental, at least Tomas is trying several keyboard sounds such as various types of organs or synthesizers. He released three albums this far and the highlight for sure is “Pinup Guru” because it’s most unequal to other FLOWER KINGS releases, maybe because Roine STOLT is not featured on this one.
So if you like the FLOWER KINGS or heard of Jonas Reingold’s solo project KARMAKANIC and liked it, this is a good thing to spend some money. You will get some different stuff but it still remains reminiscent of the FLOWER KINGS not only because their members supported these projects.

Tracks list:
1. You Are (9:03)
2. Poor Lucille (12:43)
3. Food (7:58)
4. Dad Is Coming Home (11:21)
5. Private skies (9:22)
6. American Standards (5:33)
7. Silicone Bimbo Run (21:20)

Line up:
Tomas Bodin / keyboards, percussion, kazoo, backing vocals, fx voices and vocoder
- Michael Stolt / lead vocals and bass
- Jocke JJ Marsh / electric/acoustic 6 & 12 string guitars and lead guitars
- Marcus Lilijequist / drums and percussion

Guest muscicians:
- Simon Akesson / backing vocals, barbershop lead vocal & arrangement
- Janne Hellman / backing vocals and high pitch veils
- Hasse Froberg / backing vocals (lead vocal line)
- Helene Schoning / backing vocals
- Pernilla Bodin / backing vocals/fx voice and handclap
- Peter Lindberg / pedalsteel, electric 12 strings and Fender telecaster
- Ulf Loveus / Martin acustic 6 & 12 strings
- Samuel Bodin / Gibson SG electric guitar and handclap
- Mats Johnsson / French Horns
- Alexander Lundberg / Cello
- Adam Bodin / handclap and fx voice
- Moa Berglund / fx voice
- Bony / as the angry boss!
- Renee Fischer / radio voice
- Don Cassidy / radio voice

Vangough – Manikin Parade (2009)

babequ — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 18:42:39 +0000

Vangough combines the heavy guitar-driven rock of 90s progressive metal bands like “Dream Theater” with the vintage synthesizer sound that hearkens back to “Yes”, “Genesis” and “Styx”. If all of those bands fell into a blender, it would sound something like Vangough-Gilmour-esque guitar solos, silky smooth Gildenlow-vocals, soaring keyboard melodies and tight double-bass drumming reminiscent of Portnoy. There’s something for everyone in this blend of the heavy, the melodic, the strange, and the theatric. For fans of Pain of Salvation, Dream Theater, and modern progressive metal.

Track list:
1. Estranger (6:13)
2. Manikin Parade (7:57)
3. Christmas Scars (7:37)
4. Handful Of Dreams (5:37)
5. Disorder Quotient (4:42)
6. Bricolage Theater (1:24)
7. Paradise For The Lost (The Twilight Part I: Deception) (9:21)
8. Gabrielle (The Twilight Part II: Love) (6:19)
9. Dance Of The Summer Mind (5:41)
10. One Dark Birthday (6:59)
11. Etude Of Sorrow (The Twilight Part III: Oblivion) (8:44)
12. Halcyon Days (1:46)
13. The Cosmic Bus Stop (2:44)

Line up:
Clay Withrow – Guitar/Vocals
Brandon Lopez – Drums
Abe Hartley – Keyboards
Chancellor Ruster – Bass

Maze Of Time – Lullaby For Heroes (2008)

babequ — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 04:12:09 +0000

From that wonderful hotbed of music we call Sweden comes another band that until recently I was not aware of. Maze of Time, hailing from Stockholm, are a five piece symphonic progressive rock band consisting of Thomas Nordh (drums), Robert Edman (guitar, vocals), Jan Persson (bass), Jesper Landén (lead vocals) and Alex Jonsson (keyboards). Their music has been compared to earlier Genesis but I also hear bands such as Marillion and IQ. Formed in 2001, the band released their debut album Tales From The Maze in 2006 which I have not heard so I cannot make comparisons. I suppose many would refer to this as neo-progressive, but please do not take that in a negative light. The songs are of decent length, allowing different themes and movements to take their course, but never losing the melodic sense these songs possess. Guitars provide plenty of riffs and solos, but never venture into metal territory. Keyboards and synths are used extensively giving the album a luxuriant feel and provide many beautiful melodies, especially in the albums softer moments.

