ZARATHUSTRA

Seeing the last 1 star review, I decided it was time to pull this album out and assess if for myself. First off, I don't think this is a masterpiece. It is simply not that compelling or enduring. On the other hand, I would say it is easily in the same league as the greatest Itailan groups of the 70's, Banco, PFM, etc. Not quite as good as their best albums, but certainly of the same calibur. There is tons of mellotron, and I think it is used quite well. The main piece, Zarathustra, is a bit disjointed but I still think it works very well as a whole. The other songs are not quite as interesting but are still very well done and enjoyable.

Overall, not quite as good as masterpieces from the best of the Itailian bands, but certainly close enough to merit 4 stars (I would actually rate it more like 3.5, meaning it is not as essential a purchase as Bancos best albums or PFMs best albums, but still worth getting after you have those and enjoy them).