PER UN AMICO

The Italian progressive rock scene is one of the fascinating underground movements of the early 70s - the sounds developed by the likes of Genesis, Gentle Giant, ELP and King Crimson had obviously resonated strongly with several bands of this country, and among the pioneering ones of this era we shall necessarily discover Premiata Forneria Marconi, otherwise referred to as PFM. Releasing two albums in 1972, their second one titled 'Per Un Amico' ('For a Friend') is often seen as their definitive work, drawing heavily upon the stylistic pursuits of the aforementioned British bands, and with a particular taste for the pastoral and moody dreamscapes of Genesis. This five-song album was written by legendary guitar player Franco Mussida, keyboardist Flavio Premoli, and the band's flautist Mauro Pagani, also playing the violin on several tracks here, a lineup completed by percussionist Franz di Cioccio and bassist Giorgio Piazza, and continues the sound the band had presented on their debut album, released earlier that same year.

The music on 'Per Un Amico' seems to be quite mellow and atmospheric at first, later revealing many interesting and diverse layers and passages, as the listener understands that PFM were trying out a variety of different things musically, and very often to tremendous results, with the music being rather eclectic and intelligent. Relying on strong melodies and a sound that reminisces the crossover classical tropes of ELP, the Milan-founded group indicate a clear direction, a symphonic rock tendency that utilizes the expressive force of instruments like the flute, the violin, the piccolo, the Mellotron, and the harpsichord, giving the music a sense of ethereality and space, never really compromising the more technically acute and sophisticated sections on here, achieving a fine balance between texture, expression and experimentation. Opener 'Appena un Po'' might as well be the finest example of this melodic style that defines PFM, the dreamy interludes and the gentle vocal delivery seem to be among the cornerstones of the band's sound. This is later confirmed through the quirky title track and the moody piece 'Il Banchetto', replete with rich keyboard sounds. The instrumental 'Generale' offers a more upbeat approach, while the closing track 'Geranio' touches upon that avant-garde side of early prog, with miscellaneous instrumental twiddles at the end of the song.

The overall impression is of a dreamy and melodic symphonic rock album, heavily inspired by the music of the British originators of the progressive rock movement, and while 'Per Un Amico' offers an eclectic array of pastoral soundscapes, it generally seems to lack the grit and mysterious darkness of the music coming from the UK. Nevertheless, this is a classic album of the 70s that seems to be a must in every prog collection, and we could perhaps conclude that it is deservedly placed among the greatest releases of its time.

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