AD GLORIAM

For those who really want to be freaked out should sample a few minutes of Le ORME's first and un-characteristically psychy album which sounds just perfect to this music lover. "Ad Gloriam" is a colorful album blending that whimsically paisley West Coast psych element including great vocal harmonies, backwards guitar loops, freakbeat allusions and some exquisite orchestral arrangements. For those like me who adore much of Le ORME's output may be quite surprised as to just how different they do sound here. Aldo Tagliapietra still handles the lead vocals and flute while Michi Del Rossi as always adds his strong tympanic talents and Toni Pagliuca performs on his organ and electric piano. Although quite a diversion from their classic prog sounds, "Ad Gloriam" is a simply masterful piece of psychedelia and must be owned by all lovers of music. Definitely wear some flowers in your hair when travelling to Italy.

Don't buy this expecting another "Uomo di Pezza" or "Felona e Sorona", especially since this album isn't particularly progressive. After all, Italy was about two or three years behind Great Britain as far as prog was concerned (but of course, once the prog scene started in Italy, be prepared for tons of great albums, especially by 1973). What you have here is an album more in the late '60s psychedelic pop vein. The trio of Aldo Tagliapietra, Michi dei Rossi, and Toni Pagliuca were augmented by two other guys here, making them a five piece band at that time. Here, the band also included some horns and strings on some of the pieces. Also they were recording for a small label called Car Jukebox, apparently a label a bit behind the times (which prompted them to move to Philips and move to prog rock), meaning for 1969, this album does sound a bit behind the times. Still, not a bad album, and if you fancy the idea of psychedelia Italian style, go for this. For prog rock fans, heed the warning: it's not a prog album, so obviously go for the albums they did in 1971-74.

I notice an increasing interest for the wonderful early Italian progrock scene. One of my favorite bands is Le Orme, especially their albums Felona E Sorona and Collage manages to delight me every time. This CD features music from their very early period in the late Sixties (Le Orme was founded in 1967). The cover is typical 'flower power' art, I like it very much because of its creativity and many colours. The 11 compositions are simply structured but tastefully arranged and contain a varied instrumentation, from flute, acoustic - and electric guitar to keyboards like the piano, harpsichord and organalong warm vocals. Some tracks deliver a short, psychedelic inspired intro (like I Miei Sogni and Fumo) with echoes from Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd. Other songs have hints from The Moody Blues, The Beatles and Rare Bird. To me this CD sounds as a pleasant progressive blend of beat, flower power and rock.

LE ORME's first studio album (not the first I heard) is a very interesting and agreeable pop- rock output with an indelible late 60s touch. Many point here and there some tunes and moments that could classify "Ad Gloriam" as a kind of proto-ISP work, which isn't really a forcible possibility but I spot mainly the presence of psychedelic sounds and the general trend typical of Italian sixties: a blend of hard-rock, folk and influences gathered from Britain's and North America's classical rock bands.

The atmosphere and sonority displayed echoed firmly in South America and this made my first hearing of "Ad Gloriam", a very familiar and cool experience, reminding me of several tunes I listened to in my childhood which are all lost in the dust of times. If the production isn't great due to limited tools available at the time, LE ORME musicianship and inspiration are noticeable - a feature able to present fine moments as we could enjoy in years to come.

It may be imperceptible but another link with the future prog-rock scene is the general concept behind the songs that spread along the album, more noted for being 'Introduzione' and 'Conclusione' the titles of the opening and ending tracks. References are certainly aimed to the peninsular way-of-life of the Sixties, which also was close to things down South, contributing again to make this album particularly familiar to me - some songs here could be recorded by bands like MUTANTES and no one should spot the differences.

Finest songs are the title-track, 'Ad gloriam', nice and catchy; 'Oggi verrà' with great instrumentation and vocals; 'I mei sogni', neatly psychedelic; 'Senti l'estate che torna', a pleasant pop-rock recording and 'Non so restare solo' where the LE ORME show their musical abilities in a grand manner.

For those truly interested in knowing the story of ISP/RPI this album is strongly recommended but the lack of progressive elements turns "Ad Gloriam" into a work plainly good, although non-essential for the general audience. Rating: 3.

