DENTRO L'INVISIBILE

Genfuoco released this album on the Citta Nuova label in 1979 before disbanding the following year; they subsequently reformed in 2000 and then brought out an album of live recordings from the late '70s. Dentro L'Invisibile was reissued on cd by Mellow Records in 1992, but it's a bit of a rarity these days and it has taken me the last two years to find a copy. Despite the poor sound quality it was well worth the wait. Genfuoco was a 6-piece band so there's plenty of variety in the instrumentation although the general mood is mellow and acoustic. The music blends folk, jazz and symphonic to good effect and features extensive instrumental passages, with vocals being used quite sparingly. Singer Marco Borgogni isn't as flashy as some of his countrymen but his voice is well suited to the subdued nature of the majority of the album. Fellow Italian bands Delirium and Il Volo are the most obvious influences, although there are also hints of Camel, Pink Floyd, and to a lesser extent Santana.

The album starts with OUVERTURE, an instrumental piece with two main movements that are separated by a brief fast section. Both main movements are quite spacey and the second part features a tranquil cornet and sax duet. It's a nice intro to the album and sets the mood for the songs that follow. The first of these is DELLA TANA that has a folk feel thanks to its catchy recorder motif, although it also features bowed double bass and a nice synthesizer line. Some songs are instantly memorable whereas others, such as the structurally complex TRASPARE, require several listens to fully appreciate. This track is a bit frustrating because it features what might be Mellotron-choir, but it's barely audible due to the aforementioned sound problems.

The 2-part TERRA PROMESSA features the first upbeat moment on the album, with its joyous flute melody, fizzing guitar and Latin percussion. GALASSIE is another track that highlights the inferior quality of the production with some intrusive hisses in the vocals. Fortunately these don't stop it being arguably the best song of the set, with its spacey sax and Solina/Mellotron intro giving way to carefree guitar and synthesizer exchanges. The tender acoustic ballad LA SERENATA DEL FIUME and the Pink Floyd-inspired title-track, which even includes some female vocals in the vein of Clare Torry, complete what is a fine album. In a nutshell, one of the lesser-known RPI gems that's only slightly marred by some dodgy production. 4 stars.