IL CERCHIO D'ORO

Musically grown, Il Cerchio d'Oro's style belongs to the romantic Italian Symphonic Rock territory, akin to IL CASTELLO DI ATLANTE or SITHONIA, with light Classical references and a keyboard-driven sound full of emotional textures as well as complicated themes.Piccolini and Pagnacco offer strong dual keyboard passages with synthesizers and Hammond organ in the forefront in delicate and elaborate arrangements with a very Italian-oriented sound, like coming straight from the 70's.Acoustic guitars and soft piano interludes belong also among the band's priorities, while the vocals of Giuseppe Terribile are excellent with a warm and moving color.BLOCCO MENTALE and PREMIATA FORNERIA MARCONI are propably the best vintage comparisons due to the extremely elegant still quite adventurous approach of the group, often characterized by nice polyphonic lines.The album flows nice and easy with fine and careful structures and good guitar hooks, when needed, always based on a melodic, symphonic attitude.

Il Cerchio d'Oro's comeback was more than welcome.While suffering from its own identity, the group prooved that it could offer another enjoyable release along the lines of the Classic Italian Prog tradition.Warmly recommended, especially to all fans of the style.

Side A is split between covers of Le Orme and original compositions both with the early 3-piece and later 5-piece line up of the band.Executionally the band stands at a good level, but the really poor recording quality of these tapes makes the listening almost unbearable.The original material comes mostly in a Symphonic/Psychedelic Rock style close to HUNKA MUNKA or GLI ALLUMINOGENI with strong organ passages and obscure synth workouts along the deep bass work, that could have sounded really decent if their sound was at least mediocre.The Le Orme covers are rather mediocre and add nothing innovative to the band's repertoire.The B side is exclusively covered by three pieces of The Trip, Le Orme and New Trolls respectively, delivered by Il Cerchio d'Oro at the time when they were still a trio.With mainly instrumental work on the forefront, the band shows respect to the original executions, but the uneven mix and poor sound prevent the listener from enjoying this material as well.From the three, propably The Trip's ''Little Jane'' seems the best with its early-70's charming Psychedelic Rock style.

This is certainly the least interesting recording related to Il Cerchio d'Oro.Bad-sounding and rather uninspirational work, due to the poor quality of the tapes and the limited original material.Avoid it and spend your money in a more recommended work by the band.

Every track here is very good. The music is virtous and it has some form of feeling of the seventies prog. The music is very distinct, you can hear every instrument very clear. Mostly they use their common instruments but I can alse hear flute and saxophone it it. One of the best tracks is the instrumental "Labirinto" which is calm but has a wonderful melody with nice organs and flute work. The longest track "La Promesa" starts distinct with vocals and has a great and smart composition driven by guitar and organ. "Una nuova realtà" is another strong and fast track with different sections and the vocals begins at four minutes. A winning piece of prog. "Oggi volerò" has heavy rock. Every track is wonderful and interesting. It happens a lot int their music, it has a lot of drive. It's never indecisive but allways powerful and harmonic. This is very melodical music. Perhaps they didn't experiment so much but this is absolutely a full scale symphonic prog record. I say it again, I am surprised of the music of Italy which is so great. I know very little, almost nothing about this band but I will listen more and do some research. This is splendid prog from the twentyfirst century.

"Ouverture" opens with piano and synths, just a beautiful sound here. Drums before 1 1/2 minutes and bass follows. "Sognando La Meta" again features piano and synths early as drums join in.Guitar too. Great sound here. Chunky bass follows. Some gorgeous guitar here as well. Piano and synths are back before 2 minutes and spacey organ follows. Nice. Vocals before 3 minutes.This is so good.Emotional stuff. It picks back up late. "Colombo" has a good heavy sound to it with vocals and a variety of keyboards. A guitar solo after 3 minutes.The guitar is back and more aggressive a minute later. "I tre Marinai" opens with the sound of a creaking ship and waves as someone on deck whistles. Acoustic guitar joins in then reserved vocals before 2 1/2 minutes. Bass too. It kicks in a minute later with drums and guitar. Back to the mellow section again as contrasts continue. It ends with the creaking ship, waves and whistling.

