UOMO DI PEZZA

It's not hard to understand why this record is so loved. It has everything one craves in classic symphonic prog: the spirit, adventure, surprise, the dedication to something more than a rock album, even the classy Rousseau-like cover. In our time, the reasons 'Uomo di Pezza' is considered one of prog history's most important albums are perhaps less obvious when contrasted with the superprog of Porcupine Tree or The Flower Kings. But in Italy's prog boom of 1972, this LP was among the symbols of a new musical language that made the previous and highly accomplished decade seem trite. With this and other landmark releases the same year by Il Balletto di Bronzo, PFM, Banco and others, Rock Progressivo Italiano had truly arrived without any doubt as to the commitment and skill of its artists.

The material here is unrecognizable from that on Le Orme's debut and is a big step forward from the transitional second. A band now quite taken with the British prog of the period, the album is a short but sweet 32 minutes of concentrated material packed to the brim with as much love and tender mercies as they could muster. Antonio Pagliuca's wormhole synths are particularly well recorded against the pastorals of Aldo Tagliapietra's acoustic guitars, knitting together a dusty old quilt of canzoni, secular classical, and power-trio rock. A dungeon organ finally breaks into a proper overture, Tagliapietra sounding just fine with a clean soprano performance over the quiet piano while 'Gioco di Bimba' evokes its title with a carousel of folk guitar, kinderclavier, and the moans of a concerned father. Increased velocity for 7-minute 'La Porta Chiusa', a track that drips with antique synths, honking nebulas of organ and hot drumming from Michi dei Rossi. Light and catchy 'Figure di Cartone' recalls the art pop of early ELP, the lavalamps come out in 'Aspettando L'Alba' with the band evoking their psych past, and 'Alienazione' is shameless prog pomp in all its absurd rocketship glory.

More than terrific prog, an unctuous album that will seduce many into the steamy and stormy love affair that is RPI.