IO SONO NATO LIBERO

Still riding the wave of the early Italian prog scene, the Rome based BANCO DEL MUTUO SOCCORSO could do no wrong having successfully risen to the top of the crowded brave new world that was suddenly propelling 60s psychedelic rock into classical and jazz infused sophistication. BANCO had released two of Italy's greatest masterpieces with its self-titled debut and the following "Darwin" but the string of Italian prog perfection hadn't quite come to an end and in 1973 BANCO released its third and final masterpiece IO SONO NATO LIBERO ( I Was Born Free ) in December 1973 and thus leaving its legacy as one of Italy's top prog rock acts of the classic era. Together with the band's first two albums, this original trilogy is considered a cornerstone of 70s Italian prog with some of the most creative and influential albums of all time which perfectly crafted a wild blend of classical, jazz, rock and Italian folk with unthinkable technical proficiency in the context of rock music for the time.

Graced with the same exact lineup as the band's previous masterpieces, BANCO was a well-oiled machine at this point and elevated the already sophisticated symphonic prog prowess to even further heights making IO SONO NATO LIBERO the band's most overtly progressive album of its entire existence. By 1973 the race to take progressive rock to ever increasing levels of complexity resulted in a threshold of tolerance that many fans rejected. Yes' "Tales of Topographic Oceans" and Jethro Tull's "A Passion Play" are the perfect examples of dividing fans between those who wanted things to continue to ratchet up the prog technicalities and those who felt it was becoming a destabilizing force that ruined the musical flow.

Whatever the case some bands had found that perfect balance between taking things to a higher level without alienating fans who had grown accustomed to beautiful melodic hooks that processed in a logical compositional manner. IO SONO NATO LIBERO succeeded in this tightrope act of offering just enough of what came before but by also continued to progress the band's sound into a very demanding listening experience. The opening near 16-minute opener "Canto Nomade Per Un Prigioniero Politico" showcases the band's more sophisticated approach by offering an incessant flow of varying musical motifs that while based on the opening melodic sequences also finds the band experimenting with contrasting cadences such as acoustic classical guitar moments with heavy tribal drumming and off-kilter time signature-rich explosive bursts of pomp and awe.

While the band's technical wizardry had grown by leaps and bounds beyond the first two albums, IO SONO NATO LIBERO keeps it all in check by alternating the knottier workouts with the more streamlined singles such as the following "Non Mi Rompete" and "La Cittá Sottile" which offer a bit of breathing room in between the more complex tracks which find BANCO unleashing its fully developed prog making forces. This strategy avoided the alienation factor that some prog bands took by keeping the most brutal aspects of prog turned up to full power throughout the entire album's run. Even these easier to stomach singles though exuded the prog sophistication that was present on both the debut and "Darwin" only with the crazy time signatures run amok tamped down. The rest of the album pretty much let all the constraints off the leash and allowed BANCO to demonstrate its ability to play in the big boyz club.

"Dopo...Niente è Più Lo Stesso" jumps back into experimental prog mode with a near 10-minute playing time and wastes no time taking the world of prog to all its logical extreme conclusions with intricately destined melodies providing the underpinning of crazy experimental keyboard runs, unorthodox hairpin turns and breaks into unexpected motifs. The technical wizardry is delicately delivered in doses of clever creativity without sacrificing the beautiful melodic flow and also showcases some of lead vocalist Francesco Di Giacomo's most passionate performances. The album ends with the short but dynamic "Traccia II" piano-driven instrumental that offers the perfect melodic comedown from all the prog excesses you have just experienced. It's sort of a thematic musical version of saying "thanks for coming and we bid you farewell!"

One of the peaks of the entire world of prog of not only Italy but all places and all times, IO SONO NATO LIBERO reached a level even BANCO couldn't sustain and while the band would have a few good years left as a prog band before succumbing to the watered down world of pop rock, BANCO would never reproduced the musical magic that was delivered on its first three albums reaching its logical conclusion on IO SONO NATO LIBERO. This album delivers such tight and proficient instrumental interplay it's almost like the band became a single entity when playing it. There is little in the entire prog universe to compare this to. While the theme was supposedly inspired by the military coup that had taken place across the world in Chile, the meaning of the album title seems more appropriate in referring to the musical developments that can result in crafty creative innovation when the freedom to explore them is permitted. One of the highlights of all prog, of all Italy and of all music ever recorded. Not to mention a personal all-time favorite. M-m-m-m-masterpiece!!!