DEBUT

There are so many wonderful RPI bands out there, many of which--like this one--were one shot forays in the prog arena. So many Italian artists decided to try prog during the early 1970's, many staying with it and others abandoning the experiment.

This particular band is fairly obscure--the only information I could find comes from italianprog.com. Basically Gigi Pascal (real name Giancarlo D'Auria) was a good pop singer from Naples who was active from the late 1960's. He formed a band he called Pop Compagnia Meccanica, the musicians of which we only know the first names, except the drummer Fulvio Marzocchella, who did some session work later. Pascal then went on without this band to perform more singles, some under different names.

Their only album, Debut, is a very nice, albeit short, example of pop with prog leanings. I was reminded to some degree of Capricorn College, Hunka Munka, and I Dik Dik, though those bands have slightly different emphases and strengths. The common features that I hear are a knack for memorable melodies generally in the garb of straightforward pop (simple chord changes, 4/4 rhythm, etc), with the occasional burst of complexity and variety. The album is short--26 minutes--and consists of 8 songs, many of which flow together nicely. The vocals are good, with some nice harmonies and minimal drama. The music is largely organ-driven, with some very enjoyable interplay between organ and guitar featured in many songs (especially the largely instrumental Fuga en Si Menore and Debut). The solos are not too flashy and don't draw too much attention to themselves, apparently for the good of the overall piece. There are occasional short drum solos as well.

My favorite songs are Ormai, Fuga en Si Menore, and Crescente, all of which flow easily into each other. Fuga's only vocals include some la-la's, with the piece overall being a nice departure from the more straightforward songs. The drums, although still in 4/4, are varied and quite good. There is even a slower section which is played over the sounds of flowing water--very nice!

All in all, this is another in a long line of wonderful RPI bands who show that there is so much depth in Italian progressive rock of the 1970's that even in the third and fourth tier you can find some really good music. Three stars.

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