STORIA DI UN MINUTO

This album's first cut, "Introduzione," was also the world's introduzione to Premiata Forneria Marconi, which chooses to introduce itself with a quiet pastoral-symphonic piece which breaks abruptly into a Crimsonian vamp. My own first taste of PFM was the song "Celebration," courtesy Rhino Record's various-artists compilation Supernatural Fairy Tales: The Progressive Rock Era. I shouldn't have been surprised to hear that song presented here as "È Festa:" the same track, but with Italian lyrics. Anyway, while "È Festa" might be a good track to represent PFM - - I've only heard three of their albums and two other songs - - it doesn't provide a fair impression of Storia Di Un Minuto.

To be fair, Storia Di Un Minuto is a compendium of approaches to Western music, from energetic centuries-old classical piano to modern flute-led jazz - - and that's just on the two parts of "Dove... Quando...(Parte II)." So it might be tricky to select just one representative song. But despite the diversity of styles, much of the album is progressive folk; three of the seven songs ("Impressioni di Settembre," "Dove... Quando... (Parte I)," and "La Carrozza di Hans") are light folk-rock, albeit with intriguing filigrees and tangents.

And while quite a few reviewers regard PFM's first LP as among the very best prog-rock debut albums, I disagree. Storia Di Un Minuto is la storia di a very good band finding itself. The result is good, if a little uneven and a little repetitive - - much like many debuts.

Within the year, PFM would take several steps forward with their second album, Per un Amico.