The music is very well played without trying to blow away the listener with ultra fast solos. That is not what this album is about. This is subtle stuff, with just as many delicate passages as there are heavier riffs. Most of the songs have lighter, introspective parts, with good vocals and some nice background harmonies.

The album begins with “Heroes…”, a short instrumental laden with sound effects and a pleasant keyboard melody setting the tone with what is yet to come. “Lullaby For Heroes” contains one of the nicest guitar melodies on the CD with some added crunch here and there and solid keyboards throughout. “Station to Station” has a slower tempo and features a clean electric guitar and synth intro followed by heavy bass and guitar rhythms, pretty background harmonies and mellow and heavier parts used to good effect. The ultra catchy chorus of “Playgrounds” will not want to go away with the only negative being the fade out ending that I could have done without. “Chemical Sleep” has one of the album’s more intense parts with heavy riffs a plenty and soaring electric guitar and atmospheric keyboards in the slower moments. Along with some of the best guitar shredding on the album is the quality bass work of Persson that can be heard throughout.

The album ends with the ambitious “Temple Of The Gods”, a dramatic piece seventeen minutes in length filled with catchy riffs and washes of lush sounding keyboards. Although not my favourite on the album, that is reserved for “Chemical Sleep”, it is still a fine way to end a very good CD.

This album has all of the necessary ingredients to make fine symphonic rock done in the neo tradition. Although not overly complicated, this is still an adventuresome listen and its accessibility should appeal to fans of well constructed melodic rock and of course those leaning towards symphonic and neo.(www.progressiveears.com)

Tracks list:
1. Heroes… (2:19)
2. Lullaby for Heroes (7:00)
3. Station to Station (9:29)
4. Playgrounds (4:41)
5. Chemical Sleep, Part I & II (10:16)
6. The Great Cosmic Dream (5:12)
7. Do Androids (8:14)
8. Temple of the Gods (17:16)

Line up:
- Robert I Edman / guitar, vocals, keyboards
- Janne Persson / bass
- Thomas Nordh / drums, glockenspiel
- Jesper Landen / lead vocals
- Alex Jonsson / keyboards, backing vocals

Guest musician:
- Oskar Enerlund / backing vocals

Pictorial Wand – A Sleeper’s Awakening (2006)

babequ — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 15:57:02 +0000

Pictorial Wand is a symphonic progressive project started in 2003 by the Norwegian multi-instrumentalist and composer Mattis Sörum. It took Mattis no fewer than three years in order to fully explore this interesting epic. During this period he also finished his education in music at the Trondheim University. With the help of extra musicians and vocalists the amount of music which got composed encompassed the length of any “normal” CD resulting in an impressive debut which is smeared across two discs.

The album opens in sheer symphonic delight with the romantic flute in “Prologue,” a track which is reminiscent of the best Thijs Van Leer (Focus) solo output. It makes way for the first piece of narration as A Sleeper’s Awakening is indeed a concept album. The story is basically about a fictitious person (it could be you!), who wakes up after a long, deep look in the mirror and finally becomes aware of his/her mistakes and the bad and selfish way he/she has lived his/her life right until that very moment. In his/her dreams he/she starts on a journey to make up for the mistakes he/she has done. Along this journey we hear a little boy reading his moralistic stories which are a reflection of the main character’s childhood and his very severe education by his mother.

With “The King & His Land Pt 1,” Sörum gets closer to the feel of Ayreon. By using various singers to depict the different characters and by mixing lush symphonic textures with harder edged material the Ayreon comparison gets even closer. Also the mix between rough electric guitar and acoustic instruments such as cello, piano and flute adds to this. In “Envy Pt 1 – In Shadow” female vocals nicely blend together whilst the symphonic orchestra also slightly hides some folky elements.

