TIME OF CHANGE

Accordingly to their members, The Trip, now reduced to a trio, had a lifetime experience in May 72' at the Villa Pamphili concert in Rome, performing in front of 80000 people.The band changed label the following year, now recording for Trident, and released the fourth album in as many years, under the title ''Time of Change''.

The album is undoubtfully highlighted by the sidelong 20-min. epic ''Rhapsodia'', a well-crafted composition with major YES, LE ORME and E.L.P. influences, highlighted by the complicated, almost jazzy drumming of Furio Chirico, the furious bass lines of Arvid Andersen and the incredible work of Joe Vescovi on keyboards.This track alternates rapidly between loose jazzy jams and tight Progressive Rock with huge Classical influences, offering plenty of organ, synths and piano textures, supported by excellent vocal work.The rest of the album is also good yet a bit uneven.''Formula nova'' is some sort of keyboard-driven Prog/Fusion, all instrumental and highly challenging, while ''De sensibus'' is pure Avant-Garde/Experimental music, featuring percussion, cymbals, synths and wordless screams.''Corale'' is a beautiful laid-back symphonic ballad with church organ and bass on the forefront along with the romantic vocal lines of Andersen and the closing ''Ad libitum'' is a piano solo by Vescovi with evident Classical and Jazz inspirations.

The next year Chirico formed Arti E Mestieri and Andresen had a serious road accident, which propably marked the end of The Trip.More than three decades later the band was revived with the legendary Andersen-Chirico-Vescovi line-up, performing live concerts, but sadly came to an end in the spring of 2012 after the death of Andersen.

The last studio contribution of The Trip is energetic keyboard-led Progressive Rock with an obvious leaning towards more Fusion realms and comes as another nice contribution of one of the earlier Italian Prog bands in the proggy paths.Strongly recommended...3.5 stars.