AD GLORIAM

The fun and oft danceable debut from the Italian legends, though barely resembling any familiar prog heroics, is an ideal sample of a band authentic in their art tendencies starting to rise up out of the primordial ooze of psychedelic rock. Ad Gloriam embraces its decade but also undeniably careens toward greater things with little hope of going backward to any psych-pop aspirations. Toni Pagliuca's bright keys - organ, piano elettrico, and a cutting harpsichord - fill the space between the rock'nroll with big walls and little pieces, tasty chops and parlour pomp. With the help of Nino Smeraldi and Aldo Tagliapietra's guitars & voices there is surely a glint of light here, a bit of genius just under the gurgling lava lamps and burning incense. The Doors, Byrds, Moodies, Airplane, Holding Co., early Floyd, Beach Boys, even the Nice, all on hand and waiting to be set free by a less stoned but no less fantastic ambition. A distracted intro gives way to the pleasant title cut, a mid-tempo chorale, but things get more interesting for 'Oggi verra' with an infectious vocal melody over a light and lovely pastorale. 'Milano 1968' struggles between experimentation and straight flower rock, Pagliuca's baroque stardust and Smeraldi's vintage fuzz guitar. 'Mita Mita' is a silly love tune with some pretty keys and strings, acidhouse dance-blues of 'Fumo', pining voices in 'Senti l'estate che torma', delicate 'Fiori di giglio', and more steel fuzz on 5&1/2 minute 'Non so restare solo'.

Musically the album will be of small interest to the standard progoholic. What it does show is that primeval prog, the eolithic chrysalis of the movement from underground psych to popular art, was not confined to Britain and America. It was in fact alive and well everywhere, and this genuine, humble, endearingly innocent record is proof of that.