QUELLA VECCHIA LOCANDA

This band makes a lot of lists of 'best Italian prog albums' and it's easy to see why. This album ticks all the boxes: well recorded, violin and flute integral to the sound, prominent bass, deft electric guitar and a vocalist (Giorgi Giorgo) that can make you forget you don't speak Italian. Add in the trippy gatefold painting on the cover and you have covered the bases. I wasn't totally blown away at first but this one is growing on me.

Overall, this is another album that would make a decent introduction to Italian prog after one has sampled a few albums from the big trio of PFM, Banco and Le Orme. Not overly original, but its brilliance lies in their ability to synthesize disparate elements and make them sound like something completely new. Would have love to have seen them live, as the full on rock of Imagini Sfocante shows they could draw on their past as rockers--unfortunately the song fades quickly and probably went on far longer in its master take. There is more rock in here than some might guess, and though they aren't unfamiliar with 'pastoral', one gets the impression this band enjoyed rocking things out as far as they could. (Dialogo). Verso La Locanda might be the most appealing to RPI fans, but there aren't many weak points here.

Reference points: mostly Italian bands really. Some vague Jethro Tull in there. But they were on the scene early and helped form the sound PFM ended up running with and made famous. It's a shame nobody ever picked up on these guys outside of Italy, as this and their second album are some of the better Italian prog out there.

On vinyl this is in a gatefold sleeve that just projects 'this is a prog rock album'. I used to love buying unknown treasures on the basis of a really good album cover.

Four stars