KUNDALINI SHAKTI DEVI

Formed in Milan in the early seventies on the initiative of Roberto "Paramhansa" Puddu, Kundalini Shakti Devi managed to record a demo in 1974 with a line up featuring Ampelio Biffi (drums), Tony Ognibene (keyboards), Gianni Lecchi (guitar), Massimiliano Moretti (guitar), Roberto "Paramhansa" Puddu (vocals, sax, flute), Claudio Capetta (bass) and Enrico Radaelli (keyboards). They tried to develop their compositions shaping long, complex structures, inspired by the progressive rock bands of their era. Unfortunately, in the seventies they hadn't the chance to properly release an album on account of the lack of interest of the music business and so the members parted ways. It wasn't until 2013 that the old tapes were taken out of the drawer, restored and finally released on the independent AMS-Btf label.

The long, complex opener, "Flash", stages in music and words a series of snapshots of everyday life taken in a modern city. The first one portrays a haughty girl who proudly walks in the street wrapped in her blue jeans, aware of her beauty that she exploits to make her way in a society where appearances rule. The second one depicts an old beggar coming home under the merciless glares of the good people, law abiding citizens without empathy. His house is just a poor hut, his meal meagre... Then it's the turn of a ruthless businessman, a wealthy womanizer who has reached is goal and now is at the top of his social climb and feels like a real man! The fourth picture is that of a biker, a hard-looking man hiding his eyes behind the sunglasses, a wicked hell's angel ready to fight... The last three pictures are more abstract and are used to describe in a sarcastic way the consequences of organized religion and consumerism. The music and lyrics conjure up the images of two armies ready to wage war one against the other in the name of their God and every army has its own priests blessing their soldiers and weapons before the battle, then there's the image of religion put for sale in tin cans. There are pills to corroborate the spirit and aggressive advertisements compelling you to buy the most stupid things... Just snapshots, glimpses of the real world that surround us!

Next comes "Museo galattico" (Galactic museum) that deals with environmental issues. The music and words conjure up the image of a lifeless planet with red deserts and mountains of lava. A spaceship loaded with tourists is flying over this gloomy world. A voice explains to the passengers that once mankind used to live there, it's the old planet Earth that has been turned into a huge museum where to look for archaeological treasures and signs of its old civilizations. There's a feeling of surprise and curiosity. At last the spaceship reverses its course and goes back into the infinite space...

The last track "Sensitività" (Sensitivity) is a disquieting piece that describes a man struggling on the edge of madness with an invisible enemy. He feels that an extraterrestrial entity is feeding on his thoughts. He tries to get rid of it but the creature from space doesn't let him alone. He's just a simple man, why the powerful monster keeps on torturing him all night long?

On the whole, this is a good document of the creativity of a band that would have deserved more credit. Given the sources, the sound quality is not perfect but, in my opinion, this album deserves a try.