The number of solos is rather restricted both in quantity and in length so as not to interfere with the total concept. In fact every single note is played in function of the entire concept so that the most ideal atmosphere can be created in order to depict the story. However when a solo is executed it is top notch as is illustrated in “Envy Pt 2 – Broken Glass,” where the uptempo song delivers some fabulous synth playing underlined with the symphonic orchestra sounds. This symphonic texture is executed to the fullest during “Wrath Pt 2 – A Wandering In The Dark,” where cello and flute meet in woods governed by violins resulting in the most classical sounding piece of the 2CD set. The second part of this track, “The Beast Within” contains quite a contrast as it also houses some creepy grunts.

The second disc opens with the kind of ballad you could easily expect on an album by Pain of Salvation delivering yet another strong melody. The synergy of piano and marimba sounds works rather well in the lengthy “Sloth Pt 2 – Red Sunset & A Drowning Fly” giving way to yet another hard rocking guitar intervention. The mainly acoustic approach in “Greed Pt 1 – The Golden Path” delivers a warm medieval feel, whilst “Pt 2″ contains the drive and spirit that can be found with Mostly Autumn. I would have loved to hear the organ go over the top, which sadly it doesn’t. Instead the song steers towards a classical ending filled with cello, oboe and bombastic symphonic horns. The oboe plays a rather important role in both parts of “Lust.” In Peter And The Wolf fashion it blends nicely with the symphonic orchestration of “The Temptress Of Unchastity” which soon evolves into a direct rock structure. Again I would have liked the organ to sound much rougher, much wilder, more true rockin’ if you like. The female voices nicely contrast with the powerful vocals of main singer Petter Selliseth. Harpsichord ends this album in style with “The King And His Land Pt 2 – Pensiveness,” where the main character sits down and looks back at the entire event. Solemn organ ends both track and album although the perfect ending to me would have been the same melody yet played on a real church organ.

Pictorial Wand simply is the Norwegian Ayreon blended with a softer version of Royal Hunt meets Rhapsody including some authentic AOR hooks to add to the melodic nature of some of the arrangements. The only criticism I have is the fact that the sleeve and the project’s logo look too much like pure heavy metal to me so maybe some people will judge this work by its cover and thus have the wrong idea about what to expect. Nevertheless I can only congratulate Mattis Sörum with this fantastic result and regret not having known the guy a little sooner, for I’m dead certain my very own album If Only Stones Could Speak would have sounded exactly the way I heard it should I have had the opportunity to work with this guy! Although the name for the project, Pictorial Wand, has no commercial ring to it I’m convinced A Sleeper’s Awakening is the first in a long series of quality products by this new found Norwegian genius : Mattis Sörum. Well done! (www.progressiveworld.net)

Tracks list:
CD I
1. Prologue
2. The King & his Land pt. I
3. The Gate of Lost Souls
4. Pride – The Path of Thorns
5. Envy pt. I – In Shadow
6. Envy pt. II – Broken Glass
7. Wrath pt. I – A Wandering in the Dark
8. Wrath pt. II – The Beast Within
9. Gluttony – Corrosion of Flesh

CD 2
1. Sloth pt. I – Retrospective Visions
2. Sloth pt. II – Red Sunset & a Drowning Fly
3. Greed pt. I – The Golden Path
4. Greed pt. II – Warning not Heard
5. Lust pt. I – The Temptress of Unchastity
6. Lust pt. II – A Sleeper´s Awakening
7. The King & his Land pt. II – Pensiveness

Line up:
Tomas di Sansimone / drums
Idar Eidsaune / bass guitar
Paal Selsjord Björseth / piano, organ, harpsichord
Per Christian Jörstad / cello
Synne Teiseth Norbeck / flute
Staale Storlökken / synthesizer solo
Sigrid Inderberg / flute
Hanna Haugan / cello
Mattis Sörum / electric & acoustic guitars, electric sitar, organs, keyboards & orchestra arrangements

Guest musicians:
Petter Selliseth, Ingrid Strid, Lise Granden Berg, Gry Tronslien, Eva Marianne Olsson, Stian Leknes, Mattis Sörum, Martin Adams Kvam, Nina Utbjör Guldal / voices

It – Departure (2009)

babequ — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 11:02:20 +0000

Sneaking in under the radar are accomplished classic/prog rockers IT. Here’s the thing though, Prog rock was always incredibly interesting and intelligent but a little self indulgent if not pretentious. IT seem to have taken this onboard because their gritty and satirical themes don’t leave any room for myths or fantasy. In Burn (part 2) they have managed to cut and paste a Bush speech with hilarious (but tellingly accurate) results.

