STORIA DI UN MINUTO

After toying with the Italian pop world and then the first proto-incarnation of I QUELLI, several core members of PFM decided to steer their new musical vehicle into the symphonic progressive arena where they decided to keep some of the melody-making pop sensibilities that actually landed them a few hits in their native Italy. STORIA DI UN MINUTO was released in 1972 with fairly instant success and hitting the top of the charts in their homeland and worldwide success wasn't far behind.

The thing that strikes me most about this debut by PREMIATA FORNERIA MARCONI which translates into 'Award-winning Marconi Bakery' (yeah, everything sounds better in Italian!) is that although they may have been influenced by modern progressive acts of the day such as Genesis and other symphonic acts, they are the group in all of prog that I have so far heard that seems to have incorporated the most obvious classical influences. At this stage they leaned less on rock as an influence and more on Chopin inspired piano runs, Paganini inspired violins and classical Spanish guitar to make some beautifully constructed music that clearly emphasized melody above all else. Despite being more influenced by the classical world, there are also many times when jazz, hard rock and beautiful Tull-like flute enter the picture making this something truly unique.

For me the melodic nature of this music is just so addictive that it makes me think of the perfect amalgamation of two time periods of music, namely the classical periods of yesteryear which actually encompasses several centuries and the newer more modern-day era of the 70s when this was created. This is a beautifully orchestrated and crafted masterpiece that will surely be as well-known centuries from now like the influences that inspired it. For me personally, it just gets better after every listen.