NUDA

Nuda is the first album from Garybaldi, but in reality it is more like the second as they had previously released an album with the same line-up under a different name; the Jimi Hendrix Experience....er....I mean Gleeman.

Joking aside you may gather from my remark above that Garybaldi have a sound very derivative of the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Guitarist Bambi Fossatti plays very much like Hendrix and even models his own vocal style on the legendary axeman at times. The inclusion of keyboards adds another dimension to the sound but like Hendrix much of the material here is psychedelic blues rock and despite a 1972 release still has a foot firmly in the sixties.

Side 2 of the original vinyl album is the more satisfying, being the more progressive and comprising of one piece divided into three parts. Fossatti while still having his moments doesn't dominate quite as much and keyboard player Lio Marchi is given more space. The rhythm section of Maurizio Cassinelli (drums) and Angelo Traverso (bass) are solid enough but unremarkable, but they hold things together well enough for some pleasing guitar and keyboard over the top including a section reminiscent of a live version of Deep Purple's Space Truckin'.

Getting back to side 1, it's fairly pedestrian bluesy rock with those Hendrix influences well to the fore. Decomposizione, Preludio E Pace is a guitar only piece of wailing guitars, much like the kind of thing Hendrix frequently reeled off live, but while you can't deny Fossatti's talents as a player Hendrix not surprisingly did it better. Apart from this we get two rockers and 26 Febbraio 1700 in a ballad style, but still reminiscent of Hendrix in his mellower moments like on The wind Cries Mary or Angel.

Overall then a good album, nothing more, nothing less. It does have a great cover though and if you get it go for the BTF triple fold out sleeve version.