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Hopo - Senti CD (album) cover

SENTI

Hopo

Rock Progressivo Italiano


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apps79
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
Honorary Collaborator
4 stars Little is known about this obsure band from Italy.It wouldn't surprise me if the even the biggest ISP collector isn't aware of this quintet.Through my search in the internet it was almost impossible for me to find a trace of the band's biography.''Dietro la finestra'' is considerded the best album of HOPO,but their debut ''Senti'' ,released in 1982, is also a very strong album with undenieable elements from the classic italian prog period of the 70's.

The CD release of ''Senti'' contains 12 tracks,that means the six tracks of the original release along with six more tracks recorded live in Florence by the same time.The first eponymous track of the album is a rhythmical pop/prog song of high quality not very far away from the poppier sound of the early 70's italian bands.First epic of the album is ''Per strada'',an excellent track in the vein of PREMIATA FORNERIA MARCONI and BANCO DEL MUTUO SOCCORSO with nice flutes,excellent work on the digital keyboards,mostly Hackett-ish guitars and a superb guitar ending theme very close to CAMEL's Andy Latimer style.''Nascondino...'' is a beautiful acoustic guitar piece of music.''Rana'' is another short prog piece of music with nice guitars close to CAMEL and weird water effects.''Crema'' is a strong song- oriented track with second-era GENESIS solos,a rhythmical yet complex middle part and stunning vocal performance by Paolo Tovolli.''Singolarita'' is influenced again by the british prog scene but after the middle section it transforms in a dark sounding track with great organ,strong drum work and alternating guitars between darkness and romanticism,a sound very close to BANCO DEL MUTUO SOCCORSO.

Among the live tracks is ''Mister rock'',an unreleased track of the band with little progressive interest as it is an average rhythmical rock song and nothing more.The rest of the tracks come from ''Senti''.The band does perform very strong with little changes on the tracks comparing to the studio versions but the sound of this live recording is just above average.

HOPO's ''Senti'' is an excellent album IMO and it is one of the best examples of how the ISP sound would become through the years to come.Strong influences from the biggest italian bands of the 70's combined with a more modern technology such as digital keyboards,''Senti'' just heads in the future.A very good addition to any prog rock collection...4 stars...

Report this review (#191824)
Posted Thursday, December 4, 2008 | Review Permalink
Finnforest
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
Honorary Collaborator
3 stars Another good bridge band ala Nuova Era

Instead of beginning as a beat band and blossoming with an album in the classic RPI era Hopo were just hatching plans in 1973, the very height of the festival season. School mates in Florence at that time, they started a band and faced the same struggle as others, getting gigs and making little money over the years. By the late1970s they were a good live band but they did not actually release their debut album until 1982. This can be heard in the sound of "Senti", which while capturing the spirit of 1970s Italian prog, sounds to me influenced by post-Gabriel Genesis and American prog/album rock like Kansas, Styx, etc. It's also interesting that while Senti comes before "Script for a Jester's Tear" it has at times the feel of neo-prog. Another reference point could be the second Rousseau album recorded in the same period.

The title track "Senti" is a weak opener which sounds like an attempt at a single, plodding along in entirely predictable verse/chorus fashion. The second track "Per Strada" is where the payoff begins. Lush simulated strings and period synths join with gently strummed acoustic guitar and flute. Devine it is! Then the Italian vocals kick in along with the full band and we're off on a pretty cool 12 minute journey. The mood of the piece is bucolic and mystical, almost like Ant Phillips in the softer renaissance sections before jumping to a Kansas style rock. There are some great, dynamic guitar and keyboard solos! The middle of the album mixes things up nicely with two short tracks, the first a gorgeous acoustic guitar solo, the second a goofy but pleasing bit of band tom-foolery. Together the two pieces seem disjointed but offer an intermission between "Per Strada" and the last two substantive tracks. Both feature passionate lead guitar work by Carlo Poggini and this is what brings it home for me. The closer soars to a big finale that recalls the enthusiasm of the earlier Nuova Era albums. Hopo were good musicians but not chops monsters and the production here is a bit off, but these things didn't bother me in the least. Colorful, energetic, and very accessible, Hopo's first album will please fans of the most typical classic prog rock. It features sassy, fun compositions full of dreams, the wide-eyed aspirations of a bunch of friends having a go at their band. They did a great job.

A good album in my book but probably not a great one historically. The band would break up after this album and reform in the 90s for a second album.

Report this review (#827057)
Posted Sunday, September 23, 2012 | Review Permalink

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