IL PAESE DEI BALOCCHI

Here's a totally obscure Italian prog band, so obscure that it seemed that only Mellow Records felt the need to reissue it on CD. The original LP (not easy to come by) was released on the CGD label, a label that wasn't too interested in rock music. This album is a nice, mainly laid-back mix of the prog rock of the time with classical. Orchestra pops up from time to time, but unfortunately, unlike RDM's "Contaminazione", OSANNA's "Milano Calibro 9" or NEW TROLL's "Concerto Grosso Per 1", orchestra and rock band never plays together, it's either orchestra or rock band playing. Regardless, the orchestral passages are rather pleasant, but not particularly rock. There's a couple passages where the band rocks out in a more ELP manner. One cut I can live without is "Risveglio e Visione del Paese dei Balocchi", especially the part with the very cheesy sounding celeste. Nice, generally pleasant Italian prog and classical, but not essential.