"Ieri, Oggi, Ancora Niente" opens with accapella vocals which i'm not a fan of but the drums and keyboards take over before a minute. Great sound before 2 1/2 minutes as the guitar and bass join in. It settles back with vocals 4 minutes in until before 5 1/2 minutes when it kicks back in. "Il Silenzio Rumoroso Del Mare" is jazzy with piano, drums and bass to start. The guitar comes in over top and vocals follow. A calm after 3 minutes then it kicks back in after 5 minutes with lots of synths this time. "Preghiera Al Vento" is a short tune with vocals, floating organ, piano and acoustic guitar. It reminds me of early FLOYD. "Tre Giorni (L'Ammutinamento)" hits the ground running with drums, guitar, piano and organ. Vocals around a minute as it settles. It kicks back in with synths this time after 1 1/2 minutes as contrasts continue. "Tierra ! Tierra !" is a mid paced tune until it settles back to a cool soundscape of chunky bass, synths and drums. Guitar too actually. Vocals are back. "Crecando L'Approdo" is a beautiful song with acoustic guitar, floating organ and more. "Conclusione (Il Ritorno)" is the short final track with piano, drums and vocals standing out.

As I mentioned earlier the two bonus tracks fit in here beautifully and only add to this excellent recording. A solid 4 stars.

This is the ultimate album (so far) from a band who started up in the 1970s, but who did not unleash their full potential before the release of this album. Although this album was released two years ago, the sound is very much 1970s RPI. File this album under RPI's 1970s albums.

The sound is vintage with moog, hammonds and guitars. Osanna and Biglietto is two good reference points. The vocals is excellent too. My gripes is the lack of some really great songs here. The album is ticking along nicely and the material is good throughout. But it never rises above "nice listening". I like this album for it's vintage sound, but less for the songs. Still, it is worth considering for those of us into RPI.

3 stars

The music here is very much in the style and spirit of the classic bands of the 1970s. There are many fine guitar and keyboard exchanges and all five members of the band sing, which makes for some nice variety in the vocals department. Il Cerchio d'Oro originally got together as a trio and fellow Italians Le Orme are an obvious influence, probably most evident on songs like the keyboards-led IL SILENZIO RUMOROSO DEL MARE and PREGHIERA AL VENTO.

They also admit to having been influenced by Pink Floyd and you can hear this in the spacey guitar and sustained organ of SOGNANDO LA META and CERCANDO L'APPRODO. These guys can rock as well though, and on LERI, OGGI, ANCORA NIENTE they sound a bit like Deep Purple or even Uriah Heep thanks to the gravel-toned organ and wah wah guitar. In fact one other track, COLOMBO, sounds remarkably akin to the latter's ''Gypsy''. Having said all that, they really do have their own sound so they shouldn't be thought of as clones.

This is another excellent album that seems to have slipped under the radar as it only has a tiny handful of reviews on the site. It gets better with every spin and it's rounded off with a couple of bonus tracks from 1977 that, although a bit commercial, aren't at all bad. One final word on the excellent packaging... not only does the digipack contain some lovely period artwork and full lyrics, it goes the extra mile and provides English translations of the lyrics. Thoughtful.

The dreamy instrumental opener "Ouverture" set the musical atmosphere and leads to the beautiful and melancholic "Sognando la meta" (Dreaming the goal). The contrast between electric guitar and organ underline doubts and fears in front of an uncertain impending future. After many efforts Columbus is going to set off and dreams of his goal... "Now I know, I'll make it / I must believe in the dream / I'm alone in the night, a thought startles me / I already see only an image in my mind / And the goal is nearer...".

On "Colombo" (Columbus) the rhythm takes off. In Italian Colombo means pigeon and it's ironic that a sailor has the same name of a bird. Columbus reflects on this fact and would like to be able of flying... "What an envy for the wings of the seagulls / That can exploit every wind... Sometimes during the night I dream my ships / With great wings instead of cannons / Sailing over unknown lands like kites...".

