GLEEMEN

Pre Garybaldi formation, with Bambi Fossati as frontman, showing a superior ability to play the guitar. The album is ok, nothing special, although some interesting organ work. Anyway, the result as a whole is nice and enjoyable.

This early version of "Garybaldi" works needs your attention.

Of course, we are talking here of some oldies of prog. The very early seventies. But wasn't it one of the best period in prog history? This band though is more on the heavy side and should have made their entry into the heavy prog genre instead of this RPI melting pot.

The psyche and upbeat "Farfalle Senza Pois" is certainly as brilliant as some of the best Anglo-American of the style (even if the latter ones were producing their work some two years prior to this one). I won't tell you that this album is an absolute jewel or must own: some tracks are quite forgettable like "Shilaila Dea Dell' Amore".

But if you are looking to some wild and heavy psychedelia, "Spirit" is probably a moment that you should share with "Gleemen". A highlight. Huge and heavy organ, wild guitar and superb drumming. What else? If you are keen on the great "Atomic Rooster", you should be interested in this album, for sure.

The guitar work from Bambi Fossati is also excellent and it is no wonder if Lise mentioned Hendrix or TYA in their bio.

The filiation with the heavy and bluesy "Hendrix" sounds are more than obvious while " Chi Sei Tu, Uomo" is being performed.It almost sound as a live track. Only that the percussive punch from the master is quite "ice-creamed" with a piano-bar sort of solo.

The next track is just a great performance: wild and heavy keys, huge drums and superb bass. The beat is really grandiose. When this type of song is being played, it is quite difficult to remain seated? Just think that this album was released by an Italian band in 1970. Very few of the Italian greats were effective by these pre-historical days, and only therefore "Gleemen" should be rewarded.

The band is even melodic during "Bha-Tha-Hella" which is a heavy psychedelic affair with some fine vocals I have to say. Again, early Purple and Hendrix are quite present on the bill during "Clakson".

If you are interested in the psyche sounds of the late middle sixties, this album definitely deserves your attention. It is not truly innovative since this musical source had been already approached some three years ahead. Still: as I have said, Italian bands were only showing their heads in those remote days.

This is quite a good album, not shy of lots coming from the West coast or the London underground at the same period (or somewhat earlier as I have mentioned already). Most of the songs are enjoyable but "Dei O Confusione" holds this little extra which makes it one of my fave out here.

Heavy-jazz is featured in "Induzione 1 & 2". This is the weakest part of this album, but the whole was such a good surprise that I can only recommend this work.

Three stars.

Beat by beat.

The Rock Progressivo Italiano scene did not happen over night. The forerunner was the Italian beat scene which branched out in all directions. One of the branches was the Rock Progressivo Italiano scene. But Italy also had a good blues scene. Being the forerunner of Garybaldi, Gleemen has been put into the Rock Progressivo Italiano category. But in all honesty; they are more a blues band than a prog band.

This album is their only album and I have to confess I love the art work. That though is the only agreeable part of this album. The music is blues with some beat and rock influences. Gleemen is far too Italian to sound like something from Chicago or even New Orleans though. But is is clear that USA has been a major influence for Gleemen rather than the green, green grass of England (see Rock Progressivo Italiano). The result is a pretty poor album which offers little. The only good thing about this album is some Clouds and The Nice influenced Hammond organs. That is the only good thing I take from this music. These Hammond pieces is good. The songs are poor. The musicianship and the vocals are decent. Hence my restrained use of stars.

2 stars

The Italian band Gleemen was created around 1965 in Genoa and played in some festivals making covers of Beatles and Stones in diversified versions. In 1970, they decided to release their self titled album led by a well-known figure in the progressive Italian scene, Pier Nicolò "Bambi" Fossati, tremendous guitar player and a huge fan of Hendrix. Fossati besides being a talented guitarist, has a wonderful voice and also, shared stage with Van Der Graaf, Santana and Uriah Heep.

Actually, Gleemen is nothing less than the embryo of the great band Garybaldi, established in the same year of the release of this album and had the same formation but with some more progressive vein in their compositions. This made Garybaldi became one of the most important bands of the Italian scene in the early '70s.

