CORTE DEI MIRACOLI

Another one-shot Italian prog album (well, at least until the 1990s, when Mellow Records released some live and archival material). Their only album released during their lifetime was released in 1976 on the Grog label (owned by Vittorio de Scalzi of NEW TROLLS). This was a band that featured two keyboardists (Riccardo Zegna, Alessio Feltri), a bassist (Gabriele Siri), a drummer (Flavio Scogna), and vocals (Graziano Zippo), but no guitar. The only guitar you hear is on the opening cut, "...E Verrà L'Uomo", which was provided by Vittorio de Scalzi himself.

This album comes to prove that the Italian prog scene still has some good music to offer in 1976. To me, I think the music sounds a bit like a cross between BANCO (similar duo keyboard format, often in a classical manner) and Le ORME (since vocalist Graziano Zippo has a rather high-pitched voice). Maybe a little ELP thrown in, particularly on "Verso Il Sole". Moog, string synths, piano, electric piano, and Hammond organ are the keyboards you hear. "Una Storia Fiabesca" does get a bit repetitive, but has grown on me. "Il Rituale Notturno" is a rather pleasant number complete with string synths. I like the electronic effects found at the end. "I Due Amanti" finds the band starting off a bit spacy, with the string synths, and electronic effects (presumably played off an EMS synth), before the music sets in. The vocals here seem to be lower-pitched and a bit off-key, making me think it was someone other than Graziano Zippo doing the vocals. I love how the music starts slowing down, simulating the sound of someone turning off their record player. Nice album to have for the Italian prog rock collector.