STORIE DI UOMINI E NON

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Attention fans of Area & Kayo Dot:

Side 1 of this album is simply amazing. The opening track's 13 minutes feel as jumpy as a field mouse on crack. More on the connections to the above band later.

Rocky's Filj (or Roky's Fily according to some) formed in the early '70s and were from the Lombardia and Emilia areas. They played at the legendary Villa Pamphili pop festival and toured with Banco around that time. They got their chance to record and work with Banco's producer Sandro Colombini on their album for the Ricordi label. As shocking as it may be to read...brace yourself...this Italian band broke up soon after their album was released. Apparently one of the band members was incarcerated though I couldn't find out for what. The band would reunite briefly for a single release but never recorded a second album. Leader Rossi was killed in an auto accident in the 80s. "Storie Di Uomini E Non" was released in the monster year of 1973 and was clearly overshadowed by the many classics which emerged at that time. That is a shame because this album should be of much interest to any prog fan who would appreciate a truly eclectic take on fusion and RPI. Gnosis' Mike McLatchey describes the music as "elaborate and lengthy with plenty of fusion influences. Instrumentally, the primary leads are sax and guitar, and there are a lot of moments where the themes are doubled by both in a manner similar to that of Osanna's early period. The music even has room to jam, where the bassist will set up a riff and give the chance for some solos over the top, including both sax and flute."

This album is what I would describe as extremely red-blooded and dynamic, for the wild and thrill-seeking Italian fan. In its most frenzied moments it approaches an Area level of craziness but it also has a flip side that I won't call mellow, but slower, murkier, and strange. The album is paced well too with the three wilder tracks being 1/3/5 while the two breather tracks split them in the 2/4 position, giving the listener a true roller-coaster experience. Let's look at some of the positive attributes here: 1) These guys had chops! All of the musicians are very good and adventurous as well. 2) The sound is uncommonly good. You would expect a rarity from '73 to be pretty mediocre in sound but that is not the case here. Crisp highs and strong, upfront bass will give you the ability to crank this up loud without wincing. There are a few sound problems on side 2 but they are fleeting: I was literally rattling the pictures on the wall tonight with very good results. 3) Primarily instrumental and pretty wild tracks. I enjoy the bold and dramatic vocals of Rossi but for those who don't this album is far more instrumental than vocal. The music of Rocky's Filj is a unique blend of heated fusion jamming with rather strange divergent avenues. The album plays out as do some of the more adventurous Italians albums in that you're never sure what to expect, think about bands like Pholas Dactylus, Osanna, wed with jazzier fare like Area and Duello Madre. Bits and pieces of these groups will give you an idea what you're in for here: heavy-hitting (mostly) jamming with persistent fiery guitar and lots of horns, the album is most likely to please fusion fans who like a little something different on the presentation.

I really have to describe side one for you. "L'Ultima Spiasggia" is 13 minutes of pure madness that starts from the gate at light speed. Driving, booming bass and frenetic guitar lines spar incessantly with aggressive horns very similar to the Officina Meccanica sound I wrote about last week, but frankly Rockys sound is tighter and crisper. There is a break for some eerie flute before the powerful and intense vocals begin. Some don't like the vocals here-I think they are fantastic. Then another strange section with strings leads back to the manic-paced finish. The second track "Il Soldato" finishes the side and this track could have inspired Kayo or Maudlin. This cool sounding double bass just floats along building tension over these strange, serene guitar chords and lost sounding horns. The two tracks combined may not be the finest or most representative side of Italian prog but they sure do floor me. Side 2 is good but not quite as magical. I want to close by quoting a great sentiment about this album (and listening in general) by reviewer Rushomancy at RYM: "It's generally true that most obscure music is obscure for a reason. Once you delve deep into a genre, you find yourself listening to a lot of stuff that comes off as second-rate imitations of the better-known bands. So why does anybody bother?...Sometimes you find something that's way better than it has any right to be. Sometimes you find out you value different things in music than most people, and you like something most people would hate. Whatever the reason, Rocky's Filj, while not sounding overwhelmingly typical for an Italian prog record nevertheless contains everything I love about the genre."

The epitome of an obscure gem! I love this album. Over the last year I've purchased over 200 RPI CDs, as I've been absolutely enchanted by this stunning genre. Nearly all of them are good, many of them are great, and a few, like this one, just hit me like a ton of bricks. It's not as symphonic as many of the classic bands and yet doesn't venture as far as Area does into Jazz (there is no free form soloing--it's crazy, no doubt, but all within a well-defined and very enjoyable structure).

