PIERROT LUNAIRE

The band already released quite a decent work before this one, but when you will listen to the title and opening song, there will be only one question left: why is this band so much ignored???

The music displayed during ''Gudrun'' is just sublime: form symphonic in its birth, it evolves to sweet and folkish atmospheres and features some wild female vocals in the middle part (probably a little bit too much prolonged to my taste). This is a complex song that could be included in several prog genres: the band is very ''eclectic''?which means at time not very accessible to all ears.

The effort is still rewarding. Of course, you have to be prepared for quite a ride (maybe that an inclusion into the eclectic genre would be more appropriate). Of course ''Plaisir D'Amour'' opens with some very suggestive female vocals. This is an old French song totally revisited. It is part of the French patrimony and is here combined with some afro-beats during the second part. Quite an astonishing mix!

The overall feel is quite bizarre actually. Erotic vocals, psyche mood and some avant-garde impression as well. All combined! This is not an easy work to get into. Some very old radio programme recordings are opening the almost clerical ''Sonde In Profondit'' which later on conveys into some more symphonic territories.

Some of the tracks are quite embarrassing though: I can't really be laudatory about such a mascarade as ''Mein In Armen Italiener''.

To be honest, this album is overshadowed by the title track (but only partially). Three stars for this album which is quite difficult to categorize. Symph? Italian? Eclectic? Maybe a portion of each, but prog folk is alien here.

Very few Italian bands are categorized in the prog-folk genre. And this ''Pierrot Lunaire'' (whose name sounds more French than Italian) displays a wide range of good prog feelings: folk (but not too much), symphonic and most of all genuine Italian prog like in the excellent opener and well titled ''Ouverture XV''.

This debut album (but there will only be two unfortunately) is of a very decent length in comparison with most of the Italian productions in these ancient times and the music flows very nicely from one song to another. From folk (''Raipure'') to the psyche-medieval ''Invasore'' (what a blend)!

The genuine delicacy of Italian prog being available as well in this debut. Even if short, the almost classical ''Lady Ligea'' is a beautiful keyboards oriented tune which should offers great delights to all prog ears.

The band investigated some more the acoustic psyche roots and performed ''Narciso''. A sweet trip but not too fancy to tell the truth. So far, it is the weakest track from this effort, but not too many damages are made either.

Some Andean feel is provided by the catchy fluting during ''Il Re Di Raipure'' which breaks the lesser interesting mood showed in some previous tracks. I guess that a song as ''Sotto I Ponti'' should bring all the fans of folk, symphonic and Italian music all together: it combines all elements each one would like to hear. The highlight.

Most of this work is pleasant to listen to; once in a while some weakness but overall this album fully deserves three stars (maybe seven out of ten).

PIERROT LUNAIRE Gudrun is their second album. At first I do not like much this album and thought not liked album than their first one. After a few years since I bought and after a few times I ve listened, It managed to atract my attention. A few hours age I listened Gudrun, I decided to write down a few words on this album for it came to me some thoughts. first I like singer's high pitched sound, next some songs are like just an old fashioned love song! so comfortable to me. It is considerable that this album is recommended to people who are open minded and like open music. I would like to give 4.5 stars all right.

OK. Now THIS..is delicious.

This is an album I could not have enjoyed just a few years ago as I didn't have the patience for something this weird/challenging. Many people listen to music and consciously look for riffs or vocals to grab onto so they can relate, so they can just enjoy and rock out. You can't do that here. You have to surrender your expectations about what music is and let Pierrot Lunaire paint the picture for you. This is one of the wildest albums you'll ever hear so if you like your music easily digestible, Gudrun is not for you. This album is for the adventurous listener. But so rewarding and the most unique spin I've had in ages.

Pierrot Lunaire is an Italian band from the 70s but this is not your typical "Italian classic" cd. Gudrun is more like avant-garde, free thought, stream of consciousness, melodic madness. It is completely bizarre music with some similarities to Opus Avantra but not comparable to anything really. Conventions go out the window as we are treated to all manner of instruments and free-form vocals in these mini trips. It is held together by the dodging presence of tasteful melodies which are not obvious but they are there. Plenty of them. This is experimentation at its finest but unlike some trippy albums which are just dissonant to an annoying level, Gudrun is enjoyable and beautiful. The album is split into tracks but plays out like one long dream sequence separated by the click of a camera, an effect that makes us feel like we're viewing photos of a person's trip.

"Gudrun," the long title track, starts out promising, dreamlike, mysterious. But I agree with another reviewer that the 11 minute opener runs out of steam and therefore I can't go 5 stars here. The first half is great but the latter part goes on unnecessarily long. But we're that close to a masterpiece so if you have a deep enough collection to have an "avant" shelf, then this is an essential release for that shelf. "Dietro il Silenzio" is a gorgeous piano solo that is all too short, just a brief wistful moment needed to recover from the first song. "Plaisir d'amour" is street sounds and vocal loops that border on insanity until some very obnoxious synths kick in. "Giovane Madre" actually sounds a bit like a song with normalcy contributed by some really outstanding percussion work, but the normalcy won't last. Another refuge from the strangeness and an absolute knockout track is "Morella" which is pure Italian prog beauty, lush melody, great vocals, piano, acoustic, bass, drums and perfect arrangement. It's a perfect song that ends in an outbreak of laughter signaling that reality has begun to slip away again. But I can't get enough of it! I wish this were a double album.

