OPERA PRIMA

What a pleasure to have this wonderful record in my progrock cd collection! Another excellent and compelling one-shot band from the italian scene of the seventies. I'm very proud of such a richness of bands and artists, many of them being quite obscure for the italian people ourselves! I've got Opera Prima in the recent and elegant BMG 2003 paperlseeve reissue. The sound remastering is very clear and convincing, the only remark I can move is that of the sometimes too lighter drums. It seems not due to the remastering session, I think.

Paolo Rustichelli and Carlo Bordini were a very talented duo of musicians who decided to elaborate what would habe been their unique album combining only two kinds of instruments: keyboards in all their pompous and soft variety (organ C.3 Hammond, Mellotron, Arp V.C.S. 3, piano) and drums always well played even if sometimes they deserved to be more loudly recorded. It's a pity that such a talented duo didn't manage to catch enough airplay. This was a common thing in Italy in those times, by the way! Carlo Bordini was next the drummer of the Cherry Five album.

Excellent the cover art, figuring a big hairless naked man who embraces his young clone...

Two instrumental and longer tracks: the opener "Natività" (8,13 mns) and the closer "Cammellandia" (8,47 mns). Both excellent but not at the same level of the other sung pieces. That's because of the particular and catching vocals provided by Rustichelli. His memorable rough voice is a perfect trademark for the album itself.

The peak of "progressiveness" is rapresented by the impressive "Icaro", an ode to the mythic character from the ancient greek legends. The man who builded wings to fly and tried to touch the sun. The heat of the sun helted the wax which holded together all the feathers. Icaro died falling to the ground.

Another great favourite of mine is "Un Cane" (A Dog) with very nice lyrics about that animal, rapresenting free man. Outstanding and powerful keyboards. Perhaps the most favourite of mine!

"Dolce Sorella" (Sweet Sister) and "E Svegliarsi un Giorno" are the other sung tracks. The second one is better. The first one is more melodic and romantic oriented.

In conclusion, I think the four stars are not really enough, but I can't really rate Opera Prima with five stars. It is in these cases that we need to give also half ratings. 4.5, almost a mastepiece of italian progressive rock or, at least, a particularly excellent and memorable one.

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