IL PAESE DEI BALOCCHI

There's not much worse than organ related rock in my book. Regrettably this album is replete with such sound. That overblown cheese--fest is abundant throughout this self-titled album from the otherwise untouchable period of prog - 1972.

'Il Paese Dei Balocchi' is one of the more over-rated Italian prog albums which has Armando Paone sniveling and moaning about something or other. Perhaps it would help if I could understand Italian? One way or the other - he ain't no Sinatra.

'Il Paese Dei Balocchi' is decently recorded, sounding lively with much space between tracks. It's just that, well, it's damn uninteresting if I'm brutally honest. The compositions are poor and the playing is half-hearted - almost as though they can't wait to get the recording session over.

Things pick up with the creamy sound of 'Euasione' which, for 2 minutes fools you into a sense of imminent greatness with it's cool guitar and highly produced vocals. It's ultimately inadequate, as what follows is not a crescendo but a crushing lull. A shuffling. soul sapping nonentity.

This is a disappointingly forgettable album that tries ever so hard to be greater than the skills of the musicians at hand. In my opinion, it's just a poorly conceived and boringly executed album.