A must for fans of Italian prog, avant-garde, and for daring listeners of all stripes. A must for lovers of truly progressive music! 4.5 stars.

It's funny consider that Arturo Stalteri is nowaday one of the most popular radio-voice on RAI TRE into the Fahreneit program. Everytime I listen to Gundrun Lp by PL I cannot laugh thinking Artro Stalteri left his amazing musical creativity to join the easy money way through RAI network. Maybe during the 70's the italian record market forced many good musicians to find a different way to live. Gundrun is absulutely ESSENTIAL RECORDING into the progressive music world. The structure of the concept album, of every single track, and the sound are really far away from the first album of the group. If you listen the first album and after that, you put onyour turntable Gundrun, you cannot say "It's the same group"..... Don't miss this Lp (and much better the Cd with 3 extra tracks) and forget about the first Lp

The first of two albums of this Italian band is such a piece of colection. The arrangements seems to be so simple but they are really complex and full of little delicious details, specially on strings because the album is full of guitars, sitars and mandolins. Really difficult to categorize because every song has elemnts from folk, soft prog, avant garde and even classical influences.

Some highlights: the beautiful Raipure, the amazing arrangements of Invasore and the awsome songs Arlecchinata and Mandrangola.

Special mention to the beautiful voice of Arturo Stalteri... Why he doesn't appear on the best vocalists polls?

Anyway, this album is a necessary piece in any prog colection... 4* and a half!!

I was totally surprised by this album. Beatiful instrumentation! I like every single song on this album. Can't understand why it's not as good rated as PFM, BSM and other italian prog bands. Although, I'd been giving too many five stars ratings (it must be because I'm a prog enthusiastic!). If someone asked me to rank my favourite albums or to pick five to bring to a desert island, certainly I coundn't do it. Allright, I'll give it four stars...

****1/2

The debut album of this group offers a blend of symphonic, folk rock and classical. There are also touches off avant-garde that would greatly evolve in the next album. The overall sound is rather pastoral, though not as pastoral as with a group like Celeste, and with some renaissance/baroque feel as well. Pierrot Lunaire had a great keyboardist Arturo Stalteri and this album truly offers some of the tastiest piano lines in progressive music. He is a classically trained pianist and it shows, as his playing resembles the style of the great composers. There are a few songs also that are more acoustic guitar driven. The guitarist Vincenzo Caporaletti provides also some nice flute lines. It is however notable that all the best tracks in this album are composed by the third member Gaio Chiocchio who plays various instruments, mainly percussions. Fans of classical and pastoral sound should appreciate this great album.

The album starts with "Ouverture XV", a great instrumental piece and showing the classical influence of keyboardist Arturo Stalteri. Other highlights include "Lady Ligeia", "Il re di Raipure", "Sotto i Ponti", "Arlecchinata" (my favourite) and "La Saga della Primavera".

One should notice that the follow-up album Gudrun is totally different to this debut album. It is very avant-garde and so much that it is hard to believe it is the same group. It is much more an acquired taste but fantastic nevertheless.

Conclusion: This can be considered a classic.

This is one of those "the whole is more than the sum of its parts" albums. The conceptual glue that holds it all together boosts its rating from 3 to 4 stars. I'm talking about little things like the sound effects that begin many of the tracks, and the short, Gong-like vocal asides that crop up here and there. The songs themselves are all pretty good, although I have a tough time getting all the way through the opening track, which wears out its welcome two or three minutes before it ends (likewise, the bonus track version of the same song, which deletes the wonderful introduction). Darby's vocals may seem new and different to prog music listeners, but as someone who's heard a lot of avant/new music female vocalists, I'd have to say she's only a fair singer. Musically, I feel that this album is miles beyond what their first album presented, with more complex melodies here and there, and less "soloing". A nice addition to the Italian Prog section of your record collection, since it's in a class by itself.

Hmm...I don't think you can go wrong with this abum, if you are into the more pastoral side of Italian prog. Their second album, Gudrun, seems to get all the attention, but after MANY listens to both I find myself putting this one on more often. First off, they may as well have been recorded by two different bands. Whereas Gudrun is early avant garde, electronic and experimental, this one is completely dominated by the acoustic guitar. Guitarist Caporaletti has his way on this album, and he leaves afterwards, leaving the band stretching for a new direction (which they found, and successfully). Not classical guitar like PFM, but heavily strummed steel string acoustic. Very Italian folky music, and very beautiful too. Give it a try, you might like it as much as I do. An excellent addition to any collection, especially in the reissued mini-LP edition.