"I tre marinai" (The three sailors) begins with the sound of the waves and of an acoustic guitar, then vocals soar. It's a reflexive and melancholic ballad. Three sailors talk about the reasons who pushed them to embark in this dangerous journey. The first one was without money and without women and now has nothing to lose, the second one lost his wife and children and now tries to forget his troubles while for the third one the most important thing in life is drinking wine in good company... "Let's keep on imagining that life can change / But let's not get our hopes up / The viceroy will make no gifts...".

"Ieri, oggi, ancora niente" (Yesterday, tomorrow, nothing yet) is a complex track featuring an intro with vocals a cappella and many changes of rhythm and mood. After one moth of sailing no land to the horizon yet. Hopes, disappointments, illusions and disillusions turn the mood up and down...

"Il silenzio rumoroso del mare" (The noisy silence of the sea) is tense and haunting. It's a complex track where music storms and suddenly calm down, broken by short and delicate melodic passages before take off again... "I spend all my nights looking through the stars / Listening to the creaking of my ships... I'm losing my excitement and I'm beginning to despair... I feel that there's nobody on board that I can trust / It's more and more difficult to hope in the noisy silence of the sea...".

"Preghiera al vento" (Prayer to the wind) is a short and simple acoustic track that reminds of Lucio Battisti, especially the vocals. It's a kind of pagan invocation to the wind... "Oh wind! At lest you, stay by my side...".

"Tre giorni (L'ammutinamento)" (Three days ? The mutiny) starts in an aggressive way, with electric guitar and rhythm section in the forefront, then the fury stops giving way to a more reflexive part... The rage of the crew grows but the captain manages to restore the calm promising that if they will not find the land in three days they will turn back... "I have promised them three days and they have agreed / Now it's my time, time of bets...".

"Tierra! Tierra!" (Land! Land!) is a desperate ride on the wings of hope while time is running short. After a fiery beginning rhythm slows down, time stands still... Suddenly enthusiastic shouts rise and the land appears on the horizon... "Land! Land! Treasure lightened by the stars / A thrill passes through my skin / The same thrill that makes the sailors shout / Land! Land! My God, forgive me if I doubted / Thanks for this joy you gave me / I know you are right and you never deceive me...".

"Cercando l'approdo" (Looking for the landing) is a beautiful instrumental. Tension melts and a calm melody veils the horizon leading to an happy end... On "Conclusione (Il ritorno)" (Conclusion ? The return) joyful acoustic guitar chords and relaxed melodic vocals greet the come back and the end of the journey. But Columbus is not aware of the importance of his discovery and of its consequences... "The whole world is going to change now / New horizons for the humankind...".

The album features also two nice bonus tracks, the two sides of a 1977 single, "Quattro mura" (Four walls) and "Futuro prossimo" (Next future). It's strange but these song do not sound old at all and they perfectly fit the mood and the atmosphere of this work... "It's beautiful your colour / It recalls the sea of lost times / I don't care if you don't like me / I can't die hoping to come to life again and be better than now...".

On the whole "Il viaggio di Colombo" is a very good album and I'm sure that it could be an excellent addition to the collection of every Italianprog lover.

The release of "Il Viaggio di Colombo" was one of the most pleasant surprises of 2008 for lovers of Italian progressive rock, an unexpected gift from a band who seemed to have been one of the many casualties of the late Seventies' decline of interest in prog. The lavish package, illustrated with original woodcuts and endearingly naïve sketches, features a synopsis of the whole story, as well as English translations of the lyrics - a real bonus to non-Italian speakers, allowing them to connect with the story. Indeed, the album is meant to be enjoyed as a complete experience: the narrative (mostly told from Colombo's point of view) is every bit as important as the music, which blends the lush sounds of vintage prog with folksy overtones, as well as the pervasive influence of the Italian canzone. Even if none of the band members are more than adequate singers, their skilful, expressive use of vocal harmonies contributes to engaging the listener in the development of the story.