I love the description on the band bio (and also included in Finnforest's review) regarding the sax and guitar doubling themes. I would add that there is great interplay between sax, guitar, bass, and sometimes flute. Often the doubling changes into harmonizing, sometimes as thirds or just complementary sounds. Many times the themes are taken up by the other instruments, helping the different sections flow nicely, even though there is at times great variation in tempo and feel. Note that there are no keyboards. But the use of the sax is so imaginative that I had to double back and listen to a section of Martino again (about 2.5 minutes in) because I swear there was mellotron. But no--it's saxophone! I actually love the use of the sax and flute here--they provide great coloring and depth. The moods can sometimes vary within songs, especially Io Robot. The mood also varies between songs (the energetic L'Ultima Spiaggia, then the more atmospheric Il Soldato, then the fiery E). The sparse vocals are good and certainly don't detract from the fabulous music.

I refer you to Finnforest's excellent review for historical notes about the band and his always enjoyable comments. My own take is that this album is one of the best of the RPI subgenre, and the RPI subgenre is essential to a prog library. Hence the 5 star rating. You can't go wrong with this one!

I can't believe how many amazing albums came out of Italy in the seventies. Is there an end to these obscure gems that keep coming out of the woodwork ? I hope not ! Thankyou Finnforest for bringing this band and OFFICINA MECCANICA to my attention, and to Todd who told me about these same two bands not long after Finnforest did. I ordered these two recordings at the same time and for me they will always be associated with one another.Two incredible bands and albums.

"L'Ultima Spiaggia" is the longest and perhaps most adventerous track on here. It hits the ground running with horns blasting. Nice bass as the guitar comes in ripping it up. A calm before 1 1/2 minutes as the melody stops and flute eventually comes in. We get vocals for the first time 3 minutes in and they are fantastic ! I really like his voice. It sounds like cello 4 1/2 minutes in as bass and horns follow. Great sound 5 1/2 minutes in then it kicks back in to a fuller sound. Check out the guitar before 7 1/2 minutes ! Passionate vocals, guitar and horns after 8 1/2 minutes. Haha.They're playing and singing with feeling. It settles again after 10 minutes, great vocals here. Love the sax before 11 1/2 minutes.The guitar is back shredding to end it. Now I can breathe. "Il Soldato" opens in a pastoral way as reserved vocals come in. Melancholic horns before 3 minutes.The vocals return 5 minutes in to the end.

"E" reminds me of the first track the way the horns come out blasting. They even get a little dissonant after a minute then some raw sounding guitar arrives. Horns and drums join in. It settles before 2 1/2 minutes but kicks back in quickly. "Io Robot" is mellow and laid back to begin with. Vocals before 1 1/2 minutes. Drums and a full sound a minute later. Great sound ! Check out the flute 4 minutes in. Another excellent section after 6 minutes. I like the horns and the beat. This song reminds me of AREA quite a bit. "Martino" sounds like there might be some fuzz in that intro. It settles a minute in, vocals follow and they're amazing. Drums pound as horns and guitar do their thing when the vocals stop. They break into a nice rhythm after 3 minutes. Vocals are back. I like the ending.

This is a must for Italian fans out there along with OFFICINA MECCANICA's album.

Yet another one shot Italian band, Rocky's Filj released their only album back in 1973. Certainly not one of the better known Italian prog bands, they nevertheless have an enthusiastic if small group of admirer's who regard Storie Di Uomini E Non very highly.

Storie Di Uomini E Non whilst having mellower moments is not an album for those preferring the more pastoral RPI releases. Far more suited to those who enjoy the wilder excesses of the genre such as Osanna, Area or Il Baletto Di Bronzo. The wild explosive nature of most of the tracks also bring to mind early King Crimson, though you won't find any mellotron here, with nods to Van Der Graaf Generator though the latter comparison is more down to the wild sax playing prevalent throughout supplied by sadly now deceased vocalist Rocky Rossi. There's also a fairly strong jazz feel, the warts and all dry production allowing each player to stand out showing all as decent players with pleasing interplay between the sax and guitar over the dynamic rhythm section.

Sadly like so many albums of the time it's all over too soon leaving the frustrated listener wanting more. Whilst Rocky's Filj are not advised as an early port of call in the exploration of RPI they nevertheless warrant attention from those of a more adventurous disposition who've already become acquainted with the higher profile bands of the genre, many of whom they can stand head and shoulders with such is the quality of this album.