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Gleemen - Oltre... Lontano, Lontano CD (album) cover

OLTRE... LONTANO, LONTANO

Gleemen

Rock Progressivo Italiano


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Windhawk
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
Honorary Collaborator
4 stars Formed in the 60's, the Italian band GLEEMEN released a single album back in 1970. In 1972 they decided to continue using a new name, Garybaldi, and released two more albums under that name before calling it quits. They reunited again in 1990 for a few years, and after another spell of inactivity reunited again in 2010. Come 2013 and the members decide to revive the old Gleemen band name, and towards the end of the year "Oltre... Lontano, Lontano" was released through Black Widow Records, 43 years after the first album issued under that band name saw the light of day.

While Gleemen as of 2013 perhaps isn't the best fit for the avid progressive rock fan they do touch ground also with this style during this hour long album. Their field of expertise appears to be blues based hard rock with more of a mainstream orientation however, and it's when exploring that variety of music I find Gleemen to be most intriguing. Which, in summary, should mean that those with a soft spot for that kind of music that also have an interest in progressive rock to be a likely key audience for this album.

Report this review (#1182606)
Posted Tuesday, June 3, 2014 | Review Permalink
Aussie-Byrd-Brother
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
Honorary Collaborator
4 stars With the death of beloved Italian guitarist Pier Nicole `Bambi' Fossati just the other day, what better time than now to review one of the final musical appearances to feature his involvement, the comeback album from Italian psych rockers Gleemen, a precursor to the more well-known Garybaldi. It's been over 43 years since their superb debut, so you're no doubt preparing for this album to be a tired collection of bland dad-rock in the tradition of most comeback `retro' acts, right? Well, get that idea out of your head right away, as `Oltre...Lontano, Lontano' sees the band essentially time-travelling to our modern era, picking up exactly where they left off, only saying `Hey, production techniques have changed', and carried on in the same fashion! With the exception of keyboardist Lio Marchi, the original line-up is in place, the band filled out with a couple of younger members and several guest appearances, and Gleemen move through bluesy stompers, laid-back groovers, melodic rockers and the dreamiest of psychedelic pop, all bringing a truly timeless quality.

Three separate guitarists - Gianpaolo Casu, Mauro Culotta and Marco Zoccheddu - get standout (and very different) electric guitars solos throughout the simmering bluesy Clapton-styled opener `Anima di Gomma', with humming Hammond organ, slippery bass and darting flute from guest Daniela Piras, but the fade-out at the end is unforgivable! A nice mix of fiery acoustic guitar and electric soloing in the Santana band styled `La Grande Carovana', with a lusty vocal from Pino Nastasi, a ballistic Hammond run in the middle and such a strong Tex Mex influence that I thought Antonio Banderas was going to wander in with a guitar case full of guns! `Bambi' finally shows up for a thick, heavy and feral strangled n' mangled bluesy instrumental electric guitar stomp `Schizoid Blues' - "Hmm, not bad!" he proclaims at the end! Beatles influenced `Il Venditore di Pallaoni' starts as an acoustic ballad with gorgeous weeping violin, cello and sublime group harmonies, which merges with the brooding `In Una Stanza', Bambi returning for more electric guitar brimstone and a snarling vocal, but again - another fadeout! Just let the band play!

`Stelle di Vetro' is foot-tapping and spiky day-glow pop once it gets going with some joyful electric guitar soloing throughout the finale. With the exception of a few little harder moments, `Nel Mio Cortile' is a smooth Latin-influenced groover that would have fit on one of those comeback Santana albums, if he hadn't been worried about impressing a bunch of younger people who had no connection to his music and weren't, you know, rubbish. The second half lets Martin Grice of Italian prog legends Delirium provide some wicked and wonderfully stirring sax soloing, but again, we end with a disappointing fadeout. `Solo Amore' is a up-tempo rocker with endless tasty electric guitar fills to begin, a romantic chorus over violin and piano with a chugging heavy finale. The album closer title track is a head-nodding slow-burning blues come-down, full of harmonica, accordion, twinkling jazzy piano, Hammond organ ripples bubbling under and a sing-along group chorus. Hang around afterwards for a brief acoustic ballad with a sweet vocal as a hidden track.

But the absolute highlight for me is `Canzone dei Cuori Semplici', one of the most beautiful and dreamy psychedelic pop ballads I've heard in years. Other-worldly treated vocals, drowsy acoustic strumming over shimmering electric guitars, spacey synths and gentle orchestration. There's a blissful unhurried perfection to the piece, a cross between the hazy pop of the Beatles with an early Pink Floyd acid laziness. Pure psych-pop perfection to my ears.

Black Widow Records have a winning album here. This is not simply some tired hero worship by a bunch of aging hippies, it's a finely crafted collected of psychedelic and blues rock that will actually remain more timeless than ever dated. Older listeners in particular will appreciate the energy, passion and careful song-craft on display here, and `Oltre...Lontano, Lontano' is a fresh and impressive reminder of a quietly achieving psych band. It also makes for a respectable and dignified send-off to the dynamic guitarist Fossati.

Three and a half stars, rounded up to four for the Archives.

Report this review (#1189441)
Posted Monday, June 9, 2014 | Review Permalink
kev rowland
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
Prog Reviewer / Special Collaborator
4 stars It is quite true that some bands need more time than others to record their second album, but 43 years? Yes, the debut album from Gleemen was released in 1970, and here we have three of the original quartet along with some guests back with the second, with artwork that in many ways isn't too dissimilar to the original. I haven't heard the debut, but wouldn't be surprised if it sounded similar to this as what we have here is an album that is steeped in the rock sound of the Seventies, back when it was okay to mix loads of different styles and even play the blues if they wanted to. It is powerful, emotional, deep and full of passion. Although everyone has a major part to play, it is Bambi Fossati who will always gain the most attention as his guitarwork is just incredible, and it doesn't matter if he is playing a Sixties style number such as 'Stelle Di Vetro' that honestly could have been written a couple of years prior to their debut, or blasting it out in 'Schizoid Blues'.

There will be many who will say that this isn't really a progressive rock album at all, but rather a melting pot of many styles with a hard rock and blues grounding, but what really matters is not the label that ones gives to it but rather the understanding that this is one hell of an album. It is hard not to fall in love with it from the very outset and the more I play it the more I like it. The different guitarist bounce off each other, and there is the feeling on some songs that if they hadn't faded out then they would have gone on for hours. Add to the mix some great psych and pop numbers and Black Widow have a real winner on their hands. Unfortunately Bambi Fossati passed away in June at the age of 65, but he has left behind a fine way to remember him. www.blackwidow.it

Report this review (#1198377)
Posted Thursday, June 26, 2014 | Review Permalink

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