PREMIATA FORNERIA MARCONI

— First review of this album —

Such an interesting reissue of some ever-green classic tunes by P.F.M, this time (fortunately) remastered, cause a typical defect of their old albums was represented by a group of weak recordings...if I think of their old tapes or vynils I'm not so enthusiastic about it and-moreover-I've always been quite disappointed talking about their old records. But this time the job of the sound engineer is good, often being able to clean the dirty traces of the original vynils and making them more brilliant (except on a few circumstances only, which could make you change idea and erase an half star from the evaluation at least). This 2cd anthology is focused on four studio albums and a live record between 1973 and 1977, without regarding of four previously unreleased recordings from their "hot" stage- during the MANTICORE years- indicating a true testament concerning their best music season!! Instead I'm not so glad about a rare B-side of a UK session (becoming a UK single), which has not been improved in comparison to the old tape; nevertheless an immortal track like "Alta Loma 5 to 9" (already being unforgettable inside their live USA) and of course the classic numbers from Chocolate Kings as well, make this anthology quite essential!! Besides their performance regarding the Electric piano, the violin and the flute (for instance do you remember the classic piano within "Dove Quando"? Well this time it's a live version, with a good execution to be remembered..), without forgetting the typical tone by B. Lanzetti too, not often remarked in the present anthology as a singer, are the best features here!! At the end, if you consider the support of an excellent musician like Mauro Pagani (always involved in the music plot), for sure you'll choose the present anthology!!

PFM - The World became the World (English version of L'isola di niente) (1974)

Thanks to my progbuddy Erik Neuteboom I got my hands on a vinyl copy of this well known PFM record. My expectations were high. The feeling of having such a hard to get vinyl is good, but the high expectations aren't that good at all. PFM did not show gruit qualities on this record INMHO.

First of all: PFM is a band with the best of musicainship, they are very important because of their great symphonic/eclectic offerings for the genre. This album was quite frustrating though. Not the lack of musicianship or quality was the problem, but the lack of vision and the aggresive approach of the band on the progmarket. It's to ambitious. This might sound like an abstract problem, but I'll explain it.

Listening to Storia Di Un Minuto and Per un Amico I heard a high quality band with a lot's of vision and the music sounds inspired. The bands has it's own vibe and the tipical RPI sound that's has something 'realistic' and beautifull about it.

The World Became the World sounds different. It sounds like an agressive approach to show the world they can play with the big European bands like Genesis, ELP, King Crimson and Yes. It sounds like PFM made compositions on this album to try to beat these bands in their own game.

The Mountain is more bombastic then ELP ever was and is very unorganized. The different parts of the composition are great but the total is one big mess. The choral opening leaves me indifferent due to the bad quir. Just look away and The world became the world both sound like an attempt to get that magical 'I talk to the Wind/Cadance and Cascade' KC- sound. Although both tracks are my favourites of the album, they are highly unoriginal. The lyrics of Sinfield do help to get the KC atmosphere, but this isn't a good thing. On side two Four holes in the ground and Is my face on straight sound like attempts to copy and conquer the Yes sound. The compositions are again good, but I get a very frustrated feeling listening to it. The last track Have your cake and beat it is again an attempt to conquer King Crimson, but this time the proto-metal fase of the band. The atonal solo's sound horrible and the style is totally out of place here. The symphonic ending section is the best part of the album though. The reference of Geneses isn't out of place here, another attempt to beat a band in it's own game.

Conclusion. This album has a lot of high quality compostions, but it's motivations and style makes me dislike it. I like the honest sound of their albums before this one, but this one is just to extreme for my tastes. I'll give it three stars... but hey... this could have been a masterpiece with an other approach on music IMHO.

Too much soloing and not enough composition puts 'Stati Di Immaginazione' light years from their first three amazing albums and, after reading glowing reviews, I was hoping some of the magic of those albums would be found again, but alas, instead the far and few between melodies sound contrived and closer to elevator muzak and straightforward instrumental rock. 'Il Sogno Di Leonardo' sounds like something off the Windham Hill label, which isn't bad, but when its PFM, its a disappointment. I think the absense of Flavio Premoli and Mauro Pagani is really felt, at least for those of us who hoped for the beauty of 'Per Un Amico', which happens to be one of my favorite albums ever. The finest moment here is the first 35 seconds of 'Il Mondo in Testa', actually one of the themes of 'Promenade the Puzzle', which recalls a glimpse of what once was, and which nothing else on the album equals, although Nederland 1903 comes close. Apart from that, what we mostly have on this album is a lot of straightforward rock with a lot of solos. Yawn.

If you check the prog rock page on AllMusic there is not a word about the Italian scene. There isn't even a link in the more then a 100 artists counting list. What a mistake to make on an otherwise pretty comprehensive site. No wonder that I and so many others hadn't heard about RPI in our entire lives.