One thing is for sure : Ad Gloriam won't pass to glory.

While you listen to the title song, be prepared for a painful experience. Vaguely psychedelic Italian music which followed a useless "Introduzione".

This album holds some hints of what the band will produce later (like the sweet Oggi Verrà and Non So Restare Solo which is my fave) but these moments are too scarce to make this debut album an interesting one. But of course, it dates back to the late sixties (and you can hear this).

I am so found of Italian lyrics (even if I don't understand them) when they accompany the beautiful music which so many bands from this genre have developed. But to listen to these with standard psychedelic pop is another story ("Milano 69", "Senti l'Estate Che Torna").

You would also need to bear some childish sounds typical of the late mid sixties ("I Miei Sogni") while listening to this short album (but this will be a TM of the band).

This is by no means essential music. Even if it doesn't sound the same, I can not compare it better than to "Genesis From Revelation". A very average album. Just listen to Fiori Di Giglio and to its ten years old child sounding vocals to get the confirmation.

Two stars.

Ad Gloriam is Le Orme´s debut album. I don´t know much about Le Orme other than what the biography here in Prog Archives tells me. They are supposedly one of the 3 big Italian symphonic prog rock bands. Here on their debut from 1969 the music is more rooted in the sixties though.

Looking at the very psychadelic cover artwork, it´s easy to jump to the conclusion that this is psychadelic sixties rock and allthough there are traces of that genre here on Ad Gloriam the overall feel of the album is much more in the pop vein. The sound is very clear and the music is pleasant yet a bit too nice at times for my taste. Le Orme use organ, harpsichord and electric piano on many of the songs. Guitar, bass and drums are the main ingredients of course. There are also some folky flute playing in some songs which is a nice variation. The most exciting thing here are the vocals though. I really think they are good. I especially like the high pitched harmony ( almost Beach Boys) vocals that are in some of the songs. I have to mention that the lyrics are in Italian which really isn´t that much of a distraction to me even though I don´t understand a word.

The musicians are very competent even though there really aren´t any demanding instrumental sections in the songs.

The sound quality is very good, in fact I think this is one of the better sixties productions I have ever heard. The mix is clear sounding and everything has a good place in the soundscape.

This is a good debut album but it´s insignificant in the history of prog rock and personally I find it a bit too nice sounding. This one is mostly for the fans IMO. 2 stars from me.

The fun and oft danceable debut from the Italian legends, though barely resembling any familiar prog heroics, is an ideal sample of a band authentic in their art tendencies starting to rise up out of the primordial ooze of psychedelic rock. Ad Gloriam embraces its decade but also undeniably careens toward greater things with little hope of going backward to any psych-pop aspirations. Toni Pagliuca's bright keys - organ, piano elettrico, and a cutting harpsichord - fill the space between the rock'nroll with big walls and little pieces, tasty chops and parlour pomp. With the help of Nino Smeraldi and Aldo Tagliapietra's guitars & voices there is surely a glint of light here, a bit of genius just under the gurgling lava lamps and burning incense. The Doors, Byrds, Moodies, Airplane, Holding Co., early Floyd, Beach Boys, even the Nice, all on hand and waiting to be set free by a less stoned but no less fantastic ambition. A distracted intro gives way to the pleasant title cut, a mid-tempo chorale, but things get more interesting for 'Oggi verra' with an infectious vocal melody over a light and lovely pastorale. 'Milano 1968' struggles between experimentation and straight flower rock, Pagliuca's baroque stardust and Smeraldi's vintage fuzz guitar. 'Mita Mita' is a silly love tune with some pretty keys and strings, acidhouse dance-blues of 'Fumo', pining voices in 'Senti l'estate che torma', delicate 'Fiori di giglio', and more steel fuzz on 5&1/2 minute 'Non so restare solo'.

Musically the album will be of small interest to the standard progoholic. What it does show is that primeval prog, the eolithic chrysalis of the movement from underground psych to popular art, was not confined to Britain and America. It was in fact alive and well everywhere, and this genuine, humble, endearingly innocent record is proof of that.