The Lyrics are intelligent, challenging and occasionally darkly humorous. The bottom line is that the IT experience will inform your thinking, feelings and memory long after the last notes have ended. Did i mention the music? Ahem well, as a prog rock fan i’ve been waiting for something like this to come along for ages. There are singles on here that should be getting decent airplay – God Is Dead and the 1st single Killing Me are two examples of how to make a commercially viable 4 minute song while at the same time not departing (no pun intended) from the feel and flow of the album.

There are shades of Porcupine Tree and Floyd (Departure) and i also drooled over the Hackettesque guitar on Burn (part 2). You’ll want to come back to the bluesy ‘Fighting for Freedom’ and the sublime ‘Disappear’ but to single out two tracks would be unfair as there isn’t a dud on here. This is their 4th album and quite how they have escaped mainstream success is probably more to do with genre than talent.

IT have a sound whcih fuses the classic melodies of prog rock’s past with a passion and intensity usually only found in punk or metal bands. If you’re getting tired of the new wave of electro pop and indie plagiarism then this album is a recommended purchase. It also comes with a DVD featuring live footage and a documentary for the price of a regular CD. (www.strummerlive.net)

DISC 1 – CD

1. God is Dead (3:25)
2. Departure (4:19)
3. Killing Me (3:44)
4. Car Crash (4:41)
5. Fighting For Freedom (6:12)
6. Burn Part 1 (3:39)
7. Burn Part 2 (3:16)
8. Safe (5:07)
9. Standback Part 1 (3:54)
10.Standback Part 2 (2:26)
11.Disappear (5:59)

DISC 2 – DVD

1. Killing Me Video (3:44)
2. Live At Algoma University (27:59)
3. ITStory Documentary (26:21)
4. Bonus Tracks: Trauma EP
a. Underfire (4:15)
b. Time and Place (6:12)
c. Taking On Sand (5:54)

Line up:
Nick Jackson – Vocals, Guitar, Bass and Keyboards
Andy Rowberry – Lead Guitar
Rob Archibald – Keyboards
James Dunn – Bass Guitar
Alex Inglis – Drums

Guest Musicians:
Craig West – Bass on “God Is Dead”, end guitar solo on “Fighting For Freedom”
Andy Jackson – Guitar solo on “God Is Dead” and “Disappear”
Matt Connors – Preacher on “God Is Dead”
Ben Piner – Drums on “Departure”, “Burn”, “Safe”
Gavin Lambert – Bass on “Fighting For Freedom”
Al Wood – Harmonica on “Fighting For Freedom”
Lindsay Pugh – Pedal Stell on “Burn”
Rupert Greenall – Banjo on “Burn”
Ed Young – Percussion on “Standback”

Backing Vocals by: Reyhan Yusuf, Shernette May, Craig West, Ed Young, Ryan Brunton, Desmond Lambert, Rupert and William Greenall, and Cy Curnin.

Trauma EP Musicians:
Nick Jackson – Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards
Craig West – Bass, Guitar, Lead Vocals on “Time and Place” and “Taking On Sand”
Rupert Greenall – Keyboards
Andy Jackson – Bass and Guitar
Ed Young – Drums
Andy Rowberry – Guitars
Rob Archibald – Keyboards
Bryan Belleau – Guitar on “Underfire”

Latte E Miele – Passio Secundum Mattheum (1972)

babequ — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:08:29 +0000

Latte E Miele was along with Le Orme the best-known symphonic progressive rock trio to come from Italy. Their debut “Passio Secundum Mattheum” is often considered to be their best, and was a concept album about some biblical and Jesus-related crap (for once, I’m glad that I don’t understand much of the Italian language). But the music is good, and the band managed to make a very grandiose and impressive sound for being only a three-piece. The variation on the album is also quite impressive: the powerful and symphonic sound of “Indroduzione”, the rhythmic energy of “I Testimoni”, the pure beauty of “Getzemani” and “Il Pianto”, the raw aggression of “Giuda”, the sinister “Il Calvario” – this album has most of the elements you’ll except from a good progressive rock work. The arrangements included choirs, church-organ and lots of very nice and tasty synth-work from keyboardist Oliviero Lacagnina. The vocals vary from narrative to beautifully melodic and emotional in the best Italian tradition. Another interesting thing about this album is that it mostly doesn’t feature any bass at all. (www.vintageprog.com)