As in the best concept albums, the songs show a strong connection, parts of a bigger whole rather than separate entities. Opening with the romantic, wistful piano melody of "Ouverture", the album quickly gains momentum as the story develops. The largely mellow, Pink Floyd-inspired "Sognando la Meta" is followed by Colombo, a slice of hard-rocking, guitar- and organ-driven heavy prog very much in the Deep Purple mould. The core of the album, however, lies in a remarkably gripping sequence of three songs, moving from the hopeful mood of "I Tre Marinai" - a melodic, piano- and guitar-led piece in which three members of the crew illustrate their own reasons for embarking on the voyage - to the slowly mounting tension of the jazzy "Ieri, Oggi, Ancora Niente", with its lush tapestry of keyboards conjuring the endless, unchanging expanse of the sea, and finally "Il Silenzio Rumoroso del Mare" (possibly the real highlight of the album), led by a haunting piano riff and featuring some compelling synth and guitar parts. After the short respite provided by the poignant "Preghiera al Vento", the tense, ominous atmosphere of Tre Giorni (L'Ammutinamento) is aptly conveyed by some powerful guitar riffing and dynamic piano - until the almost explosive release of the anthemic "Tierra! Tierra!". The tale ends with the gentle instrumental "Cercando l'Approdo", and then the catchy "Conclusione (Il Ritorno)", in which the band members are joined by a choir of friends and family members, celebrating the historic discovery with suitable (though somewhat naïve) enthusiasm.

The two bonus tracks tacked at the end of the CD version, while offering some insight on Il Cerchio d'Oro's activity prior to their disbanding, are definitely not as interesting as the main body of the album. Rather similar to each other, they are both melodic, mid-paced efforts that at times sound a little bit too close to prog-influenced, melodic pop bands such as I Pooh. On the whole, I feel that their absence would not have been really detrimental to the album.

Even if not exactly innovative, "Il Viaggio di Colombo" comes across as a mature, well-crafted album that manages to capture the listener's attention through its skilful use of melody and painstaking build-up of emotions. This is essential listening for all lovers of vintage Italian prog, in the hope that the band will stay together to produce more quality music.

Don't mistake my low rating for a slight against this fine RPI band. This is a very good band but it took time for that to become clear in a recording. Like many Italian acts, Cerchio never got to make a proper album in the 1970s. This Mellow Records archival release collects what they did record, a few of their singles and a hodgepodge of other unreleased items and put it out years later. Often this formula is successful for Mellow and they have literally rescued some classic material from the dustbin of history. This is not one of those success stories. This is a completely unnecessary purchase for everyone save perhaps the relatives of the band members. Years later Il Cerchio would reform and I urge you to seek out their fine latest release from 2008, an outstanding prog concept album.

As for this self-titled disaster, I could almost go 2 stars (for fans) but for one fact: the two best tracks on the album were tacked on to the end of the 2008 album as bonus tracks! That completely implodes any reason for purchasing this album which I can safely rate now as "for completionists only." Aside from the two respectable singles that you can get on the 2008 album, you'll find here a pair of experimental noise collages, a pair of disco flavored pop tracks, and a few decent stabs at prog-balladry and heavy symphonic. And these are the fair ones, though still completely unessential. The remaining 5 or so tracks are a blend of somewhat proggy hard rock that will make you feel like you are listening to a bad bar band, from the 4th floor apartment three floors above the bar. The sound quality of these tracks is atrocious and there is simply no reason you need to hear them. There is no point in going into more detail on these tracks. The bottom line is that you'll want to skip this album and proceed to the glorious Il Cerchio comeback album of 2008, titled "Il Viaggio di Colombo." That album shows off the talent, prog songwriting ability, and true beauty these musicians are capable of.

- Quattro Mura

Interesting and quiet melancholy ballad, led by the piano. An interessant track, but nothing more.

- Future Prossimo

The second track from the single shows the band introduced by the guitar and is also a ballad. I know that the Italian Progressive Rock has always been known to be melancholy, but these two tracks there is nothing special. Worth just for the historical record of the band.