Hehe, let's face this Le Orme debut. And my second LO album, after one new addition, I take their effort since beginning. So I'm not biased, nor affected against them in a way that I know more. Unique state in which I am, so innocent and virgin like by nature, not spoiled by beautiful sounds of their later work (hypothetical good tunes, I suppose that when rated so well, they'll be good). Not for long, but for now, I am.

And you are curious, dear reader, what I have to offer ? Hell, I'm curious too, what this record has to offer. Well, for example first two tracks. First one is psychedelic intro, full of interesting Italian sounds and psychedelic sounds. Good intro, bass line with keyboards (crazy ones). Second is consisted of hypnotic riff, which evolves into guitar solo (nice one), with choir of eunuchs like vocals (don't be offended, this is my synonym for soprano/high pitched vocals, in my sense of reality, even woman can be eunuch, so don't worry, just enjoy it and forget my strange interest in eunuchs from court of Alexander the Great and Arnold Judas Rimmer). It's early, but everyone has to start with something and it's not often as good as their later debut, especially in terms of bands like this (or Genesis, Yes, Jethro). Songs are nice, psychedelic is the word that describes them best.

4(-), not bad, but somehow strange. This feeling that not everything is in its right place is too strong. But I don't agree with majority of people here that it's worse than 3-stars album, because it's not. It's a good one.

Italian psychedelic music is to be found here, and for me, this is a good find. Le Orme's debut is not rambunctious or pretentious- it consists of feathery rock songs with bright melodies in major keys. Nothing fancy, but this is a solid first effort and there are quite a few imaginative moments. This is highly recommended to fans of the earliest works of rock bands, such as early Yes or Pink Floyd.

"Introduzione" Right from the start, the listener is treated to a funky psychedelic piece, with warbling guitar all over a call-and-response bass and organ. Quite possibly this could have been the introduction for a TV sitcom at that time.

"Ad Gloriam" Following a brief vocal bit, pleasantly light rock music ensues. A repeated melody hangs out in the background, as though in its own world. This is a great song, and I was pleasantly surprised the first time I heard it.

"Oggi Verrà" Light cymbals and percussion with a thudding bass and whimsical flute accompany fragile yet pleasant vocals.

"Milano 1968" Bright organ and trebly bass engage in a psychedelic dance before spoken word and light singing take over.

"I Miei Sogni" Slide guitar fed through dozens of effects introduces heavy tom work before further light rock of the 1960s comes through.

"Mita Mita" Le Orme demonstrates great use of exotic instrumentation in this light and buoyant song.

"Fumo" Juxtaposing quieter vocal passages with heavy organ-driven sections, this piece has some bizarre belching effects in places, and all of the instruments seem to be doing their own thing, yet it all comes together nicely.

"Senti L'Estate Che Torna" This is quite an enjoyable song that is typical of oldies music both in composition and in sound.

"Fiori Di Giglio" Following a somewhat exotic introduction, more pastoral textures ride in, over which is spoken word from what sounds like a very young girl.

"Non So Restare Solo" Plinking quarter notes with a whistling organ underneath work with the relatively dynamic rhythm section to support the straightforward vocals. With the backup singing on the chorus, the music really does sound like a pop song from the golden oldies period of music. The instrumental segment involves gritty guitar and soon after, a drum solo.

"Conclusione" This final ditty involves the strumming of an acoustic guitar, honky-tonk piano, and some lazy vocals, like a country tune drunkenly sang at a saloon.

Le Orme is often recognized as one of Italy's pioneering symphonic progressive rock bands, but listeners shouldn't expect anything of the sort on Ad Gloriam. Released in 1969, Ad Gloriam is very much a product of the psychedelic hippie era; rather than delivering the bombastic symphonic rock that the band would introduce on their next few albums, the music here is an unoffensive stab at late sixties' pysch-pop. While still quite decent for a debut outing, this is a pretty unremarkable listen in most regards. It fails to sound as innovative as Le Orme's future efforts, and it also pales in comparison to the best psychedelic pop out there - in short, Ad Gloriam is pretty unessential for anyone except the die-hard sixties' rock collector.