This record is quite atypical to what we are used to when it comes to 60s, a bit strident guitars, with strong influences to the master Hendrix, dueling by wonderful and energetic passages of Hammond, creating a pretty damn psychedelic atmosphere. Not to mention the perfectly prowess of the lead drummer conducting the band.

Absolute highlight for track "The Confusione Dei" which brings excellent guitar passages followed by the beautiful voice of Fossati and a Hammond tone quite different but wonderful!

Here's an atypical audition to what we are used when it comes to Italian Progressive Rock and i´m quite sure that everyone will be surprised with this innovative album for the time. The record gets to a near perfection when the issue is psychedelic rock.

GLEEMEN (1970) is a good interesting pioneering Psychedelic/Progressive rock album made in Italy and a powerful band.

The band Gleemen and the album is quite influenced by the Psychedelic,Acid Hard Rock Blues sound of first Deep Purple,Vanilla Fudge,Cream and Jimi Hendrix Experience and with typical Italian Progressive rock arrangements of the early seventies.

Although the Psychedelic style of the band is never been put aside in their next album called ''Garybaldi'' Nuda that feels the influences and mostly in the album Astolabio (1973) and Bambibanda e Melodie (1974) etc etc.

The Psychedelic style characterizes this band especially the guitarist leader Bambi Fossati even in their most Progressive album that will come later with the name of ''Garybaldi''.

In the album Gleemen (1970) and in the band with very good musicians like Maurizio Cassinelli (drums), Angelo Traverso (bass), Lio Marchi (Hammond} stand out Bambi Fassati with his Stratocaster much on the line wave of Ritchie Blackmore, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix.

A lesser-known Italian Prog band, Gleemen (or I Gleemen or The Gleemen(?)), another term for a "wandering minstrel" [I just had to know, as the word certainly didn't look like Italian], released their at one time sole studio album, self-titled, in 1970. Their 2013-released return to the studio is much better regarded here on ProgArchives. I'm certainly intrigued.

They have a very classic [early] Italian Prog sound, there right from the start, featuring dramatic sung-in-Italian vocals (quite a good lead vocalist, I must say) and post-Psychedelic, fairly symphonic instrumentation. Where they may differ from their far more popular peers is they, as you will read below, introduce a hard, Heavy Metal inflection. The band really is quite talented and, in general, I do appreciate and at times really like their sound.

A solid opener we have in "Farfalle senza pois", this fits right in with what I described above. More psychedelic and spacy in nature is what follows, "Shilaila dela dell'amore". Very low and slow, this'n.

"Spirit" is a pretty classic, almost jam-band-esque early Prog number. I say 'Jam-band', as it rolls along in a pretty static form and they noodle on top. Not bad. Certainly ends strong.

Then we have the blazing intro to "Chi sei tu, uomo" with heavy Blues Rock guitar. Really a very excellent performance from Bambi Fossati [What a fantastic name!]. The Blues continues on, vocal verse enters in and then a piano solo, interestingly enough. The most compelling song thus far, I'm still not overly drawn, as this is merely an Acid/Blues Rock number and... I'm here for Prog dammit!

Back to what sounds a little more proggy (thanks to organ, mostly) is the still very Blues (if not R'n'B-inspired) "Un'amica". The bass is quick and, really, the instrumentation in general is quite good. Approaching minute 4 is most appealing. "Bha-tha-hella" continues on in the early proggin', but is more low and slow. Not a whole lot here. Some of the organ playing is nice and of interest.

Then back to some... basically Heavy Metal [revealed to be far more progressive as it goes] on the intro to "Clackson" [Who?!]. Fuzzy yet clear lead guitar and some bright, fresh organ playing on this. Very very cool. Perhaps will appeal to fans of early Deep Purple! I also love the falsetto backing vocals on this'n. Sweet.

Unfortunately following the excellent "Clackson", it's business as usual with "Dei o confusione". "Induzione parte I e parte II" has a pretty solid main riff, but also offers little; the guitar solo is fire though. And finaly, "Divertimento": a psychedelic number. Not overly interesting, I guess. I think I'm a little burnt out on this album...