DIAPASON

From 1980 comes this lovely prog inspired album from Pierpaolo Bibbo. It's a mainly song based album with Bibbo himself handling guitars and vocals, ably accompanied by a keyboard player and drummer. There's also a flautist and violinist guesting on one track each. By all accounts Bibbo spent some time on the recording of the album and it certainly shows. The overall sound is warm and lush, with much use of multitracking and effects. However, what I like is that there are also occasional background sounds between some tracks, which gives the impression of a band playing live in the studio. The tracks also tend to segway into one another making the album seem like one long suite of music.

The album opens strongly with the beautiful Cercando Una Terra Fantastica. The instrumental section midway through this song features a chord progression that reminds me of Seven Stones from Nursery Cryme by Genesis... no bad thing. Track 2, Contaminazione, is the only instrumental piece on the album. It begins slow in tempo with spacey synths and guitar, then the tempo quickens when the rhythm section join in. This pattern repeats itself, then the track leads into Incantautore. This is another lovely song featuring violin, celesta, bubbling synths and acoustic guitar. Bibbo's voice is good throughout the album, but on this track he excells. His voice is a very nice lyrical tenor, perfectly suited to this song. Track 4, E Dalle Mie Macerie, is quite a long piece at 7.51. It starts out as a piano led ballad before developing into a more upbeat piece with a very infectious melody and angst-ridden vocals.

The second half of the album is arguably of more interest to prog fans. At 9.37, La Macchina Del Tempo is the longeast track here. it is also the centrepiece of the album. It features many different sections, tempo changes, vocal and instrumental parts. Track 6, Suoni, Echi, Voci, continues in similar vein with more tempo and mood changes. Possessori Della Mente is a short, up-tempo rocker... ok, but nothing startling. However, the album finishes strongly with a reprise of Incantautore. Bibbo sings one verse before the song finishes with an extended instrumental passage featuring one of the most beautiful melodies on the disc.

My one criticism of this album is that, texturally, there is a bit of similarity between some songs. Fuzzed guitars, synths and celesta seem to be omnipresent, although the other side to the argument is that this provides continuity and adds to the band feel. Despite this one small criticism this is a gorgeous album and is highly recommended, especially to fans of RPI.