Ad Gloriam was clearly inspired by the likes of The Beatles, The Who, and Spirit, as the music mainly consists of pleasant psychedelic pop tunes with very little in the way of complexity and depth. Unfortunately, Le Orme doesn't deliver this style nearly as well as their predecessors do, and I'm usually left with a pretty stale taste in my mouth when the album is over. The usually short, major-chord compositions are pretty unremarkable, and Le Orme hardly offers any ideas that haven't been done to death by the time it was released.

Though the band offers a few solid melodies and memorable hooks throughout Ad Gloriam, it comes across as a bit stale to this reviewer. Le Orme offered 'too little too late' on their debut album, and while the result isn't anything terrible, it isn't original or memorable enough to warrant a listen from anyone outside of their core fanbase. All in all, this is an interesting debut from one of Italian progressive rock's most famous groups, but I wouldn't venture to say that it's a particularly great one.

LE ORME ( Italian for "the footprints" ) was one of the few Italian progressive rock bands that found international success outside of its homeland and at the band's peak was playing many live shows all over North America and Europe in the 70s, but all things have humble beginnings and like many bands of the era, LE ORME began in a much different way than the band became. Formed in Marghera near Venice, the band started all the way back in 1966 by Aldo Tagliapietra (vocals, guitar), Marino Rebeschini (drums), Nino Smeraldi (lead guitar) and Claudio Galieti (bass) of which only Tagliapietra would carry on into the classic prog years.

Like most bands of the era that went on to forge their way into the prog universe, LE ORME began as a psychedelic rock band that still retained a lot of the beat music that was popular from the late 50s to the early 60s. As a band, LE ORME started playing live fairly early in 1966 after forming and recorded its first single "Fiori Di Giglio" in 1967 however the lineup started to change before the first album was recorded. After Michi Dei Rossi replaced Rebeschini who joined the military and Antonio Pegliuca joined the team on keyboards and band began to record its debut release AD GLORIUM in late 1968 and hit the market in 1969.

The song "Senti L'estate Che Toma" which appears on the album was placed in a competition in 1968 run by the Italian Phonographic Association where it finished at #24 out of 56 songs, not exactly a stunning success but enough to get the band noticed and the ball rolling. One look at the colorful psychedelic album cover with the five members sporting their best Beatles haircuts tells you everything about AD GLORIUM. This is indeed a child of the 60s with beautiful catchy pop hooks right out of The Beatles' playbook only drenched in psychedelic sound effects and a retro beat sort of rhythmic drive. While not quite the progressive rock band that would deliver such classics as "Felona E Sorona," at this point LE ORME had already mastered the art of excellent songwriting skills that displayed sophisticated compositional skills and tight musicianship that allowed variation to make the album interesting.

With all lyrics sung in Italian, despite the English influences, AD GLORIUM feels like a bona fide product of its homeland as the Italian language has a gravitational pull that takes the musical flow along for the ride. While the guitar, bass and drums are clearly imbued with 60s influences, it's the other instruments such as the flute, celesta, sarangi and harpsichord that give it a more futuristic feel (for its time) in comparison to other psychedelic rock bands of the late 60s and in retrospect there are signs of the prog direction that the band would veer towards however nobody including LE ORME could've predicted it at the time as the entire prog world was just beginning to blossom and soon explode into myriad directions. Overall AD GLORIUM is a light and airy album that relishes the sensual side of the rock world.

While it would take another album and a new direction to give LE ORME the opportunity to find international success, AD GLORIUM provides some vital blueprints and overall is a really decently crafted psychedelic pop album from the era. There's not really one bad track on it and it indeed captures the spirit of the psychedelic peace and love 60s only with a European vibe that was quite different the the American scene. While the album wasn't exactly a smashing success at the time, the title track has been remixed by Irish DJ David Homes in the year 2000 with the new name of "69 Police" and also appeared on the film soundtrack for "Oceans Eleven" where it was used in the final scene. Catchy and psychedelic 60s pop that's very well done but still several steps away from the symphonic prog that the band would craft for 1971's "Collage."

3.5 rounded down