Premiata Forneria Marconi is the most popular band of the scene and there are moments where that status seems deserved. They are just so sweet, emotive, creative and accessible. However, judging from the little I heard from this scene, there are bands out there that appeal more to me. I also don't find PFM albums to be entirely consistent. There's always a dip in the song writing or an experiment to digress from their basic romantic sound that doesn't feel really accomplished. I sure appreciate their willingness to take risks and progress their sound, but the result can't always convince me.

The debut is quite consistent though, the only track that feels out of place is E'Festa. It has a charming playfulness but overall it isn't very impressive and has aged pretty badly. It's decidedly less compared to the wealth of beautiful dreamy music around it. I even like the fanfare at the end.

Another reason why I prefer their debut over the second album is that I hear a much more personal sound here. On the second album, the presence of the great UK prog bands is felt much more prominently then here. This one is all gentle sounds, acoustic guitars, flutes and mellotron with at least as many campfire moments as your average Simon and Gartfunkel album. Of course PFM plays in another league where it concerns composition and musicianship, it's just that the gentle melancholy feels similar. There are some toy synths in Impressioni Di Settembre that are somehow inadequate but overall the use keys is not too disruptive.

This album only lasts for 34 minutes. Given that I could have lived without E'Festa, the album is unsatisfactorily short. Nevertheless, the 30 remaining minutes are very solid and packed with creativity. Something that is largely preferable over 80-minute albums that don't get to the point.

Now, I really wonder what further surprises this scene has in store for me.

PFM - Jet Lag (1977)

After their celebrated symphonic period PFM tried to play eclectic jazzrock/fusion. As a result Jet Lag was born. The original vinyl cover is less bad then the cd artwork shown on PA, the one shown is really ugly.

To sum it up. No symphonic prog, just influences of it. The chord progressions are constructed with jazz chords, the bass-lines are played on fret-less bass, the guitars are noodling as are the violins. The strange thing about this record are the vocals. My girlfriends always asks me if the record was recorded under water to tease me. The vibrating voice of Bernardo Lanzetti has a sort of Gabriel sound, but it sounds as if some-one is shaking him around while he's singing. This is the weak point of the record.

Strong element of Jet Leg are the great guitar-parts and the strong inspired acoustic solo guitar jazz track, the great jazzy keys played by Flavio Premoli and the fret-less bass-lines (listen to that final track!). The overall atmosphere is intelligent and relaxing. Some track have an ambient sound. The recording is not very good, bot not bad either. They could have made more of it. Most of the vocal parts on the album are pretty good. Most of the time the melodies are relaxing and they compensate for the strange vocals. There are also long instrumental parts on the album and they make the vocal parts like a mirage in the instrumental dessert.

Conclusion. A record that should be listened to by everyone interested in progressive jazzrock/fusion. It is an excellent addition for people interest in the jazz genre, for people only interested in symphonic prog this might be not very essential. If you dislike jazz you should avoid this. I myself though it was a nice experience and a great adaptation after the fall of the progressive genre in the late seventies. Definitely a better solution for the lack of interest in progressive music that those of Genesis, King Crimson and Gentle Giant IMHO. Three stars, it would have been a four star record if the recording had been done better.

When I first tried Per un Amico, after seeing that it was one of the top 10 rated albums on all of PA, I decided to listen to some songs, and I was disappointed; it seemed like just another boring, instrument-driven prog album. After a few months, I returned- and wow, my opinion was turned around 180 degrees! After many, many listens, Per un Amico grew on me much like Hybris did later, and I began to experience the true beauty of this excellent album.

Appena Un Po begins in a beautiful, field of mellotrons that sends shivers down my spine. Then, slow acoustic guitar comes in with a little bass, and flute joins thereafter, followed by harpsichord, and the music keeps building until at 2:17, it tumbles into a mix of instruments playing together. After about 4 minutes, the mellotron takes over, resulting in a beautiful solo. This then morphs into a medieval march, and the song concludes with more vocals and another mellotron solo. Next is Generale, an energetic rocker reminiscent of ELP, featuring some excellent drumming, guitar and violin work in the first half. Around halfway through, the music fades away, only to return with drums and flute, and it soon turns into an amorphous mix of constant style changes, darting from one sound to another, before returning to it's beginning sound to end the track. After Generale is the title track, possibly the best from the album. It begins with flute, then moves into a somewhat sad, possibly nostalgic ballad. However, it reaches its peak after the lyrical parts, as instruments twist and turn in a frantic dance, and I must mention an excellent use of synths around 4:07. Next is Il Banchetto, a pretty upbeat, acoustic guitar driven tune. At least, that's how it starts. Soon, everything but the acoustic guitar falls out, and synth takes the lead in yet another eclectic dance of various instruments. This is best seen around 4:08ish, when the band seems to develop ADD, bouncing around with the synth in a fashion reminiscent of King Crimson's weirder moments, though more its certainly more... playful, or fun, than most of King Crimson's output. This then goes into a bit of piano, and soon the upbeat ballad returns to finish the song. Geranio begins with some delicate instrumentation, before blooming around 2 minutes in and turning into... well, you may have noticed that they like to make constantly moving instrumental passages, and Geranio does just that. Overall, the album is an amorphous, always changing mass of an album, and every style change results in a new and exciting success. However, you must approach with an open mind and a developed love of prog- recommended to any prog fan who's heard the more well-known stuff and wants something new and stunning. Though I wouldn't call it essential, I think it's even better than excellent- thus, I'll give it (roughly) a 9.25/10, which can be rounded up to five stars.

