STORIA DI UN MINUTO

Storia Di Un Minuto, the debut album from legendary Italian progressive rock band Premiata Forneria Marconi, is often regarded as a classic prog rock album as well as one of the most important releases in Italian rock music. Both of these statements are pretty difficult to argue with - the lush, pastoral sound of Storia Di Un Minuto practically defined Italian symphonic prog for years to come, and this lovely debut also managed to skyrocket to the top of the Italian album charts within the first week of its release. Premiata Forneria Marconi really struck gold with Storia Di Un Minuto, and this still stands as one of the most beautiful albums in its genre. I personally think that Premiata Forneria Marconi improved even more with their next album, but there's no denying that this is a terrific and downright essential example of Italian prog.

On this album you'll find a rather eclectic style of symphonic progressive rock that rests somewhere between early efforts from King Crimson, Genesis, and ELP. Storia Di Un Minuto is quite different from all of these bands, though, and the classically inspired instrumentation and songwriting gives Premiata Forneria Marconi a sound that was undeniably distinct during this time period. I simply love how the music is arranged; the wide array of keyboard and guitar tones, violins, and flutes always compliment each other perfectly within the context of the music, and every song is performed with high amounts of raw energy and beauty. Even this early in their career, Premiata Forneria Marconi was a group of impeccable musicians with a knack for crafting well-written and beautiful compositions.

At just under thirty-five minutes, Storia Di Un Minuto is a pretty short album, but that shouldn't be seen as an issue since all of the music here is top-notch. Songs like "Impressioni Di Settembre", both parts of "Dove...Quando...", and "La Corroza di Hans" should be seen as absolute masterpieces of progressive rock music, and there is hardly a weak moment contained within any of the other tracks. The production of Storia Di Un Minuto is also pretty great; the warm and organic sound suits the music perfectly. I do find myself reaching for the volume nob an uncomfortable amount of times since the loud parts are very loud and the quiet parts are very quiet, but it's a pretty minor complaint in the long run.

Storia Di Un Minuto was one of the albums that helped define Italian symphonic progressive rock, and it still stands today as one of the genre's most expressive musical statements. I think the band outdid themselves with Per Un Amico (released later in 1972), but this is still a very worthy purchase for any fan of PFM or symphonic prog in general. 4 stars are deserved for this beautiful and highly influential debut.