DREAMIN' OF MY PAST

This one shot wonder was seriously overdue for inclusion on PA, an asinine oversight that was finally remedied by our Todd, who conscientiously went about getting it done. I have owned this since its release and have always considered this album to be an Italian prog must, verging on classic labeling since its loaded to the gills with rather original traits that make it quite unique . Obviously, there is a noteworthy element in the presence of master keyboardist Beppe Crovella , who needs little introduction having played with the illustrious Arti+ Mestieri and who gathered under his ivory wings a group of very young Italian musicians to create a unique recording composed of 2 lengthy 33 minute pieces that are never going to be radio friendly but warranting respect and interest from prog fans everywhere. Oh what a ballsy move! This recording also represents one of the finer moments in the early 90s when prog was still trying to find its footing and realizing that it will be an underground movement from then on. And so it has remained unjustly in the shadows of the hungering public until today! I guess that is why we have archeology! The fourth stunning revelation is the fabulous voice of teenager Agnese Cacciola , as well as the medieval/folk/jazz/symphonic brew that permeates the grooves and that clearly proves the Italian mastery of all things musically progressive.

Delicate rain drops usher in the pastoral flute, the delicate acoustic guitar and the majestic mellotron (mostly choir!), followed by nimble piano and simple drums. The intensity flowers into some teasing environments where the bubbly synths can play with the children, a subsequent section issuing more complex rhythms where the electric guitar can weave its own trail. Crovella is a master keyboardist who can race with the Emerson devil when needed but prefers vivid colorations as becomes a true prog leader. The Gothic tinges are particularly brilliant as well as the harder piano edged intrusions within the electronica (synths and Emulators) . Pietro Verri fluidly plays both the Warwick bass as well as the Chapman Stick, guitarist Andrea Mignone scours various patterns out of his fretboard with just enough hints of dissonance to make things unpredictable (his solo 12 minutes in is rather spicy!) . The sultry vocals only appear well into the instrumental proceedings, giving the piece the necessary leg room to flesh out the interest level and keep things panting. When her voice at last enters the fray, a feeling of freshness and youthful exuberance comes to the forefront, an utterly melodic flight, full of fervor and flair. The chorus is poignant, her slightly accented English actually charming instead of detracting and the somber choir mellotron toying with the forlorn bass and the funeral march drums. The switch to string mellotron patches add a sinister sense that is most welcome, as if the two were competing for attention. It's sonically totally stunning, yet delivered in such a simple methodology. There are swift twirls into jazzier exhortations (leaning close to Gentle Giant more than anything), then deliberate symphonicisms that can recall ELP or Triumvirat but all these buoys are really quite distant, as the various 'trons rule the waves. This is a colossal piece of music that is totally irresistible. Just when you least expect it, the orchestral outro/ finale is the proverbial morello cherry on the unctuous tiramisu, especially with a spectacular vocal ending, where sheer, crisp and dramatic coalesce. "Through the Windows of Time" is the backside continuation, a monumental ride very much in the same vein as the first track call it bitter sweetness if you want but perhaps with more emphasis on melancholia and sweet bitterness this time around. The stormy keys herald a gloomier expression, gale force synth swaths howling between the ears with unrelenting bravado, propelled again by the mighty mellotron. The band moniker is another indication of the cinematographic qualities the musicians wish to expand on as this is in no way anything even remotely poppy , which is why I reckon it stayed so covert for so long! Crovella really displays his considerable skills on this second piece, alternating between many vintage keyboards (harpsichord, Hammond A 100 and M3, piano, Mini-Moog , VS and Synergy Mellochoir boards). Agnese introduces a jazzier tone and delivery when she grabs the microphone and only in added sustenance to the ivory bulldozing. The neo-classical tendencies are equally adept at adding a sense of formality to the whole concept, backed by some fat synth solos. Justice can take time and the day has arrived when this slanderous omission has finally been dealt with and Secret Cinema are now part of the community's awareness.

I have heard this album so many times in the intervening 17 years and it still leaves me in awe, without any hint of tedium or desire to flick the proverbial fast-forward button. Thanks for the BDay present, Todd

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