Getting better and better...

Again this remarkable band comes on the horizon with a great work. After the reformation in 1997 this is the third consecutive album by Premiata Forneria Marconi to be better than its predecessor. If we talk about the future Stati di immaginazione will be the fourth consecutive step forward. This reveals a strong return to form, lost after the middle of the 70s - thirty years earlier. It's admirable for sure. What about this album? Dracula Opera Rock is the first rock opera album by the band and it deserves this title. It's probably the first concept album by the band, too.

After a couple of controversial albums and thirty years of wandering, Premiata Forneria Marconi find its own new style and its way. Its strongly recommended for prog-period band lovers and not very much for pop-period band lovers (ha-ha). I would say it's different to 70s, but not in terms of weakness. The musicianship is very good and the songwriting, too! The album contains some opera themes (familiar to a rock opera), symphonic flavour and little jazz fusion. PFM is there they have to - on a solid ground! 4 stars!

You know what this album is for me and many others. Its like the 2nd wave of discovery.

When we first get into classic Prog, its the standard great stuff. You know, various albums from the Big Six of Prog (KC, PF, Genesis, Yes, JT & ELP). And then you discover various other highly regarded Prog bands. But with varying degrees of success. Always itching for that same level of brilliance you heard on Foxtrot or Wish You Were Here. You scrape around further, hoping to find something as amazing as the very best in Prog.

Then you find PFMs first two albums!! Do your ears deceive you? Is this stuff really sounding as great as your favorite King Crimson album? Does this truly have the dexterity and flash of ELP? Yet are they really as unique sounding as any of the other bands in the Big Six? YES! Thank God! Your Prog collection has just grown with another true classic!

Well thats my PFM experience at any rate, but I suspect its similar for many of you. We all discovered the big prog acts early on, and we all love Prog for all the reasons you already know. But we want "more, more, more." And like any genre, there's always a dirge of average albums, that people try to pretend (or actually think) are very good to great. But in the case of PFMs first two, its the real deal. And the fact that so many members of this board rank it so high, just makes me feel that much better about the collective taste of this community.

If you're checking out ProgArchives all time Prog albums list, you're seeing that this album is ranked in or near the top 10. If you have most of the other albums in the top 20, and you're wondering if you'll love this album? Yes you will. I absolutely guarantee it!

By the time Suonare Suonare was released it became clear that the band was trying to find some way to survive in the music market and that was not an easy task for a band labeled as ´prog´ (remembre this was 1980 and being prog was not cool anymore). Their ealier efford, Passpartú, was already shifting towards a more pop/folk direction. Unfortunatly Suonare Suonare was even popier as a whole, although not without some merits (the title track and Maestro De La Voce are very good tines). With Bernardo Lanzetti gone, drummer Franz DiCioccio assumes the lead vocals, but that´s not the problem. In fact, he performs this job very well.

The main issue with this album is that the band can´t seem to make up their minds if they´re going folk or jump into the pop wagon headfirst. The result is an hybrid, some tracks being more folkish, some very commercial. Needless to say, there is very little prog in here. Not a bad record, but clearly very very away from the great symphonic band that once released such masterpieces like Photos Of Ghosts and The World Became The World. Some instrumental breaks sometimes show how skillful musicians they really are. Unfortunatly the songwriting here is not up to their fantastic musicanship, to say the least.

If you like traditional italian music and pop stuff of the early 80´s, you´ll probably enjoy this album. other than those I can only recommend this album for fans and collectors. 2 stars..

It's great to read all of the differing opinion on this album. It makes sense, since Jet Lag is SO different from anything else they had done- and the switch from the in-your-face hard rock (PFM style) on Chocolate Kings to the almost Jazzy Jet Lag could be disconcerting.

Hard to let go of a band's style- I still haven't forgiven Yes for flattening out after Relayer.... but if you're not sure that this is a great album, give it another listen. Jet Lag is superb. After all these years it rises to near the top of the stack of pretty much all the progressive rock that we love. Definitely listen again.

"Peninsula" right into the title track- it's one of those classic moments- like when you hear the "bu bum bu bum bu bum bu bum... I've got faces and traces of home...." just so juicy!

And forgive me, I don't have the album with me, but I think it's "Left Handed Theory" that starts out with the violin which almost magically morphs into the song- another delicious moment.

It's all great. Play it again (did I say that already?).

Definitely a 5 star for me.