Tracks list:
1. Introduzione (2:16)
2. Il Giornio Degli Azzimi (1:26)
3. Ultima Cena (1:48)
4. Getzemani (4:14)
5. Il Processo (1:29)
6. I Testimoni(1° parte) (6:02)
7. I Testimoni(2° parte) (2:12)
8. Il Pianto (1:48)
9. Giuda (0:43)
10. Il Re Dei Giudei (1:40)
11. Il Calvario (7:04)
12. Il Dono Della Vita (3:43)
13. Mese Di Maggio (Bonus Track) (4:24)

Line up:
Marcello Giancarlo Dellacasa / acoustic classic & electric guitars, violin, bass, vocals
Oliviero Lacagnina / piano, organ, Mellotron, clavicemballo, celeste, Moog, strings, vocals
Alfio Vitanza / drums, bongas, tympani, bells, whip, flute, vocals

Latte E Miele – Papillon (1973)

babequ — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:51:00 +0000

The second work released in 1973 “Papillon”. Album that makes suite of which motif is prison breaking play famous for movie the main. It has artistry and interest to surpass the former work as keyboard rock. Masterpiece. Good work only in Italy of 1970′s.Five stars. Essential: a masterpiece of progressive music.

Track list:
1. Papillon – tempo total (19:50)
a) Overture – 1:09
b) Primo Quadro (La Fuga) – 2:04
c) Secondo Quadro (Il Mercado) – 3:23
d) Terzo Quadro (L’Incontro) – 3:58
e) Quarto Quadro (L’Arresto) – 2:51
f) Quinto Quadro (Il Verdetto) – 1:32
g) Sesto Quadro (La Trasformazione) – 3:45
h) Settimo Quadro (Corri Nel Monde) – 0:48
2. Divertimento (2:02)
3. Patetica – tempo total (16:42)
a) Parte Prima – 4:30
b) Parte Seconda – 6:21
c) Parte Terza – 5:51
4. Strutture (3:52)
5. Tanto Amore (bonus) (3:50)

Line up:
Oliviero Lacagnina / keyboards
Alfio Vitanza / drums
Marcello Giancarlo Dellacasa / guitar & vocals
Alfio Vitanza / drums

Latte e Miele’s second album was also a concept album, at least for the first half. This time they eschew weighty religious matter and opt for a more rustic Pinocchio theme. The story can characterised as (little wooden) boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy is sentenced to death for disappearance of girl. Both English language and Italian language versions of the first half of this album exist. Listening to the two side by side are instructive of the pros and cons of foreign groups singing English lyrics. The story itself is as entertaining as most Genesis narratives, but the accents are pretty awful at times, and the vocalists struggle so much with the word that things like tone suffer. I go for the Italian version, but it’s worth hearing the English version at least once if opportunity arises.

Musically, the Papillon story is divided into an overture and seven acts. Each act begins with a variation of the same air, with occasional variations in instrumentation, key and tempo, during which the narrator sings. This is usually followed by a piece of instrumental music appropriate to the story. The third act however is a love song, quite pretty in Italian but nauseating in English. The main air is fortunately strong enough to sustain its repetition, and most of the instrumental music is of a very high quality. The story of Papillon is very enjoyable both for its component parts and the overall effect.

The remainder of the album nails its colours to the wall straight away with “Divertimento” and its keyboard-centred combination of jazz and classical music. What follows includes excerpts from Beethoven’s “Pathetique” Sonata and Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons”, jazz developments of themes and Keith Emerson-style analogue synths. The only real exception to this is the thid part of “Patetica” with it’s arpeggio guitar and laid back tempo augmented by a lush keyboard orchestration.

Despite the strong ELP influences, Papillon is another very good album. Although I personally prefer Passio Secundum Mattheum, it’s the second album that is generally accepted as the better of the two. Either way, it’s a close-run thing, and both are certainly worth purchasing. (Conrad Leviston)