Let the album itself begins, which is conceptual and tells the story of Columbus and his greatest discovery, America. According to Wikipedia - Christopher Columbus (Genoa 1437/1448 - Valladolid, May 20, 1506) was a navigator and explorer Europe, responsible for leading the fleet reached America on 12 October 1492, under the orders of the Catholic Kings Spain. Embarked on its journey across the Atlantic Ocean with the aim of reaching India, and in fact discovered the Caribbean islands (Antilles) and, later, the Gulf of Mexico in Central America.

01. Ouverture

Symphonic, as expected. The key command the open of the album. Columbus will finally go after new lands.

02. Sognando La Meta

The band has a young air and the guitar of Roberto Giordana and Giuseppe Terrible bass are good highlights. At the moment the voice appears as a accompany to the guitar and you cannot say for sure who is the voice as Gino Terrible (drums), Giuseppe Terrible (bass) and Piuccio Sparrow (guitar) are credited in the booklet as singers, however, I believe that the voice's come from Piuccio, but all sing, which makes vocals very interesting.

03. Colombo

The first part of the voyage of Columbus begins. Nice introduction with the Giuseppe bass, he uses a good tone by the way, I am not surprised when I see a picture of he with a Rickenbacker in the CD booklet, which by the way, is beautiful, the Black Widow is to be congratulated, their digipacks are beautiful. I would enjoy and thank you for the partnership with my website (www.progshine.com). Enjoy and visit the Italian label (www.blackwidow.it).

04. I Tre Marinai

In a moment of rest the boat port and on board, comes 3 sailors and an acoustic guitar. Interesting way to put a point of view within a story, the 3 sailors tell their life stories. But I must admit that the sound of drums from Gino bothers me. The central riff of the song is great, weather and gloomy. I liked the final whistle too.

05. Ieri, Ogni, Ancora Niente

After a month of travel, illness and disappointment began to corrupt the crew. The introduction in authentic style of Gentle Giant, it's only vocal, and it is fantastic! Long time didn't hear something in that style, since the great Spock's Beard. After the 1st verse of the song a bass line full of rithym invades the speakers and it is the basis for the keyboard and guitar solos. And the Italian language still beautiful in the prog.

06. Il Silenzio Del Mare Rumoroso

A broken rhythm is the basis for Colombo whines. His verses are sad, as if there is no more hope in their journey. In the second half of the song everything stops and only the atmosphere of loneliness is heard, the band knew how to capture very well the history in this section. Then come back the original melody, but this time in choir, very good.

07. Preghiera Al Vento

Colombo, exhausted, recourse to God, praying to the wind so that it fills the sails of the boat and he could fly over the sea. A acoustic ballad. I thought the guitars, though well placed, were deleted 'in the final mix of the song.

08. Tre Giorni (L'Ammutinamento)

Not having found anything yet on your trip, the sailors come to the limit and the riot is about to happen. Columbus then asks for 3 days and then the crew would return home if nothing happened, Columbus then wins those 3 days.

09. Tierra! Tierra!

In the last day of the journey of Columbus, they found new lands. The second part of the music is interesting, but the guitar is weak, despite the good end of the riff the sound lack of personality.

10. Surrounding l'Approdo

Good keyboard work, Piccolini Franco did a great job in this song, and this time the guitar of Roberto sounds nice.

11. Conclusione (Il Ritorno)

Columbus got what he wanted. However, at the time of return the questions stay on his head, what will happen in the future? Good closing track where the short lyric is repeated to infinity. And so ends Il Viaggio Di Colombo.

This is the 'first' album of Italian Il Cerchio d'Oro since his return and is welcome, the compositions are great and the album is cohesive, but one thing bothered me, the sounds of the instruments. Except for the low all other instruments had weak moments as well, some sounds were erroneously selected by the musicians. But it can be easily improved live and also the next record. But one thing should be strengthened, the digipack is beautiful, congratulations to the Black Widow and the band.