IL VESTITO ROSA DEL MIO AMICO PIERO

Singer/Songwriter Gian Pieretti was born in Ponte Buggianese, Tuscany and moved to Milan at the age of 19, where he met composer Ricky Gianco, with whom he built a strong relationship over the years.He started his career with I Satelliti and then with I Grifoni, but during the second half the 60's he begun releasing solo singles and albums as well as writing songs for other artists.At the end of the decade he signed with Ricordi, his second album ''Il viaggio celeste di Gian Pieretti'' was released in 1969 and in 1973 it was followed by one of the most shocking releases in Italian Music.''Il vestito rosa del mio amico Piero'' was not only Pieretti's most adventurous album, but it also dealt with homosexuality, an issue very few artists dared with.Music is arranged by Ricky Gianco and A. Nicorelli, while the orchestral director was Nik Albert.The album's title translates into ''The pink dress of my dear friend Piero''.

The album is centered around the 17-min. long opening piece ''Meccanica di un' emozione nuova'' (''Mechanics of a new emotion''), apparently refering to the changing emotions of a homosexual man.This is a beautiful piece of Acoustic Folk, Psychedelic Rock, Soft Rock and light Progressive Rock, split in four movements, with grandiose orchestral moves, absolutely great vocals and nice Italian-spiced melodies and acoustic runs with a rural atmosphere, which are absolutely efficient and tight with a strong Mediterrenean flavor.Moreover the clever use of accordion and synths make this a very interesting piece of vocal-based Art Rock.The rest of the album follows a more traditional, song-based material with Pieretti's intense voice always in the forefront, supported by acoustic themes, piano romance and sometimes a synth-drenched sound akin to FORMULA 3.The atmosphere of the allbum is depressive and melacholic, dealing with a sensitive concept, sometimes comparable to the work of MAURO PELOSI.The musicianship though is great, emotional, warm and well-crafted, based on Pieretti's unique vocals and the mellow instrumental parts dominating the album, with a nice narration outro.

The album failed to bring success and Ricordi ended the deal with Pieretti, who moved to Dig It for another album in 1974, ''Cianfrusaglie'', which went also unnoticed.From this point on he focused on composition and production for other artists over a span of four decades, while his only other releases came at late-80's/early-90's in a Pop/Rock style.

An album with both a musical and historical value.Fascinating and grounbreaking concept work with limited but great instrumental parts and beautiful singing lines in the best Italian tradition.Recommended.